Everything we know about B2B LEADS

At work I spend my time talking about “Lead”. And I notice that the meaning of the concept varies quite frequently… So much so that I decided to write this note to try to define it in all its possibilities! I hope to achieve it, and if any specialist wants to help me with their comment, then welcome!

Generally speaking, a LEAD is a person who, on behalf of themselves (B2C) or an organization (B2B), shows some interest in your product or service.

This interest is evident when the visitor agrees to provide us with their real contact information in an online form. To achieve this, we must seduce them with a brand promise or specific benefit through a call to action.

Everything we know about B2B LEADS

In other words, for a Lead to exist, there must be a Call to Action. In addition, the contact must agree to be entered into a CRM or Lead Management platform to receive subsequent communications.

Following Seth Godin in “Permission Marketing” we can say that if there is no permission to receive further marketing communications, then there is no Lead. Or to put it positively: we are only dealing with a LEAD when there is a clear interest in establishing communication with your company.

We are only dealing with a lead when there is a clear interest in establishing communication with your company.
the lead for marketing and sales
There is a typical problem in B2B companies, which usually have separate marketing and sales teams.

The situation is that Marketing and Sales have different visions of what a “LEAD” is.

What is a marketing lead (MQL)?

An MQL is a contact that meets the characteristics of a buyer persona and who left their data on a form. This form can be on the company’s contact page, on a Landing Page, or on the Blog, to name a few examples.

What is a sales lead (SQL)?
For sales, however, this is not a LEAD, B2B LEADS it is simply a marketing contact. Sales qualifies a lead based on the real and concrete interest that person has in moving forward in the purchasing process, in the short term.

That is, for a Lead to be qualified by B2B LEADS Sales it must have 4 main characteristics:

The contact must have decision-making power in the purchase (or be a determining influencer)
You must know and be able to answer the question of whether or not the company has the budget to make the purchase.
You must also have defined your need (ideally documented in an RFP (Request for Proposal) or a Brief).
Finally, you need to know at least the possible timeframes in which this purchase could take place. In B2B sales, it can take between 2 and 6 months.
the conflict and the solution
This difference in vision regarding what a Lead is has generated (and continues to do so) certain conflicts between the Marketing and Sales teams.

How do I know what type of lead I have in front of me at each stage?

LEADS are classified according to their level of commercial maturity. In B2B, maturity is directly related to the need and intention to purchase . The greater the stated need and intention to purchase, the better qualified the Lead will be.

“Suspect” or suspect
It is simply a contact who completed an online form.

It is a Suspect because we do not yet have elements to qualify whether it responds to the characteristics of the Buyer Persona, and we are also not clear about its level of interest and need.

Examples of Lead Suspects are:

A contact who downloads content (ebook, papers), buy telemarketing data leaving us their first name, last name and an email address.
A contact who requests information on our website, but without detailing a specific need or the profile of their company.

Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL):

When a Lead Suspect is how to provide good customer service qualified by the marketing department as a potential client, it receives the “MQL” label.

In this case we are talking about a awb directory person who meets the characteristics sought in a potential client, based on criteria such as:

Purchasing decision power
Company size according to
Favorable context for the purchase or contracting of our product or service.
Examples of MQLs are:

The same contact from example 1, which we now know is a target company, and a person with decision-making power.
The contact who wrote to us via the contact form on our website, and who completed a pre-qualification form that we sent to him/her by email.
Sales Qualified Lead (SQL):
When an MQL shows real interest and the current conditions are met to advance in a purchasing process, then it is qualified as SQL (Sales Qualified Lead).

The SQL is a hot lead and must, in B2B, be handled quickly by the sales team or the Inside Sales team.

Examples of SQL are:

The same contact who downloaded an ebook, went through a maturation process and is ready to buy in the short term.
The contact who wrote to us via the contact form on our website, and who then provided us with further information regarding his/her query, and we determined that he/she is ready to move forward with the purchase decision.
Pipeline Opportunity:
When a SQL advances in conversations with the sales team and enters the sales funnel (Pipeline), it is then treated as an opportunity.

Examples of Pipeline Opportunity are:

Our contact from example 1 now receives a formal economic proposal and is analyzing the purchase.
The lead in our example 2 is entered as an opportunity after receiving a formal quote.