It used to be that a qualified lead simply meant a potential customer that has expressed interest in your product or brand, and that meets some general buying criteria.
While that’s still true, a qualified lead must accompany a lot more information before it is prioritized for contact. In order to achieve “qualified lead” status, it must first adhere to the criteria of both the sales and marketing departments. With technologies such as CRM and Marketing Automation the process of setting criteria and organizing leads accordingly has never been easier, but the key of course is the Sales and Marketing Alignment–the agreement of what a “qualified lead” actually is to both parities.
In order to attract more qualified leads, it’s important that you understand your buyer, and speak their language–avoiding gobbledygook (or marketing jargon). Also, nurturing plays a large role in the process of qualifying leads, a job that both Sales and Marketing are responsible for. When initial leads aren’t “qualified” or ready to be passed to a Sales person, or contacted, nurturing is a way for you to help educate them through their buying process, while keeping in touch and supporting them until they meet the criteria of a qualified lead, and are contacted by Sales.
Increasing qualified leads comes from knowing your buyer, providing value to them at various stages of the cycle, and addressing their needs at the appropriate time. Because of Sales 2.0, we are able to identify not-sales ready and qualified leads sooner, and take action faster.
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