A Sales Lead is a prospective consumer of a product or service, created when an individual or business shows interest and provides contact information. Businesses gain access to sales leads through advertising, trade shows, direct mailings and other marketing efforts.
An SQL is determined by the company’s lead management process, which is often indicated by which actions a prospect takes that indicate intention to buy. Companies employ a lead scoring process to target serious buyers, which is designed to save salespeople time and expedite quota attainment. Ideally, sales and marketing teams will collaborate to determine which qualities and actions a prospect must take in order to advance to the next stage of the process. Many lead quality issues originate when marketing sends off leads to sales that have no intention of buying, slowing the sales process down.