Types of leads
- Marketing qualified lead (MQL): engaged enough, and a good enough fit, for marketing to hand over.
- Sales qualified lead (SQL): checked by sales and ready for a direct sales conversation.
- Cold, warm and hot leads: an informal way of describing how ready someone is to buy.
- Inbound and outbound leads: people who came to you, versus people you contacted first.
How to generate leads
- SEO and content that bring in people searching for your services
- Google Ads and social ads that send traffic to focused landing pages
- Useful offers, such as a free audit, quote, checklist or trial
- Simple forms, click-to-call buttons and chat on your website
- Referrals, reviews and partnerships
From lead to customer
Respond quickly, because leads cool down within hours. Score leads to prioritize the best ones, nurture the rest with helpful emails, and track which sources bring leads that actually become customers, not just the most leads.