Lead generation is the process used to stimulate and capture interest in a product or service with the purpose of generating sales opportunities through different techniques.
The lead generation strategy therefore involves collecting leads, classifying them, feeding their interest , which is known as lead nurturing , and finally converting them into customers .
The fundamental objective of this process is the lead , which can my database be described as all well-collected and precise information from a user who might be interested in your products . If you work on it properly, this contact goes from being a potential sales opportunity to a customer.
The importance of converting a cold lead into a sales-qualified one
Generating qualified leads is a priority for any marketing department. A lead is an element that is in an initial phase of the purchasing cycle. Therefore, applying the most convenient techniques to detect the interest of your prospects is the challenge to overcome. To do this, you will generally have to go through 3 stages in which 3 types of leads are identified:
Cold lead : This is when the user has already downloaded some of your content, subscribed to some of your services or has had some relationship with your company by providing you with basic information. This type of user is not yet predisposed to purchase, so you need to convince them that your offer is suited to their needs. This is at the stage known as Top of the Funnel (TOFU).
Marketing Qualified Lead : In this case, the user has already shown repeated interest in your products, opening your emails, clicking on links or accessing landing pages, so it is time to find out whether or not this can become a business opportunity. This is in the Middle of the Funnel (MOFU) stage .
Hot lead or sales-qualified lead : The user is already predisposed to purchase, so this type of lead usually receives much longer forms, for example, to collect even more information that allows you to direct the user to the final conversion. These leads are usually offered to sales teams with the aim of being contacted by phone, email or even in person. This is found in the phase known as Bottom of the Funnel (BOFU) .
A continuous lead generation process will create a constant supply of leads, a system in which the following elements must coexist:
It should be easy to manage and maintain once launched.
You should be able to generate important data from users who have shown interest in your products and services. The usual ones are name and email address.
Users must give their explicit permission to be contacted and presented with your products.
It must offer confidence to the user.
It must be easily measurable .