Lead qualification is the process of deciding which leads are worth sales follow-up based on fit and intent. Clear qualification rules, often implemented in your CRM and marketing automation, make sure performance marketing, inbound and content syndication feed your sales team with real sales leads, not just anyone who filled in a form.
What is lead generation in marketing?
Lead generation is the process of attracting people who show interest in your product or service and turning that interest into sales conversations. In practice, that means using campaigns, content and offers to get potential customers to raise their hand, share their contact details and enter your lead pipeline so marketing and sales can qualify them and move them toward a deal.
What does a lead generation agency do?
A lead generation agency (or lead gen agency) combines strategy, media and outreach to keep your team supplied with sales-ready leads. They may run paid search and social, outbound email, LinkedIn outreach, content syndication or appointment setting, but the value comes from turning that activity into predictable pipeline generation that works with your existing growth marketing and ABM efforts rather than competing with them.
What is a lead pipeline and why does it matter?
A lead pipeline is the structured flow of leads from first touch through qualification into sales opportunities and closed deals. When you define clear stages and ownership, you can connect lead generation activity to pipeline generation, see where leads are leaking, and use lifecycle marketing and marketing automation to move the right people forward instead of letting them go cold.
How is lead generation different from demand generation?
Demand generation focuses on creating awareness and intent in your market over time, while lead generation captures that intent into contacts, meetings and deals. In a strong B2B engine, demand gen warms up the right accounts and lead generation services convert that interest into qualified pipeline.
How lifecycle marketing is connected to lead generation?
Lifecycle marketing is the practice of designing communications for each stage of the customer journey, from first touch to renewal and expansion. In lead generation it ensures that once a lead is captured, marketing automation and content take over with the right next step, so your investment in lead gen, demand gen and branding actually turns into pipeline and revenue instead of one-off form fills.