5 Things to Look for in Qualified Leads

Qualified leads are among the most valuable sales opportunities for B2B companies. Like all leads, they are prospects. The difference, however, is that qualified leads have been vetted for quality purposes. Qualified leads are deemed ready for sales. After generating a qualified lead, your B2B company's sales team can reach out to the vetted prospect to pitch a product or service. What should you look for in qualified leads exactly?

#1) Matching Industry

You should consider the industry in which a prospect works. A defining characteristic of a qualified lead is a matching industry. In other words, the prospect should work in an industry that's aligned with your B2B company. Your B2B company probably sells products or services to one or more specific industries. Only prospects who work in one of these industries should be classified as a qualified lead.

#2) Suitable Budget

Qualified leads must have a suitable budget. Budgets, of course, can vary. Some prospects will have deeper pockets than others. If you're going to qualify leads, though, you should check their budget. Prospects -- or rather the businesses for which prospects work -- must be able to afford your B2B company's products or services. If they lack the necessary budget, you shouldn't qualify them.

#3) Complete Contact Information

Something else to look for in qualified leads is complete contact information. It's difficult for sales reps to engage prospects with incomplete contact information. If a sales rep only knows the name of a prospect, for instance, he or she may struggle to reach the prospect. Therefore, you should look for complete contact information when qualifying prospects. Make sure that your B2B company knows the name, phone number and email address of a prospect.

#4) Purchase Intent

Purchase intent is a key characteristic of a qualified lead. Purchase intent is the explicit or expressed desire to make a purchase. Qualified leads are prospects who are ready for sales engagement. They've already shown a desire to make a purchase, so you can pass qualified leads down to your B2B company's sales department for engagement. You should look for purchase intent such as this when qualifying leads.

#5) Facing a Problem

Qualified leads typically face a problem. They are dealing with some type of problem within their respective business that's preventing or restricting them from achieving their professional goals. To solve this problem, qualified leads seek a solution. You can pitch your B2B company's product or service as a solution.

What's Next

Qualify sales leads with SalesLeads. Our identified projects come with contact names, email addresses and phone numbers for leaders of the project. Our sales leads can go directly into your funnel to begin the sales process to close.