What is a lead?
A lead is a person or company that has shown interest in your product or service, or fits your target audience and can be contacted. Leads are the first stage before a sale: not customers yet, but there is a reason to talk to them. Lead generation is everything you do to get them.
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Types of leads: MQL and SQL
Not every lead is ready for a sales call. LinkedIn splits them like this:
- MQL (marketing qualified lead): someone who took an action that shows interest, such as visiting a website, downloading a whitepaper or clicking an ad, but is still early in awareness and evaluation
- SQL (sales qualified lead): a lead in the consideration or purchase stage, or ready to buy. It can come through marketing or through direct outreach
Inbound and outbound leads
Inbound leads: the person comes to you, for example after reading a post or finding you on Google. Outbound leads: you reach out first, for example with a personal LinkedIn message. In B2B, the combination works best: content warms up the audience, and outreach reaches those who haven't come to you yet.
Common mistake: buying leads
A purchased list of names and phone numbers isn't really a list of leads. The people on it haven't shown interest in you, and some of them don't fit at all. A real lead is someone you have a good reason to talk to, who has a reason to listen.
An example from LinkedIn
Say the CEO of a software company posts regularly about a problem his clients know. A finance director comments on one of the posts. That is a signal of interest. A personal message that refers to her comment, with no pitch in the first message, can turn that signal into a conversation.
How Velut works with leads
I work on both sides from the CEO's own profile. On the inbound side, consistent content in their voice. It usually takes 3 to 6 months of consistent presence to get meaningful organic leads. On the outbound side, at least 100 personal messages a month, 5 new ones every working day. On my profile and my clients', 5% to 10% of cold LinkedIn messages turn into a sales call, depending on the market and the audience.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a lead and a customer?
A lead is a potential customer who hasn't bought yet. A customer has. In between is the process: a conversation, a meeting, a proposal and a close.
What is a warm lead?
Warm leads are people who already know you or have shown clear interest, for example by commenting on your content or asking for details. It is easier to start a conversation with them than with a cold lead.
How do you get B2B leads from LinkedIn?
Combine content from your personal profile with personal outreach to decision-makers who fit your audience. The full step-by-step method is in our LinkedIn outreach guide.