The Difference Between Leads: Cold, Hot and Qualified Leads

Types of Leads and Their Description

All of us have been on the receiving end of a cold call with a cold lead. For example, this is when a company calls you out of the blue and tries to get you to sign up for one of their credit cards. Now, the reason you've never contacted them, have shown no interest in their products or services, and have been completely annoyed with them is because they probably called you at the worst possible time.

Read more about it here: https://belkins.io/help-center/lead-generation-research/what-is-cold-lead

A warm lead is someone who has shown interest in a product or service by following your company on social media. He signed up for an email newsletter, got a recommendation from a friend or previous customer, or showed some other interest. These types of leads are simply potential customers who have shown interest in learning more about a product or service, they are much more valuable than cold leads, but really only consist of those whose contact information has been obtained.

These are the best types of leads because these people tend to be the closest to the buying stage in the sales cycle. For example, a person who searches Google for a particular product or service is a qualified lead because their need led them to go online and search for the right company.

To get to qualified leads through search engines, you will likely have to invest in SEO and PPC advertising.

But there are different stages of qualified leads, and they can be established using the so-called BANT process.

BANT Approach

It's easy enough to remember:

• Budget: does the prospect have enough money for the customer to buy the products?
• Authority: can the prospect make the decision to buy or are they subordinate to someone else?
• Need: does the customer really have a need that the product or service will satisfy?
• Time Frame: is there a specific period of time in which they intend to make a purchase?

The more you know about your potential clients, the closer you can get to closing the deal and the better prepared you are to determine whether or not they are a potential client.

Hunting for Qualified Leads on a Website

If you're already bringing visitors to your site, you can use the following tips:

1. Offer some free leads in exchange for their contact information. The more valuable the guide, the more contact information they'll provide, and the more you'll know about their potential.

1. Provide an email subscription on your blog. This will keep your brand in the eyes of visitors who may not be ready to buy.

1. Make your social media presence visible. By allowing visitors to follow you on social media, you get an additional opportunity to stay in front of them and promote your products and services.

That way you can learn more about potential customers and their stage in the buying cycle.

Search engine optimization, social media and email lead capture are often seen as great sources of warm and qualified leads. Learning how to use these channels will ultimately result in lower marketing costs and increased sales.

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