[Rob Buchanan]

I think everyone has a differnet idea as to what is a sales lead. Here are a few reuslts from the first page of a Google search for "what is a sales lead".


en.wikipedia.org - A sales lead is the Identification data of a person or entity that has the interest, authority and budget (i.e. money) to purchase a product or service. This step represents the first stage of a sales process. The identification of the sales lead is referred to as lead generation, a process conducted by either the marketing or sales organization.

A sales lead may also be defined as a sales stage object in CRM systems that serves as a repository for prospecting lists that are not considered to include a person that has expressed interest, authority, or budget.


businessdictionary.com - sales lead: Inquiry, referral, or other information, obtained through advertisements or other means, that identifies a potential customer (prospect).

searchitchannel.techtarget.com - lead: A lead is a potential sales contact -- an individual or organization that expresses an interest in your goods or services.

leadlizard.com - What is a sales lead? The sales team has a definition, the marketing team has a definition, executives have one opinion and your CRM software has another. No one’s definition of what constitutes a sales lead is necessarily wrong, but it’s critical that sales, marketing, management, CRM systems and marketing automation platforms can all work from a single definition, since your criteria around sales leads will affect your data, your marketing efforts, your nurturing programs, your lead qualification and even your final sales numbers.