Lead.

The English word 'lead' suggests a trail or a pointer. In marketing it means a person or company that is identifiably interested in an offer. Typical ways in which leads arise: a submitted contact form, a quote request, a phone call, an appointment booking, an e-book download or a webinar registration. The process of winning such contacts deliberately is called lead generation.

Leads are at different stages. A Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL) has shown interest, for example through a download, but is not yet ready to buy. A Sales Qualified Lead (SQL) is far enough along that sales should contact them, for instance because they have asked for a specific quote. With lead scoring, businesses assess how close a contact is to closing.

An example: a kitchen maker receives 30 leads a month. Twelve are brochure downloads, ten are enquiries through the form and eight are phone calls. Orders come almost exclusively from forms that include a floor plan, and from calls. The brochure leads therefore first receive a follow-up email rather than a call. Anyone who only looks at the total misses this difference.

That is why it matters not just to count leads but to track their quality: how many become a quote, how many an order? Cost per lead (CPL) only becomes meaningful once you know what share turns into revenue. Anyone who 'guarantees' leads is, when in doubt, selling addresses rather than customers. How visitors become enquiries is the subject of conversion rate optimisation; which channel a lead comes from only becomes visible with clean conversion tracking.