What is Qualified Lead?

A qualified lead is a potential customer who fits your ideal customer profile and has shown interest in your product or service. In B2B sales, lead qualification helps ensure that sales teams focus on the most promising opportunities.

Qualification often involves criteria like budget, authority, need, and timeline (often called BANT). A qualified lead should have the means to buy, the authority to make decisions, a clear need for your product, and a timeline for purchase.

The process of qualifying leads can involve both marketing and sales teams. Marketing might initially qualify leads based on demographic fit and engagement. Sales then further qualifies them through direct conversations.

Having a clear definition of a qualified lead helps align marketing and sales efforts. It ensures that marketing passes on leads that sales can work with effectively. This can lead to higher conversion rates and more efficient use of sales resources.