Sales leads are the lifeblood of any business. A steady stream of high-quality leads can help you grow your business at a healthy clip, while a lack of leads can put a damper on your progress. However, not all sales leads are created equal. There are different types of sales leads, and each one is important in its own way. 

Understanding the different types of sales leads will help you create a successful lead generation strategy for your business. Here are the top types of sales leads that every business owner or organization should be aware of:

Top 7 Types of Sales Leads

1. Hot Lead
   
   A hot lead is a kind of potential client who will be interested in the product, service, or business opportunity you offer. They are generally people who meet all criteria for a deal and have better offers than others do. Hot leads are more likely to close deals than cold ones because they have already qualified all criteria needed for your business, such as budget, authority, need, and time frame called BANT.
   
   The main difference between these two types of leads largely depends on how effective BANT was at identifying them. BANT will help you evaluate if they are worth pursuing or not by looking at their budget, authority level, needs, time frame.

2. Cold Lead
   
   Cold leads are sales leads that are not highly qualified, and it takes hard work to convert them into successful customers. They may not be in the right budget, position, or time to convert into an effective customer for whatever reason, but their need will keep them in vogue as potential customers on your list.
   
   A cold lead is one of the most difficult types to generate sales from. It takes a lot more work and time than other leads.

3. Warm Lead
   
   In any type of sales, you are inevitably going to come across warm leads. Warm leads are in between hot and cold. These types don’t qualify in all criteria like hot leads, but they still have some positive attributes that make them an attractive option for many companies.
   
   A warm lead is a prospect who has already expressed some level of interest in your product or service. Because they have already shown some level of engagement, they are easier to sell to than cold leads, which are people who have never heard of you before. Generally, warm leads fall into one of two categories: known customers or qualified prospects. 
   
   Warm leads are easier to convert than cold leads and require some nurturing from salespeople to become profitable additions to your company’s bottom line.

4. Information Qualified Lead (IQL)
   
   Information-Qualified Leads are the most convenient type of lead for businesses. These leads discover the business while searching for some knowledge on their phone or computer. These types of prospects often share their contact details to find out more information about what they want or need and this allows the marketing teams to get in contact with them and provide all of the necessary information to close them as customers. The marketing team makes sure this process goes smoothly and efficiently so that you can get those conversions!

5. Sales Ready Lead (SRL)
   
   Sales-Ready Leads (SRL) are exactly what they sound like: leads that are ready and able to buy your product or service. This is the lead in which an individual or business prospect approaches a company to connect with the sales team. These prospects have usually done their research and are ready to close the deal.

6. Marketing qualified Lead (MQL)
   
   Marketing Qualified Lead, or MQL, is a term used in business to describe a potential customer that has been identified as being more likely to buy a product or service than other leads. An MQL is usually identified as such by the marketing department, which uses specific criteria to determine whether or not a lead warrants further attention from the sales team. 
   
   It differs from an information-qualified lead in that those prospects learn about the company first and then explore the information, whereas, in the case of MQL, marketing efforts tend to attract the lead.
   
   The benefits of generating MQLs include improved efficiency in sales processes and increased revenue. 

7. Sales Qualified Lead (SQL)
   
   Sales Qualified Leads (SQL) are potential customers that a sales representative has identified as being potentially interested in the company’s product or service. These leads have been qualified by the sales representative as being worth pursuing, and they represent a valuable opportunity for the company to convert them into paying customers.
   
   The process of qualifying leads is an important part of any effective sales strategy, and it is crucial to ensure that only qualified leads are pursued. Generally, this is done by assessing the lead’s fit with the company’s products or services and their likelihood to buy. 

Your business is looking for high-quality sales leads to help grow your pipeline. FunnL can take care of that!

FunnL is a B2B lead generation company that can help your company with its lead generation campaign. Our Lead Recommendation Engine leverages AI on our proprietary database to generate high-quality sales leads and targeted prospects based on your business type. This will not only increase ROI but also save valuable time spent sifting through unqualified data points manually.

This means more opportunities and less wasted time – all you need to do is contact us today!