The definition of a lead

One of my readers pointed out that they really appreciated the definition of a suspect that I use throughout Indispensable Marketing. A suspect is a member of your target market you suspects needs what you offer .

This same reader (Wilson) also asked then for my definition of a lead (as it might relate to marketing)

So, here you go.

A lead is a person who has indicated interest in your company’s product or service  in some way, shape, or form.

In other words, instead of getting a random cold call from someone who purchased your contact information, you’d hear from a business or organization you’ve already opened communication with.

For example, maybe you downloaded the 300,000 mile car guide to learn more about how to get 300,000 miles out of your car. If you got an email from the auto care company that created the guide on their website about how they could help you take care of your car, it’d be far less intrusive and irrelevant than if they’d just called you out of the blue with no knowledge of whether you even care about car maintenance … right?

And from a business perspective, the information the auto care company collected about you from your guide download would help them personalize that opening communication to meet the existing needs of the potential client.