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What Is Lead-
Generation Marketing?

TO BEGIN, we need to answer two basic questions: What exactly is lead-generation marketing? And what exactly is a lead?

Lead-generation marketing is getting people to “raise their hands” and say they are interested in buying, or learning more about, your product or service. By “raise their hands,” I mean they show interest in a very palpable way.

Leads are people who have identified themselves as candidates who can potentially be turned into sales. Depending on where they are in the buying cycle, they may be “thinking about buying” or “shopping around” or “considering alternatives” or “ready to buy.” Whatever their stage, they have a genuine interest in your products or services, and are considering you as a viable option to meet their needs.

Lead-generation marketing is a way to generate what I call marketing-qualified leads (MQLs). An MQL is a lead that is legitimate, honest, and actionable. Legitimate and honest mean your prospective customers have a true intent to buy. They have the money and the authority to buy, and are serious about evaluating your product or service for possible purchase. Actionable means your sales engine can act on the lead.

A sales engine is whatever mechanism you use to engage the sale of your goods and services. It used to be that “sales engine” referred almost exclusively to a company’s sales department, but a shift in practices is taking place. In the 21st century, lead-generation marketing is changing not only how companies handle marketing but, in some cases, how they handle sales as well.