Classification of Sales Leads: Hot, Warm or Cold

Classification of

Sales Leads

JUDY CAROLL

COLD

SALES LEADS COULD BE:

WARMHOT

A typical telemarketer makes at

least 140 live calls, talks to at

least 40 decision-makers,

acquires at least 10 fresh contact

emails, and sends out reference

materials to at least 140 contacts

– all in a day’s work.

CLASSIFICATION OF SALES LEADS

That looks quite a lot

to finish in a plate

– unless you’re a foodie.

a Lead?

Do all these

guarantee

Each qualified lead

follows a set of

criteria.

The number of qualified criterion of a certain lead willdetermine its classification.

CLASSIFICATION OF SALES LEADS

COLD

FIRST IS...

WARMHOT

Sizzling and

sumptuous to

your eyes…

Yes, it’s a Lead!

This type of a qualified lead that meets all the

required criteria which most of time is set.

Apply the

BANT lead

qualifying

system!

So how to know if

it’s a hot lead?

B is for Budget

The prospect has set or prepared a budget and

is just ready for disposal at anytime a project

proposal is approved by the management.

Do you have a budget? How

much is your budget? Are you

willing to expend? What is your

budget range?

Q u a l i f y i n g q u e s t i o n s f o r t h i s c r i t e r i o n w o u l d b e :

B IS FOR BUDGET

A for Authority

The contact person you speak to could either

be the Person In charge, or the Recommender.

He should have the final word to either say

“yes” or “no” to the proposal.

Are you the person in

charge/recommender on this

project? What is your role on

this? Do you solely make

decision on this?

Q u a l i f y i n g q u e s t i o n s a r e :

A FOR AUTHORITY

N is for Need

Need would always top the set of qualifying

questions in a telemarketing script. When a

need from the prospect is identified, this

sends a signal of a brewing lead.

Are you looking into this type of

product/service to improve your process?

What product/service are you currently

using? Have you encountered any issue?

Are there any initiatives from your

company to evaluate/replace your

current system? What functionalities are

you looking at?

Q u a l i f y i n g q u e s t i o n s m a y b e a s f o l l o w s :

N IS FOR NEED

T is for Time frame

The point period from the time you spoke

with the prospect to the planned or projected

period of purchase or implementation of the

new product or service.

When do you plan to purchase?

When do you plan to implement

the new system?

M o s t q u a l i f y i n g q u e s t i o n s w o u l d b e :

T IS FOR TIME FRAME

COLD

NEXT IS...

WARMHOT

Well-plated and

perfectly

garnished, but

tastes just fine…

What’s the missing ingredient?

This qualified lead misses 1 or 2 criteria. But what makes it bagged

the qualifying scale is that a Need was identified and the other 1

or 2 qualified criteria should be able to support the first. In most

cases, the disqualifiers would either be Budget or Time frame.

these

leads are

not

wasted.

But don’t get

easily discouraged,

They

could

still be

nurtured

and you might be

surprise in due time

they’ll be contacting

you again.

COLD

LASTLY...

WARMHOT

So, who likes a

bowl of cold

soup?

A qualified

cold lead has

2 or 3

disqualifiers

and the remaining

qualifier would be

supported by the

prospects agreement to

take a look or compare set

ups between their current

system and yours.

and

further

nurturing

is needed.

This is the kind of

lead which most of

the time is set to KIV

(kept in view),

Business success is not

achieved overnight.

It takes time, effort, tools, skills and strategies

to be able to reach your target results.

CLASSIFICATION OF SALES LEADS

Look at every

lead as an edible

opportunity.

Imbibe hunger for it. Whether it’s HOT,

WARM, or COLD, it’s still comestible, isn’t it?