What Is A Lead In Tech Sales (And How Do You Get More Of Them)?

You've probably heard the term "lead" used in a variety of contexts, from politics to real estate. In tech sales, a lead is a person or company that has shown an interest in your product or service.

Lead generation means finding customers who are ready and willing to buy. These customers should also be a good fit for your offering. It’s also a key sales responsibility for Business Development Representatives (or BDRs)!

In order to generate leads, you'll need to put yourself out there. Market your offering in a way that resonates with potential customers!

But remember: not all leads are created equal. Some may be ready to buy right away, while others may just be kicking the tires.

It's important to qualify your leads to determine their intentions and how likely they are to convert into paying customers.

How do you generate leads?

Lead generation in tech sales is anything but one-size-fits-all. The most effective approach will vary depending on your industry and target market. That said, there are a few tried-and-true methods for generating leads that can be adapted for any business.

These methods include:

• Sharing valuable content: One of the best ways to generate leads is by creating useful content. This could take the form of blog posts, infographics, ebooks, whitepapers, or even simple tip sheets. Provide potential customers with information that helps them understand a new concept or achieve a goal. This will help position you as an expert in your field—and that's something people are always looking for.

• Hosting webinars or podcasts: Another great way to generate leads is by hosting interesting and informative webinars or podcasts. This helps you build up your credibility! And it will also give you the opportunity to gather contact information from attendees so that you can follow up with them after the event.

• Attending trade shows: If you're looking to generate B2B leads, attending trade shows is a great way to do it. You'll have the opportunity to network face-to-face with potential customers! You'll also be able to collect business cards and follow up with interested prospects after the event.

• Leveraging social media: Social media is a powerful tool that can be used for lead generation — if used correctly. By creating quality content, targeting the right people, and using relevant hashtags, you can reach a wide audience. And turn some of those followers into paying customers!

How do You Qualify Your Leads?

As we mentioned before, not all leads are created equal! Some already have their wallets out while others are just window shopping.

That's why it's important to qualify your leads before spending too much time (and money) trying to close them.

Here are a few green flags to help you determine whether or not someone is a qualified lead:

• Job title: One indicator of whether or not someone is a qualified lead—particularly in B2B sales — is their role within the company. If they're in a position of authority at their company (e.g., CEO, CFO, CIO), they're more likely to have budget approval and decision-making power than someone lower down on the totem pole (e.g., Analyst, Assistant).

• Need: If your product or service is a good fit to solve a customer challenge, you likely have a qualified lead on your hands. From there, you can gauge how big that need is. Is it a pressing issue for their business, or a minor annoyance? Do you think this is immediate or off in the fuzzy future? Is it likely to get budget approval or just wishful thinking?

• Timing: Timing is everything when evaluating your leads. If someone needs your product or service yesterday, they're much more likely to qualify than someone who's just beginning their research.

Take the Lead on Your Tech Sales Career

Whether you’re generating new leads to buy from your business or qualifying the leads you already have, sales success comes down to targeting the right people with the right message at the right time.

Combine these factors and you’ll get a good idea of whether a prospect is likely to buy what you sell—and whether they’re worth pursuing if they’re not.

Lead generation and qualification are absolutely critical in tech sales. And we wish we could cram all the insights and experiences from our instructors into this one article!

We’d love to show you more, which is why we created our Career Success Catalog, chock-full of Courses and Workshops designed to help you master key sales skills like these.

Take your Career Success into your own hands and explore how a career in tech sales can take you to places you never thought were possible.