What’s the Difference Between Leads and Qualified Leads?

You have probably heard the terms lead and qualified lead before, and you may have used them interchangeably. However, it is important to realize that there is a difference between these two types of potential customers. Understanding the difference can help you to temper your expectations when you look at the number of leads you have versus the number of qualified leads. It can also let you know where and how you might want to focus your marketing efforts. Let’s look at what these terms mean and which ones you should chase closely.

What Is a Lead?

A lead is simply someone who may be interested in your product, roofing services in this case. They are a potential sales contact, and they can be discovered via canvassing, online marketing, and more. In some cases, they might even come to you expressing interest in your services. However, this does not mean that they are ready to invest in your services right now. They may still need some convincing on your part. You can nurture those leads.

There is the potential for a lead to become a qualified lead in the future, and it is a good idea to focus some of your marketing efforts on this group. By marketing to them, it is possible to bring them from lead to the category of qualified lead, which we will discuss next.

What Is a Qualified Lead?

You could consider a qualified lead to be those who are in the process of completing your campaign cycle, and those who have responded positively to your canvasser about needing roofing services. The qualified leads are those who are educated about what they want and need for their roofing, who have the finances available to pay for these services, and who are actively looking for contractors like you.

A qualified lead tends to be those you know more about, as well. You know more about their background and finances, more about their problems, and more about their personas overall. This information can help you when it comes to marketing directly to those customers. You can show them how you can solve their roofing problems. There is a higher likelihood that these homeowners will become actual customers.

What About Unqualified Leads?

Of course, there are also leads that are unqualified. These are people that are not truly interested in the services you offer, or even those who are unsure of what your company offers. They could also be those who discover that your roofing services are not in their price range. There is the possibility of turning unqualified leads to qualified leads, and even to buyers.

However, this is not common, and most of the time, you would be better served by focusing on your qualified leads, along with marketing efforts that could turn the regular leads into qualified leads.

Getting Leads and Qualified Leads

Getting leads tends to come from your marketing efforts online and offline, along with hiring a canvasser to get boots on the ground in the areas you service.

When you hire a canvasser, they have the skills to speak with homeowners who might need roofing repairs, and they can help them to better understand their insurance. This is especially true for those who may have had their roofs damaged by storms. The canvassers can connect to the leads and make sure they are qualified when they are passed on to you. The best canvassers work in real time, too, which means they can pass these qualified leads on to you immediately.