Understanding key lead generation terms is crucial for holding informed, strategic conversations and driving growth with your sales team. Whether you’re trying to secure more appointments or build lasting customer relationships, knowing what these terms involve can set you up for success. In this blog, we break down important lead generation terms to keep you in the loop.
Lead generation is the process of attracting and engaging your target audience in your product or service to the point of them converting, whether that be making a sale, delivering more information, etc. In digital marketing, this usually involves collecting a visitor’s contact information, then turning them into a “lead”. In outbound sales development, this is usually down through cold calling and email sequencing.
Steps in the lead generation process include identifying your target audience, driving the audience to your website or meeting link, engaging them and capturing their information, nurturing your new leads, and converting them via a form fill or booked meeting.
Some examples of lead generation strategies include:
Demand generation is a marketing strategy that aims to find the perfect way to bring awareness to your product/service based on consumer needs. The goal of this strategy is to generate interest and education, increasing the pool of potential customers. This differs from lead generation, as demand generation focuses on increasing brand awareness, while lead generation focuses on converting.
Tactics used in demand generation include:
Business development is a long-term, proactive process of planning for a company’s growth through new opportunities and relationships. It’s different from sales, as it’s a long-term process, but it does incorporate sales and marketing. It also includes the following:
Sales development, an extension of lead generation, handles the initial stages of the sales cycle, which includes finding, connecting with, qualifying, and setting appointments with potential leads. It’s an important business function for companies, as it helps bridge the gap between marketing and sales, increases efficiency, and drives growth.
Sales development involves many techniques, such as:
Data procurement is the process of creating an online database of people interested in your company and is a key part of sales and marketing. Luckily, there are many list-building tools available, such as ZoomInfo. Strategies to build your target list include:
In its most basic terms, marketing is a primary business component referring to all activities a company does to promote its products/services and compel a target audience to take action. This includes market research, analysis, and understanding your target audience. Additionally, there are many different types of marketing, such as digital marketing, guerilla marketing, influencer marketing, and more.
Several terms in lead generation and sales development are often used interchangeably, but they typically have nuanced differences that professionals should understand. Here are the most common examples:
These terms are similar but not identical.
Both involve moving prospects through stages but have distinct focuses:
These terms often overlap in usage:
Understanding these lead generation terms is essential for any business looking to grow and reach its full potential. At Concept, we leverage advanced sales and marketing tech stacks to deliver comprehensive lead generation solutions. Our marketing and appointment-setting services cover every stage of the lead generation process, ensuring your leads are effectively generated, nurtured, and converted into loyal customers. Reach out today to discover how our expertise and technology can drive your business forward.
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