Read time: 2 minutes
It’s the kind of question that can keep demand gen teams up at night: Is this lead ready to speak to sales?
Get it wrong, and the consequences ripple through the pipeline; time wasted on unqualified calls, sales frustration, and marketing efforts that seem to miss the mark. And with B2B buyers spending more time researching independently and less time talking to vendors, that moment of readiness is harder to spot than ever.
The shift to self-serve buying journeys means the signals we once relied on - form fills, content downloads, even event attendance - aren’t always enough. A contact may engage with your content without ever intending to buy. Meanwhile, another lead might be showing strong intent signals elsewhere, but goes unnoticed because they haven’t hit one of your ‘traditional’ qualification triggers.
So what does readiness look like now?
It’s a mix of timing, intent and fit. It’s not just whether someone ticks the boxes on your ICP checklist but whether they’re actually in-market, actively researching, and open to having a conversation. And this is where many teams fall into the trap of either qualifying too aggressively or not qualifying at all, relying on outdated models that don’t reflect today’s complex buying cycles.
That’s why lead qualification needs to be rethought. It's not a static checkbox exercise, but a dynamic, insight-driven process that combines behavioural signals with context and strategy. Think predictive lead scoring, intent data, nurturing journeys, and well-timed touchpoints. It’s about creating a system that helps you identify real buying momentum, not just activity.
And if that sounds like a lot to keep track of, you’re not alone. Many marketers are wrestling with how to bring these signals together in a practical, scalable way.
This infographic helps simplify the complexity of sales-readiness and gives your team a clearer path to confident qualification.
Whether you’re building your first lead scoring model or looking to refine how marketing and sales align, this is a smart place to start.
Scroll down to take a look—and see how close you might already be to your next great opportunity.
