The lead-to-opportunity rate measures the percentage of leads that advance to a fully qualified sales opportunity. It reflects how effectively an organisation is converting early-stage interest into meaningful commercial conversations. A strong rate indicates that leads entering the funnel are well-targeted, relevant, and engaged enough to merit deeper evaluation by sales.
In B2B environments, this metric acts as a clear indicator of both lead quality and the effectiveness of nurture programmes. It highlights whether marketing is attracting the right audiences, whether messaging resonates, and whether the buyer journey is aligned to how real customers research and evaluate solutions. A low conversion rate often points to issues such as misaligned targeting, insufficient qualification criteria, or nurture content that fails to move prospects forward.