Lead Qualification Processes

I built an AI agent that handles my entire inbound system. (And I used to be against automation). Here's how I did it: I used two tools: --> Make: For automation workflows --> Relevance: For AI agents Here's what my AI agent handles: When someone fills our form, it- --> Analyzes their LinkedIn profile --> Reviews their website --> Checks if they match our criteria --> Makes a decision in seconds For qualified leads: --> Sends personalized pitch deck --> Books discovery calls --> Handles initial questions For non-qualified leads: --> Sends a thoughtful rejection --> Explains why we're not the right fit --> Keeps the door open for future The best part? My team and I can focus on what matters - strategy and client success - instead of spending hours on admin work. No more: -Manual lead checking -Back-and-forth emails -Calendar scheduling headaches -Just high-quality conversations with pre-qualified founders. Want to know the biggest lesson? Automation isn't about replacing the human touch. It's about creating more time for it.

In pre-sales, we live by a golden rule: never demo without discovery. Yet I continue to find SEs jumping straight to demo mode. Why is skipping discovery so tempting—and so dangerous? It's tempting because: - You've done this demo "a hundred times before" - Sales is pushing for a "quick show-and-tell" - The customer asks to "just see it in action" - It feels efficient The consequences are predictable: - You solve problems the customer doesn't have - You position against the wrong competitors - You focus on features they don't value - You waste precious time on low-probability deals Discovery isn't a checkbox. It's the foundation of everything that follows. Want better win rates? Start with better discovery.

𝗗𝗢𝗡'𝗧: Download/webinar sign-up → send leads to sales. 𝗗𝗢:       Match the next step/CTA with the buyer's intent level. Don't propose marriage on the first date. Instead, ask yourself:  What does the buyer actually want? 𝗛𝗜𝗚𝗛 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝘈𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: Book a demo call 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵: Get a demo and evaluate the fit 𝘕𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱𝘴: Let ICP buyers book a call with AE directly. Actually provide the demo, pricing and discuss their use-case. 𝗟𝗢𝗪 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝘈𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: A buyer downloads a piece of content, or registers for a webinar 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵:  To learn Possible next steps that match the intent: - Connect before the webinar to ask what they're hoping to learn - Follow up after the webinar asking their feedback, and offering more resources on the topic - Offer them newsletter sign-up upon content delivery - Progressive profiling (using marketing automation to collect more info about needs, goals, and priorities—and using these insights to provide more relevant content) 𝗠𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗨𝗠 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝘈𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: Visit high-intent pages; several buyers spent 30+ min on website 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵:  Considering a vendor (but not yet ready to book a call) 𝘕𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱𝘴: provide a personalized buying experience for high-value accounts. Here is how: When an account is engaged, the next step is account qualification (if it's a right fit) and account segmentation (to what tier it belongs). We do tier segmentation to define what level of personalization to use. Tier 1 accounts (highest revenue potential): 1-1 highly personalized campaigns Tier 2 accounts: vertical-based and job-role based personalization. Tier 3 accounts: should be generated via demand generation programs. 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 Collect all the publicly available insights about the strategic initiatives of the qualified accounts and map out the buying committee. Map your value proposition and content to the needs, JBTD and challenges you discover. 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 Specific activities and channels to engage the target buyers (of a specific account), create awareness and distribute your personalized value proposition and content. These include: 1. Social engagement and social selling 2. Content collaboration 3. 1:1 content distribution 4. 1:Few content distribution using paid 5. 1:1 and 1:Few direct mail 6. Events (virtual events, local micro events, breakfast meetings, round tables, etc.) 7. Communities The key is to have clear agreements with sales on who does what. --- 70% of B2B buyers are frustrated with their buying experience. This is an opportunity: better buying experiences will help you stand out. So review all your CTA with sales, asking yourself: What is the actual intent of the buyer, and what is the best and fastest way to serve them at this step of their journey?

In October 2021, we generated 250 sales leads in 2 hours without coding, AI, or sales expertise, and we have never looked back. Here's exactly how we’ve used webinars to generate $3M+ in pipeline since launching our company. A week after launching Chezie's ERG platform in August 2021, we hosted a simple webinar that changed everything. The idea came when we noticed most ERG content online was outdated (think black-and-white websites from 2014; it was dark out there). We saw an opportunity. Here’s our process: 1. Find your topic     Look for LinkedIn conversations in your niche. Use tools like Perplexity to research what people are actively searching for.     2. Get the right host     We reached out to my friend Morgan Matthews (she/her), who was working as a DEI Manager at Peloton at the time. Your host should either have a strong following, work at a notable company, or ideally both.      The more notable your speaker, the easier it is to drive signups.      3. Structure your event     We titled ours "From Intent to Impact: How to Get the Most Out of Your ERGs." Morgan gave a 45-minute presentation and left 15 mins for Q&A.      Keep it simple – a fireside chat format lets your host prepare answers in advance.     4. Capture leads strategically     Have attendees share key info during registration (company size, current solutions, etc.). This helps you qualify leads before the event.     5. Execute and follow up       Some tips for a smooth event:       • Host on Zoom (everyone’s familiar with it by now)   • Pay attention to which participants are most engaged   • Share recordings after via email to warm the inbox   • Focus follow-up on qualified leads      Fast-forward to today: We've hosted 60+ events and turned webinars into our #1 go-to-market channel, even as we've expanded to other strategies. If you have questions about the process, qualifying leads, or anything else around webinars as a GTM motion, comment below; I’m happy to help! 👇🏾

Stop lumping your customers into broad categories like age and income. You're missing out on the secret sauce—occasion-based segmentation. Your thrifty weekday customer is the same guy ordering an extravagant pizza and Cola combo on Saturday night. People don't change; the occasion does. Tailor your marketing strategy to occasions, not stereotypes. Imagine a restaurant pushing cheap rice bowls Monday to Friday and going full-throttle with pricey pizza ads on weekends. We did this with Swiggy - two of the brands in my portfolio were Homely (an affordable homestyle meal brand) and The Bowl Company (a premium meal brand). We realised our consumers were pretty much the same people - young professionals who ordered Homely during the weekdays to eat home-style food that was ‘safe’ for the stomach,  and The Bowl Company on weekends for splurging and partying. Switch to occasion-based segmentation, and you won't just see higher sales—you'll understand the fluidity of consumer behaviour like never before. It's not just smart marketing; it's respecting the complexity of your customer. #marketing #marketresearch #business

I warmed up a prospect for 3 months on LinkedIn before our first call. They signed a £75K deal in 3 days. Modern selling demands a new approach: cold outreach fails, warm relationships win. Think about it... That prospect had consumed 47 of my posts. Watched my videos. Read my articles. Engaged with my content. By the time we jumped on that first call? They already trusted me. They already knew my approach. They already understood the value. I didn't have to sell them. They'd already sold themselves. Here's my framework for turning content into closed deals: 👇 1. Build trust at scale BEFORE the pitch Stop spraying and praying with cold messages. Start building relationships through value. Each post builds trust. Your insights mark credibility. Stories create connection. Your content is doing the heavy lifting while you sleep. 2. Let buyers self-educate on THEIR timeline Modern buyers don't want to be sold to. They want to discover solutions themselves. ↳ 70% of the buying journey happens before they talk to sales ↳ They're researching you before you even know they exist ↳ Your content is either attracting or repelling them Give them what they need to make informed decisions. 3. Recognize the REAL buying signals Forget MQLs and SQLs. Think about PQLs (product qualified leads) Here's what actually matters: - Multiple engagements across different posts - Bringing colleagues into the conversation - Asking specific, detailed questions - Moving from public comments to private messages These aren't leads. These are pre-qualified buyers. 4. Keep momentum BETWEEN meetings Here's where most deals die: The 167 hours between your calls. While you're chasing other prospects, your buyer is: ↳ Getting cold feet ↳ Talking to competitors ↳ Forgetting why they were excited Smart sellers stay present even when they're not there. This is where tools like Consensus come in. They let buyers explore demos on their own time. Answer their questions at 10 PM. Share materials with their team. Stay engaged between touchpoints. It's how you keep social selling momentum right through the demo stage. https://lnkd.in/ePVWw-Bi 5. Close with confidence, not pressure When trust is already built? When value is already proven? When buyers are already educated? Closing feels natural, not like a battle. The best deals I've ever closed felt inevitable. Because the relationship started months before the opportunity. Here's what this approach delivers (in my experience): ✓ Significantly faster sales cycles ✓ Much higher close rates ✓ Bigger deal sizes (pre-sold = less negotiation) ✓ Happier customers (they chose you, not the other way around) Stop thinking of social selling as "nice to have." Start treating it as your primary sales strategy. Your next big deal isn't in your CRM. They're scrolling LinkedIn right now. What content are you creating to catch them? #ConsensusPartner

A VP just called me about a rep who's been working a "hot lead" for 6 months with zero progress. Here's how our diagnostic conversation went: Me: "Do they have confirmed budget?" VP: "Well, the rep says not exactly confirmed..." Me: "What's their timeline for making a decision?" VP: "They said maybe this year, maybe next..." Me: "What's their decision process?" VP: "Uh, I think the VP has to approve it..." Then I asked the question that exposes every fake deal: "What would have to happen for them to say no?" Complete silence. That's when I knew this "opportunity" was a complete waste of time. Here's the hard truth for sales leaders: If your reps can't answer these basic qualification questions, they're not working real opportunities. They're chasing ghosts. The signs your team has a qualification problem: → Sales cycles that drag on for months with no progress → Forecasts full of "thinks," "maybes," and "hopefullys" → Reps who can't explain why a prospect would reject them → Pipeline inflation with terrible conversion rates Real opportunities have: ✓ Identified budget and clear decision authority ✓ Timeline driven by genuine business need ✓ Defined process with known stakeholders ✓ Specific criteria that could disqualify you The best sales teams I work with qualify aggressively and early. They'd rather have a smaller pipeline of real deals than a bloated forecast of fantasies. Your reps' time is your most expensive resource. Stop letting them waste it on deals that were never real in the first place. — Sales Leaders, want to be a world class sales manager and get your team crushing quota? Go here: https://lnkd.in/ghh8VCaf

Most people have the wrong idea about sales. The pushy SDR. The smooth-talking closer. The reality: good sales is simply the art of removing friction. Here's what sales actually looks like: Early Airbnb hosts hesitated to list their homes. The stated problem was "no bookings," but the hidden objection was trust. Brian Chesky (CEO) went door-to-door in New York in 2009 and watched where confidence fell apart - poor photos and thin profiles. He didn't add more explainers about trust and safety. He removed the psychological barrier. Pro photography. Identity verification. Conversion lifted. Sales wasn't persuasion. It was friction removal. Founders do the opposite because they're uncertain. So they overexplain and try to overqualify every lead. They add more copy, more form fields, more steps. Each one asks users to trust you before they have proof. Here's where that shows up: Landing pages: You wrote three paragraphs explaining your product. Healthy landing page conversion (visitor to signup) is 3-6% (OpenView). Below 2%? Your message isn't landing. Cut it to one line: "For [who], we [outcome]." Signup forms: You ask for company name, role, team size. Each extra field causes 10-40% drop-off. Start with email and password. Get them to value first. Pricing pages: You buried pricing three clicks deep. If users work to find your price, you lost them. Make it visible. "Cancel anytime.” Things you can try this week: 1. Watch 3 users try your product. Track where they stop: landing, signup, first action, first value. That's your barrier. 2. Remove the biggest friction point(s). Low landing conversion? Test if a stranger can explain what you do in 5 seconds. Low activation? Cut steps between signup and first value. 3. Measure. A 10% lift on 2% landing conversion means 2.2%. On 10K monthly visitors, that's 20 more signups. Good sales is listening for where users stop and removing what's stopping them. Build the product and remove everything between them and proof.

B2B companies struggle to identify their ideal clients before it's too late - leading to project delays, scope creep, and damaged relationships. After working with 200+ tech companies, I've discovered something crucial: You can't truly know if a client will be profitable or problematic without a robust sales process. Here's why this matters: • wrong clients drain resources • team morale suffers • delivery quality drops • growth stagnates The real problem isn't client selection - it's your qualification process. What I've learned working closely with Mahesh Iyer: High-value clients consistently show these patterns: • they understand their own problems clearly • they have realistic expectations • they value expertise over price • they're ready to implement Low-value clients typically: • rush the sales process • focus solely on cost • have unclear objectives • resist strategic guidance The solution? Build a sales process that naturally filters for the right fit: • detailed discovery sessions • clear success metrics • value-based discussions • mutual commitment checks We've refined this approach over 5 years, helping tech founders build their authority, audience, and sales pipeline. The key is creating a revenue engine that: • attracts the right prospects • educates before selling • qualifies systematically • sets clear expectations This isn't about being exclusive. It's about ensuring every client relationship starts with the right foundation. When you nail this, something magical happens: • delivery becomes smoother • results improve dramatically • referrals increase naturally • team satisfaction soars Want to learn how we build these revenue engines at Roarr Consulting Group (RCG), for B2B Tech Founders aiming to add another $1M, systematically? Because life's too short for bad-fit clients. #SalesStrategy #RevenueEngine #AuthorityBuilding #ThoughtLeadership

It feels contradictory of me to say this: ...inbound lead gen only is not going to work in 2025. Founders, CMOs & CROs, this is what to look for👇 I've always been doing inbound work throughout my entire career. But lately, I observed something about inbound lead gen: In some months, the leads would flock in. In others? Crickets. The problem with inbound is you can create demand (and you need that). But you can't anticipate consistent volume. And the worst thing about Sales & Marketing is: keeping the approach that doesn’t give a good outcome. So we took a step back to revamp our social selling workflow. Long story short. - Revamp demand-gen content, less output, more high-quality output. - Stopped inbound only. Started a mixed approach. - Built a multi-touch prospecting system. Here’s exactly what we do: 1. Add 150-200 contacts from ICP to my LinkedIn every week First build the list with Sales Navigator. Then add them to your account via connection request. Just so you know, you can automate this step. 2. Do a few quality posts aligned with your positioning. No cliché platitude, no selfie in Bali 😂 Not 5 times or 7 times a week. We do fewer posts, but higher quality. Here’s how: - 1-2 posts (with video or infographics) on problem-solving, success stories, objection handling (what we do) - 1-2 posts (bare text or with an image) attacking industry villains or showing subject matter expertise (what we don’t do). Then repost your content after 9 hours (or next day if you don’t post anew). This is how we use content to invoke demand across timezones. 3. Prioritize inbound-led outbound. Many B2B companies invest heavy effort and money in mass low-intent cold outreach. Result: extremely low response and close rate. Instead, we prioritize the audience with an inbound signal: - Track interaction thru comments, reactions, profile visit, connections. - Start convo in DMs to drive curiosity with solution-forward questions. - Not all contacts enter the pipeline. But those do, already qualify themselves. That makes it easier to book a demo call. Plot twist, some of this can also be automated. 4. Build a multi touch-points follow-up LinkedIn or socials alone won’t cut it. B2B buyers are sophisticated and they ain’t ready to convert with 1 or 2 touch points. So we enrich contact data with tools like Clay and plan a mix of follow-up strategies with email and LinkedIn message sequences. This is how we secure a higher response rate and land 15 - 20 calls a month. — The result so far. Predictable. But it’s no instant noodle. It took a lot of experiments with different tools. A thing about this approach: You don’t wait for leads to show up. But you can lead the way for them to come in. I'm on a mission to help 2 limited founders get 10-15 sales calls a month thru Founder Brand without spending more than 45 mins a week. Sounds sexy to you? Send me a DM "Socials" and let's chat.