For Australian SMEs, generating leads is only half the battle. Knowing which leads are likely to become paying customers – that’s where the real growth happens. Too often, businesses focus on lead *quantity* and neglect lead *quality*. This means wasted sales time and marketing budget. So, how do we consistently measure lead quality and ensure our efforts deliver a strong return?
The key is to move beyond simple metrics like form submissions. We need a system that scores leads based on their likelihood to convert. This isn’t about gut feeling; it’s about data. Here are a few insights to get you started.
- Demographic Information: Does the lead fit your ideal customer profile? Consider factors like job title, industry, company size, and location. A lead from a large enterprise in your target sector is generally higher quality than a sole trader outside of it.
- Engagement Level: How has the lead interacted with your business? Have they downloaded multiple resources, attended a webinar, or visited key pages on your website (like pricing)? More engagement signals greater interest.
- Lead Source: Where did the lead come from? Leads generated from targeted advertising campaigns or referral programs are often more qualified than those from general website traffic. Understanding source performance helps optimise spend.
- Explicit vs. Implicit Data: Explicit data is information the lead *tells* you (like their job title on a form). Implicit data is what we *infer* from their behaviour (like pages visited). Combining both gives a fuller picture.
We recommend implementing a lead scoring system. Assign points to each characteristic – for example, 10 points for a relevant job title, 5 points for downloading a case study, and 2 points for each website visit. Once a lead reaches a certain score threshold, it’s passed to sales. This ensures your team focuses on the most promising opportunities.
Don’t set it and forget it. Regularly analyse your lead scoring system. Are high-scoring leads actually converting at a higher rate? If not, adjust the scoring criteria. As your business evolves and you gather more data, your understanding of lead quality will improve, leading to even better results in 2026 and beyond. The next step is to map out your ideal customer profile and then identify the data points you can use to score leads against that profile.
