Lead generation is the process of attracting potential customers and capturing their interest and contact details so your sales team can follow up. A lead is anyone who has shown interest or fits your ideal customer profile.
Inbound vs outbound
| Inbound | Outbound |
|---|---|
| Customers come to you | You reach out to them |
| SEO, content, ads, social, referrals | Prospecting, cold email, calls, events |
| Slower to start, compounds over time | Faster, needs ongoing effort |
Most businesses need both.
Common lead-gen channels in India
- Click-to-WhatsApp ads and Meta lead forms
- Google Search ads and SEO
- Website forms and WhatsApp buttons
- Google Maps prospecting (for B2B)
- Webinars, events and expos
- Referrals and partnerships
What happens after capture
- Acknowledge instantly (WhatsApp or email)
- Qualify by fit, need, budget and timeline
- Score and route to the right salesperson
- Track in a CRM through the pipeline
Example
An interior design firm runs click-to-WhatsApp ads. The chatbot collects budget and location, hot leads are auto-assigned in the CRM, and designers call them within 15 minutes.
Related terms
Lead scoring · Sales pipeline · Data extraction · CRM
Guide: B2B lead generation in India.
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