illustration of two people talking

An important business reality is that not every person or company who expresses interest in a product or service is willing to make the jump to becoming a customer. In sales, reps are constantly using new strategies and tactics to land deals for the company they work for. Pitching, messaging, meeting, and even cold calling, are all part of the job but that doesn’t always mean the prospective customers are going to be the right kind that’ll close the deal.

That’s why lead qualification is one of the most useful and important tactics for any sales rep and sales org. Lead qualification helps ensure reps aren’t wasting time on the wrong kind of prospects but rather nurturing the ones that are likely to become customers with the hope of longevity and a strong relationship. 

Ahead, we’ll unpack what goes into lead qualification, how marketing can help qualify leads for reps, and the process involved. Here, too, are ideas on how to identify and attract good quality leads, as well as how to manage any challenges along the way.

Learn about lead qualifications:

What is a lead?

First, before any work can be done on nurturing a lead or qualifying, let’s start with what a lead is exactly. A lead is a customer or client who hasn’t brought a product or service from a company, but there is potential to become one. In a future section, we’ll unpack the different types of leads a company may get from a variety of departments, including sales and marketing, as well as product teams and those working on growth and acquisition.

Leads often come from outreach efforts such as ads—and other traditional types of marketing— and digital marketing efforts targeted to customer personas or profiles with similar demographics and groupings. According to a Data Portal report, over 90% of Americans are connected to the Internet in some way, which means many of the opportunities to find and qualify leads come through digital means.  Many leads are found online through touches on ads, emails, content or social media posts. Ahead, we’ll unpack how marketing helps sales with lead qualification.

Qualified leads and unqualified leads

It seems fairly straightforward that if a qualified lead means a potential customer is actually a really good fit for a product or service then an unqualified lead is exactly opposite of that: can’t afford it and they don’t really seem to be seriously interested in the product or service. Additionally, an unqualified lead may be a business customer in the wrong industry, but they are still accessing or finding interest in the content about a product or service. 

It’s important to keep these two categories in mind and understand how unqualified leads may impact measuring lead percentages. Sometimes a person browsing will never be the type of customer a business wants to attract, but that doesn’t exactly stop them from looking anyway.

1. Marketing qualified leads (MQL). Through this lead type, leads are deemed fit by marketing team members to receive marketing communications such as emails, ads, social content, and other content offerings.

3. Product qualified lead (PQL). In this case, PQLs are identified because of their interest in a product based on, for example, a free subscription sign-up or trial before making an actual purchase.

2. Sales qualified leads (SQL). From the sales side of an org, SQLs are leads who are ready to speak to someone directly and put them in the sales process pipeline.

4. Conversion qualified leads (CQL). Leads identified through conversion mean that a potential customer has executed on an action such as filling out a form for a report.

Step-by-step lead qualifying process

Consider the following steps for lead qualification:

1. Create a customer profile

Here, businesses will want to ensure there’s a source of truth to refer back to on who the ideal customer is for their products or services. A customer profile is useful for so many different parts of a business but for lead qualification it helps sales understand a few basic points about their customer (pain points, goals, objectives) and who the product or service will be serving (size of the company, financials, etc.).

By deeply understanding who the ideal customer is, sales teams can more easily recognize potential leads in the pipeline.

2. Research

Next, a good tactic to consistently use and refer back to is research. A business and its team members are nothing without the information they have gathered about market fit, customers, and more. Create a list of components—in conjunction with the existing customer profile—about prospective leads. This list can and should be specific like company size, location, point of contact, revenue, and any other information pertinent about the business. 

Research can seem daunting, but tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator simplify the process. With its AI-powered Lead and Account Recommendations, the platform identifies prospects that align with your sales preferences, streamlining the research phase and uncovering high-potential opportunities faster.

3. Gather leads and evaluate

Working cross functionally with other teams, it’s time to create the materials, including content and scripts, that will help bring leads in. LinkedIn Sales Navigator enhances this process by using AI to recommend leads and accounts based on your team's goals and past successes, ensuring that you're targeting the right prospects from the start.

Marketing teams can help generate downloadable content such as guides or ebooks and other resources about a product, service, or industry topic. They may also create webinars that require sign-up and contact information.

4. Create criteria for lead scoring

The most important question any sales rep will need answered in the lead qualifying process is: what makes this lead qualified for this product or service?

A lead scoring criteria framework helps answer that question more efficiently. Create a checklist with a number of specific points such as company size, location, meetings scheduled (and kept), and engagement. Sales Navigator’s AI-powered insights can augment this checklist by analyzing lead activity, such as recent company updates or shared content interactions, to refine lead-scoring criteria dynamically. 

LinkedIn Sales Navigator can also streamline tracking lead interactions with shared content or InMail responses, and refine lead scoring criteria. This checklist can be as long or short as needed but it does need to have a score that leads meet in order to get to the next step. Ultimately, it helps sales teams focus on reaching out to those who have a high score.

5. Contact leads

Contacting leads can be done through the rep (such as emails or even cold-calling) or through meetings a lead has scheduled with a rep. LinkedIn Sales Navigator’s AI features can prioritize outreach by providing real-time alerts on lead activities, such as job changes or shared content engagement, so reps can reach out at the most opportune moments.

One of LinkedIn Sales Navigator’s most powerful features is Account IQ, and AI-assisted tool that leverages the power of LinkedIn’s real-time data so sales reps can show up to every call with a strong understanding of the customer — in a fraction of the time it used to take them.

For sales teams, it means every rep shows up to each meeting with the information they need for the deep, meaningful conversations today’s buyers expect.

Illustration of a person on a bike waving to a walking pedestrian

1. BANT (Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline)

What it is: One of the oldest and most popular frameworks, BANT focuses on determining if the prospect has:

  • Budget: can they afford your product or service?
  • Authority: Are they a decision-maker or influencer in the purchase process?
  • Need: Do they have a problem your product or service solves?
  • Timeline: Are they looking to make a decision within a reasonable timeframe?

Best for:

  • Companies with longer sales cycles or high-ticket products that require substantial investment.
  • Scenarios where understanding the prospect’s decision-making process is critical.

Pros:

  • Straightforward and easy to implement.
  • Helps weed out unqualified leads quickly.

Cons:

  • May not account for modern complexities in buying committees (e.g., multiple stakeholders).
  • Overemphasis on budget can overlook early-stage leads with future potential.
Illustration of three people walking

2. CHAMP (Challenges, Authority, Money, Prioritization)

What it is: A modern take on BANT, CHAMP puts the prospect’sA modern take on BANT, CHAMP puts the prospect’s challenges first, reflecting a more customer-centric approach. It also includes: 

  • Authority: Ensures you’re speaking with decision-makers.
  • Money: Confirms financial feasibility.
  • Prioritization: Determines how critical solving the challenge is to the prospect.

Best for:

  • Companies focused on consultative selling or industries with complex customer needs.
  • Organizations prioritizing a customer-first sales methodology.

Pros:

  • Better aligns with modern, solution-oriented selling.
  • Puts the customer’s pain points at the forefront.

Cons:

  • Requires more upfront research to understand the customer’s challenges.
  • May take longer to qualify leads compared to simpler frameworks.
Illustration of three people walking with a dog

3. MEDDIC (Metrics, Economic Buyer, Decision Criteria, Decision Process, Identify Pain, Champion)

What it is: MEDDIC is a robust framework designed for complex, high-value B2B sales. It evaluates: 

  • Metrics: Quantifiable ROI the customer expects.
  • Economic Buyer: Who controls the budget?
  • Decision Criteria: What factors influence their buying decision?
  • Decision Process: Steps involved in reaching a decision.
  • Identify Pain: Key problem areas your solution addresses.
  • Champion: Someone within the prospect’s organization advocating for your solution.

Best for:

  • Enterprise sales with long, intricate buying cycles.Organizations prioritizing a customer-first sales methodology.
  • Industries like technology, healthcare, or manufacturing.

Pros:

  • Comprehensive and highly detailed.
  • Reduces the risk of pursuing unqualified leads in lengthy sales cycles.

Cons:

  • Resource-intensive to implement.
  • May be overkill for small-scale or transactional sales.
Illustration of two people eating at a table

4. GPCTBA/C&I (Goals, Plans, Challenges, Timeline, Budget, Authority / Consequences & Implications)

What it is: An advanced framework tailored for inbound sales, GPCTBA/C&I evaluates: 

  • Goals: What does the prospect aim to achieve?
  • Plans: How do they plan to meet their goals?
  • Challenges: What obstacles stand in their way?
  • Timeline: When do they need a solution?
  • Budget: Do they have the resources to act?
  • Authority: Are you speaking to the decision-maker?
  • Consequences & Implications: What happens if they fail to act?

Best for:

  • Companies using inbound marketing or consultative sales approaches.
  • Scenarios where understanding the customer’s broader business goals is critical.

Pros:

  • Holistic view of the customer’s situation and potential risks.
  • Aligns well with modern sales and marketing alignment.

Cons:

  • More complex and time-consuming than simpler frameworks.
  • May not fit transactional or low-touch sales processes.
Illustration of two people standing around a laptop

5. PACT (Pain, Authority, Criteria, Timing)

What it is: PACT is a streamlined framework focusing on identifying a prospect’s:

  • Pain: The challenges or problems the prospect needs to solve.
  • Authority: Whether the prospect has decision-making power.
  • Criteria: How the prospect evaluates potential solutions.
  • Timing: Whether the prospect is ready to act soon.

Best for:

  • Solution-oriented selling where understanding customer pain points is critical.
  • Sales environments requiring quick qualification of leads.

Pros:

  • Puts customer pain at the forefront, making it empathetic and customer-focused.
  • Easy to implement, especially in fast-paced sales scenarios.
  • Flexible enough to apply across industries and sales cycles.

Cons:

  • Does not address budget or financial viability directly.
  • May lack depth for complex sales processes with multiple stakeholders.
  • Overemphasis on pain may prioritize short-term over long-term value.
Illustration of two people sitting on a couch talking

6. REAL (Relevant, Engaged, Aligned, Likely to Convert):

What it is: REAL focuses on qualifying leads by evaluating:

  • Relevant: Does the prospect match your target customer profile?
  • Engaged: Has the prospect interacted with your content or outreach?
  • Aligned: Are the prospect’s goals aligned with your solution?
  • Likely to Convert: Does the prospect show signs of readiness to buy?

Best for:

  • Inbound-focused or digital-first sales environments.Sales environments requiring quick qualification of leads.
  • High-volume, transactional sales where engagement is a strong indicator of interest.

Pros:

  • Prioritizes leads based on real-time engagement metrics, making it actionable.
  • Aligns sales and marketing efforts through shared criteria like relevance and engagement.
  • Reflects modern, data-driven sales practices.

Cons:

  • Relies heavily on engagement signals, which can lead to false positives.
  • Lacks explicit criteria for authority, budget, or decision-making process.
  • May not provide enough depth for consultative, high-touch sales.
Illustration of two people standing around one person on a computer

Real businesses are using LinkedIn Sales Navigator to qualify leads and generate more revenue.

BMC connects with a new, broader set of decision-makers

Expanding into new markets often means facing new challenges—and that’s exactly what BMC, a global business management software provider, encountered when buying power began shifting within organizations. Traditionally, their sales teams focused on CIOs and IT departments. But as decision-making started to include functions like finance and operations, BMC found themselves missing key players.

“There were suddenly all-new networks we needed to reach,” explains Will Stephen, Director of Sales Operations at BMC Software. With fewer established connections in these emerging markets, BMC needed a way to uncover and engage with new decision-makers—quickly and credibly.

A targeted solution for new challenges

To succeed in unfamiliar territory, BMC pivoted away from traditional tactics like purchased lists and cold calls. Instead, they turned to LinkedIn Sales Navigator. With real-time insights, the team could pinpoint decision-makers, understand their priorities, and connect with them in ways that felt personalized and authentic.

“Sales Navigator helped BMC flip traditional cold-calling on its head,” Stephen says. “It allowed us to establish credibility faster and build meaningful relationships in entirely new networks.”

Credibility at speed

Speed is crucial when entering new markets, and credibility is the key to standing out. With Sales Navigator’s continuous feed of updates—like job changes, social posts, and company news—BMC’s sales teams could tailor their outreach to align with prospects’ interests and concerns.

“When you engage with insights that matter to prospects, you’re showing you understand them,” says Stephen. This approach paid off. In Latin America, BMC’s inside sales team leveraged Sales Navigator to secure 67 new accounts in just six months, driving $3.4 million in pipeline within three quarters.

Gainsight transforms relationship management with Sales Navigator

The customer success industry is undergoing rapid change, with frequent turnover and evolving leadership roles. Gainsight, a global leader in customer success software, needed to keep up with these shifts by identifying and connecting with the right personas at their accounts.

“The biggest pain points we’ve had include turnover in the customer success industry, changes in leadership, and identifying the right people to reach out to,” says Easton Taylor, Senior Vice President of Customer Success at Gainsight.

To address this challenge, Gainsight turned to LinkedIn Sales Navigator to uncover critical personas within customer accounts. The platform’s persona-mapping and relationship-mapping features helped Gainsight’s customer success managers (CSMs) identify decision-makers and target new opportunities for upselling, cross-selling, and account expansion.

"Exposure to the right personas and ideal decision-makers has significantly improved due to Sales Navigator," says Taylor. With features like multithreading and persona mapping, Gainsight’s executives were able to align peer-to-peer for outreach, creating stronger relationships and better engagement.

Proactively reducing risk

In addition to driving upsell opportunities, Sales Navigator played a critical role in retention. Gainsight’s CSM team incorporated the platform into their weekly risk meetings, using it to identify at-risk accounts and decision-makers who hadn’t yet been engaged. "We view decision-makers for customers at risk—these are the people making the final decisions," explains Harri Carroll, Manager of Customer Success, EMEA. "Sales Navigator helps us figure out key personas and mitigate risk."

As a result of these strategies, Gainsight saw significant improvements in retention and overall account planning. Sales Navigator helped the team act quickly and build quality relationships across accounts, contributing to a 42% increase in deals won.

"There is a great correlation between retaining our existing accounts and the success of identifying key personas and building new relationships through Sales Navigator," says Taylor.

Hyatt modernizes its relationship-driven sales strategy with LinkedIn Sales Navigator

In the hospitality industry, relationships are everything. For Hyatt, a company whose purpose is to care for people so they can be their best, nurturing connections is at the heart of their sales strategy. However, the shift toward digital sales created new challenges for Hyatt’s teams, who needed to maintain their relationship-driven approach while adopting modern selling techniques.

“The challenge for hotel salespeople today is that the buyer isn't always easily identified,” explains Kaaren Hamilton, Associate Vice President of Commercial Services for Hyatt, Americas. With fewer opportunities for face-to-face meetings and more buyers entering the industry, Hyatt needed a solution to build relationships earlier in the customer journey.

 

Illustration of two people in chairs speaking to each other

A new approach for a modern sales landscape

To address these challenges, Hyatt turned to LinkedIn Sales Navigator, using its tools to uncover key contacts, map buying committees, and personalize outreach. Sales Navigator empowered Hyatt’s sellers to approach prospects as trusted advisors by providing the insights needed to deliver value and expertise.

“Relationship-building really signifies bringing value and being a trusted advisor,” says Hamilton. “Today our customers are looking for us to be the experts and to educate them. That is really the foundation of our successful commercial relationships.”

illustration of a rocket ship flying upwards with charts

Impressive results and a culture of digital selling

In just three months, Hyatt’s sellers achieved outstanding results, saving 6,200 leads and making 2,600 new connections using Sales Navigator to build valuable relationships. This success demonstrated the platform’s value as a strategic cornerstone for Hyatt’s sales organization.

Individual sellers also embraced the tool enthusiastically. “In our surveys, we had responses from end users saying, ‘This was good for me. It’s helping me do my job better,’” shares Melissa Masitto, Vice President of Sales & Marketing.

Based on the success of their pilot program, Hyatt expanded the use of Sales Navigator across its entire salesforce, solidifying its role in driving both cultural and operational transformation.

“We saw the need for our salesforce to find ways to connect again, and we saw Sales Navigator as a way to do that as an organization,” says Masitto.

Lack of good data

A business is only going to be as good as the data it has. For lead qualification, this all comes down to research and the systems a business uses, and how all of that works together. WIthout good data, including those listed in the lead criteria and checklist, as well as research about the industry and prospects in general, sales reps time and again come up against unqualified leads. 

Ineffective nurturing techniques

Getting a lead is one thing. Ensuring it’s a qualified lead and nurturing it is another. Solve this challenge by prioritizing nurturing through regular follow-ups or personalized messages. 

Finding the right customer

Similar to lacking good data, a common challenge is not understanding or finding the right customer. Without a customer profile or some kind of framework to consider around the ideal customer type, sales reps are going to be researching, vetting, and contacting prospective customers who are lacking. Consider doing rigorous research and honing in on the ideal customer for a product or service before qualifying leads. 

Lack of alignment between marketing and sales

Sales and marketing teams often have differing techniques on how to get leads and ways to qualify them. One clear way that both teams can misalign is by forgoing a focused framework on who the ideal customer is and what their business’s product or service may solve. Both teams need to have the foundation of who their customer is before being able to qualify any potential lead.

Illustration of a man in a chair using a laptop

As these trends take shape, the sales landscape will continue to shift toward smarter, faster, and more efficient processes. The future of lead qualification isn’t just about finding leads—it’s about finding the right leads, at the right time, with the right message. And with tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator already incorporating AI and real-time insights, the future is closer than we think.