1. Agree what makes an enquiry relevant
Define qualification criteria with your sales team. Separate expressed interest from fit with your offer: an interaction alone does not show that a contact is ready to buy.
2. Ask questions that prepare the next step
For the first conversation, clarify the need, intended service, context and timing. Ask only what helps route the enquiry; details can be completed during discussion. If the need falls outside your scope, explain that rather than count it as an opportunity.
3. Give every prospect an owner
Keep the source, a short need summary, last contact date and a dated next action, such as checking a point, arranging a meeting or answering a question. Agree a realistic response window and a way to pick up enquiries left without follow-up.
4. Measure each stage separately
Google Analytics distinguishes new, qualified and converted leads in its acquisition report. These measures require the corresponding events to be sent; they do not automatically follow from button clicks.
| Stage | What you need to know | Possible next action |
|---|---|---|
| Enquiry received | Someone has actually submitted an enquiry | Read it and check the need |
| Qualified lead | The need meets criteria agreed with the team | Arrange an appropriate sales conversation |
| Customer | A sale has been confirmed under your commercial rules | Pass context to the team delivering the service |
More acquisition or better follow-up?
If suitable enquiries remain unanswered, start with follow-up. If contacts are handled but rarely relevant, review messaging and qualification. If relevant enquiries are too scarce, examine visibility and channels. These situations call for different actions.
Which measures should your SME use?
Track enquiries received and qualified leads over a shared period, then meetings actually held and confirmed sales. To calculate a qualification rate, divide qualified enquiries by examined enquiries from the same group. For cost per qualified lead, specify included expenditure and the period; with no qualified leads, that cost cannot be calculated. Avoid comparing campaigns whose sales cycles have not matured in the same way.
Prepare your first conversation with AIBS
- Your offer and target customer profile.
- A few anonymised recent enquiries, both relevant and out of scope.
- Contact sources and acquisition actions already tried.
- The enquiry owner and tools used.
- Your objective, follow-up capacity and available resources.
Key takeaways
A useful journey connects a clear offer to a relevant enquiry and a tracked next action. Contact volume, qualification and sales should remain separate observations.