Lead Generation
Also known as: B2B lead generation, lead gen
Lead generation is the process of identifying and developing potential customers for a business. In B2B, it spans discovering target companies, finding the right decision-makers, and capturing verified contact details. A pipeline-based approach generates leads in real time from the open web rather than reselling a fixed database.
Related concepts
Sales Intelligence
Sales intelligence is the practice of collecting, enriching, and analyzing data about companies and buyers to inform outbound and account-based selling. It combines firmographics, contact data, and buying signals so reps know who to contact, why, and when. Unlike a static database, modern sales intelligence is continuously refreshed and source-attributed.
B2B Prospecting
Prospecting is the activity of identifying and qualifying potential buyers to enter the sales pipeline. It combines building a target account list, finding decision-makers, and prioritizing by fit and intent. Modern prospecting is powered by enriched, verified data so reps spend time selling rather than researching.
Decision Maker
A decision-maker is the person with the authority to approve a purchase within a target account. In B2B, deals often involve a buying committee, so identifying the economic buyer plus influencers is critical. Decision-maker discovery finds these contacts by title and role rather than emailing generic inboxes.
Lead Scoring
Lead scoring ranks prospects by how well they fit your ICP and how likely they are to convert, using attributes and signals to assign a score. It focuses rep time on the highest-value leads. AI lead scoring evaluates multiple dimensions — fit, data quality, and activation readiness — to prioritize outreach.
Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)
An ideal customer profile (ICP) is a description of the company that gets the most value from your product and is most likely to buy — defined by industry, size, revenue, geography, and tech stack. The ICP focuses prospecting and enrichment so you target accounts that fit rather than spraying a broad list.
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