A client asked us to review an interesting new lead source.

The lists are built from online activity like posts in Facebook groups, LinkedIn, X, or Reddit. The premise is clever: AI monitors conversations, detects buying intent, and turns those posts into a sales lead list. Sounds perfect, right? It’s easy to imagine a prospect posting a question in a forum looking for advice about what they sell. Buying signals shooting off all over the place.

The thing is, there’s a world of difference between a good buying signal and a true sales-ready lead.

In this case, we dug into their sample list of 50 leads.

• 16 had contact information, but most had to be researched manually. (looking up their profile and researching contact info)
• Eight were labeled high-intent opportunities, but once they were reviewed more closely, most of those leads did not fit the client’s ICP.
• Most of the buying signals were not about the product/service the client sells. They were either looking for something similar or using words that looked right.

The list was not worthless.

Our conclusion is the list is better suited for marketing versus direct sales. It’s a Marketing Qualified Lead, versus a Sales Qualified Lead.

Marketing lists built on buying signals like these are going to be broader than sales lists. It includes everyone discussing a problem, not just the people in your customer profile. To get that level of detail, a lot of processing needs to happen. That’s why we told the client this list would be best used for email, digital ads, retargeting, and offers before being passed to sales.

Sales leads needs more

For a salesperson to spend time calling, researching, following up, and asking for a meeting, the lead needs to meet a higher standard. The right company type, the right decision maker, and accurate contact information, to start. If we can layer on some reasonable evidence that the person may actually need what you sell, that’s a bonus.

The real cost of leads

The client reminded us these leads were cheap. We had to remind them the price is not just what we pay for the file. It is also the time the team spends cleaning it up, researching missing information, qualifying each record, deciding whether it’s a fit before reaching out.

A list that costs less upfront is expensive if you spend hours turning it into something usable. Before buying or using a new lead source, we ask three questions:

• How many records match our target customer?
• Would my salesperson consider this a sales list or a marketing list?
• How much data processing work is needed before sales can use it?

The right lead source will help your business, but “AI-detected buying intent” might not automatically mean “sales-ready.”

If you are evaluating a new lead source and want help deciding whether it fits your sales or marketing goals, talk to us. We might be able to help you save time finding “Sales Qualified Leads” that your team will love.