The Relationship in the Sales & Marketing Funnel
Posted: Thu May 22, 2025 9:30 am
Metric: Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC).
In essence, lead generation is a component of customer acquisition. You generate leads first, and then you acquire customers from those leads.
Both B2C and B2B follow a similar funnel structure, though the length, complexity, and specific tactics at each stage vary.
Awareness: Potential customers become aware of your australia phone number list brand, product, or service (e.g., through an ad, content, social media).
Interest: They show initial interest (e.g., visit your website, read a blog post).
Consideration / Lead Generation: They engage more deeply, and you capture their information, turning them into a "lead" (e.g., download an eBook,
sign up for a newsletter, request a demo).
Intent / Qualification: The lead shows stronger intent, indicating a higher likelihood of purchase (e.g., adds item to cart, attends a webinar, requests a quote). Leads are qualified (e.g., Marketing Qualified Lead - MQL, Sales Qualified Lead - SQL).
Evaluation / Sales Engagement: The sales team (or automated processes in B2C) actively works with the lead to address questions, overcome objections, and demonstrate value.
Purchase / Customer Acquisition: The lead converts into a paying customer.
Retention / Advocacy: The customer ideally becomes loyal and advocates for your brand, often generating new leads through referrals (feeding back into Awareness/Lead Generation).
B2C Lead Generation vs. Customer Acquisition
B2C (Business-to-Consumer):
Target Audience: Individual consumers.
In essence, lead generation is a component of customer acquisition. You generate leads first, and then you acquire customers from those leads.
Both B2C and B2B follow a similar funnel structure, though the length, complexity, and specific tactics at each stage vary.
Awareness: Potential customers become aware of your australia phone number list brand, product, or service (e.g., through an ad, content, social media).
Interest: They show initial interest (e.g., visit your website, read a blog post).
Consideration / Lead Generation: They engage more deeply, and you capture their information, turning them into a "lead" (e.g., download an eBook,
sign up for a newsletter, request a demo).
Intent / Qualification: The lead shows stronger intent, indicating a higher likelihood of purchase (e.g., adds item to cart, attends a webinar, requests a quote). Leads are qualified (e.g., Marketing Qualified Lead - MQL, Sales Qualified Lead - SQL).
Evaluation / Sales Engagement: The sales team (or automated processes in B2C) actively works with the lead to address questions, overcome objections, and demonstrate value.
Purchase / Customer Acquisition: The lead converts into a paying customer.
Retention / Advocacy: The customer ideally becomes loyal and advocates for your brand, often generating new leads through referrals (feeding back into Awareness/Lead Generation).
B2C Lead Generation vs. Customer Acquisition
B2C (Business-to-Consumer):
Target Audience: Individual consumers.