Prospect
A Prospect is a potential customer who has been identified by a sales team as meeting the profile for a likely buyer, based on company size, industry, technology stack, buying signals, or research, but has not yet engaged with or been entered into the CRM as an active lead or opportunity. Prospects typically exist in outbound sales motions: the sales development team identifies target accounts, researches key contacts, and reaches out to initiate engagement. When a prospect responds positively, they enter the CRM as a lead and begin the qualification process. The distinction between prospects, leads, and opportunities reflects progressively higher confidence that a commercial relationship is possible, a framework that enables pipeline stage-appropriate resource allocation.
A prospect is a potential customer a sales team has identified as fitting the buyer profile, by company size, industry, tech stack, or signals, but who has not yet engaged or entered the CRM as a lead. Prospects live in outbound motions: SDRs identify target accounts, research contacts, and reach out. A positive response turns the prospect into a lead and starts qualification. The prospect-lead-opportunity ladder reflects rising confidence that a commercial relationship is possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
A potential customer identified as fitting the buyer profile but who has not yet engaged or been entered into the CRM as an active lead.