It’s easy to look at a list of leads and make assumptions.
- Wrong company size
- Wrong job title
- No budget
- Spoke before, not interested
- Already with a competitor
That’s usually where good deals die or end up with your competitors.
As they say assumption is the mother of all f* ups.* and this is so true with sales.
Let’s be honest. You don’t actually know until you qualify it.
You might have some experience. Some pattern recognition. Some stories in your head.
But most of those assumptions are untested.
The only way to know is to speak to the prospect. Ask questions. Qualify properly. Build rapport. Show genuine curiosity.
I’ve seen this mistake over and over again.
I used to make it myself.
Yes, sometimes a lead is obviously weak. Completely wrong fit. Not worth the time.
But other times, with a bit of effort, a few good questions, and real curiosity… You uncover something game changing.
Here’s a real example.
When I was selling cybersecurity, I was given Financial Services as my vertical.
Some companies were perfect. Others were too big, too regulated, or locked into large MSSPs and VARs.
Over time, I built assumptions about who was “worth it”.
One day, a lead came in from what looked like:
- A small investment firm
- A junior contact
- One whitepaper download
- No events
- No prior conversations
Easy to ignore.
Instead, I picked up the phone.
Turns out the contact was junior and new. But he was leading a major managed security services initiative.
He was:
- The only cyber hire
- Tasked with building a SOC from scratch
- Planning to scale a team over time
- Evaluating vendors who could support them long term
He told me he’d contacted 10+ vendors.
I was the only one who called him!!!!
We spoke. I asked about his role, ambitions, challenges. We met in person.
He was early. The RFI wasn’t even defined yet. Budget was already assigned.
For the next six months, I worked with him and the wider team:
- Shaping requirements
- Influencing the RFP
- Introducing leadership
- Building trust
When procurement finally kicked in, we were already in control.
The result?
A 5-year outsourced managed security deal, worth seven figures.
One of the biggest deals the company closed that year. It helped them gain Gartner recognition. It became a global strategic account.
All from a lead most people would have ignored.
This is why I always talk about quality over quantity.
Sometimes it only takes:
- One lead
- One conversation
- One deal
To change everything.
For me, it defined my career.
Yes, the commission was great. Yes, President’s Club was nice.
But more importantly:
- It gave me confidence
- It earned internal respect
- It shaped how I sold for the next four years
I was never the rep with the most deals. Never the flashiest presenter. Never the most technical.
But I was ruthless about focusing my effort on the leads that mattered.
That’s where it starts.
With a “truelead“