--- title: It’s a Lead, Not an Opportunity | The Sales Blog description: Leads and opportunities are different. If a company spends money in your segment, that company is a lead. Even if they spend a massive amount of money, they are still just a lead. Spending a lot in your segment doesn’t make them an opportunity. If this company would benefit from using you to buy the […] image: https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/shutterstock_63952363-copy.jpg --- ### [Now booking SKO meetings for 2026/27! 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If a company spends money in your segment, that company is a lead. Even if they spend a massive amount of money, they are still just a lead. Spending a lot in your segment doesn’t make them an opportunity. If this company would benefit from using you to buy the product, service, or solution you sell, it’s a still only a lead (maybe even a qualified lead). If you have had [a conversation](http://thesalesblog.com/blog/2011/01/19/a-very-pleasant-conversation-quickly-going-nowhere/) with some contact within the company to learn about their needs and some ways that you might help them, it’s a lead, or maybe a qualified prospect. But it still isn’t an opportunity. If you have no [commitment](http://thesalesblog.com/blog/2010/06/14/from-commitment-to-commitment/) to explore working together and to take the next step in that process, the company is still only a lead. Without a commitment to pursue working together (something that results in this company potentially buying from you) there is no opportunity. If you have the names of companies that fit this description in your sales force automation and they haven’t moved from their present stage for months (or years), that company is a really a lead. To transform it into an opportunity, you need to gain some commitment to take steps towards working together to turn it into an opportunity. If it’s a lead, treat it as such and work to create an opportunity. If it’s really an opportunity, gain the commitments you need to move it forward. #### Questions Why are some “opportunities” really just leads? What has to happen for a lead to convert to an opportunity? What commitment does the company you are pursuing need to make to convert it from lead into an opportunity? How many opportunities in your pipeline are really leads? How should you go about converting them into opportunities? ###### Tags: [Sales](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/sales) [2012](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/2012) Post by [Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/author/anthony-iannarino) on May 2, 2012 Written and edited by human brains and human hands. ![Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/ai-blog-profile-crop.jpg) Anthony Iannarino is an American writer. He has published daily at [thesalesblog.com](https://www.thesalesblog.com) for more than 14 years, amassing over 5,300 articles and making this platform a destination for salespeople and sales leaders. Anthony is also the author of four best-selling books documenting modern sales methodologies and a fifth book for sales leaders seeking revenue growth. His latest book for an even wider audience is titled, The Negativity Fast: Proven Techniques to Increase Positivity, Reduce Fear, and Boost Success. Anthony speaks to sales organizations worldwide, delivering cutting-edge sales strategies and tactics that work in this ever-evolving B2B landscape. He also provides workshops and seminars. Connect with Anthony on LinkedIn, X or Youtube. 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What we’re doing right now **is working**, even in this challenging economy. **Would you like some help?** [![Solve for Sales](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035) ### Join my Weekly Newsletter for Sales Tips Join 100,000+ sales professionals in my weekly newsletter and get my *Guide to Becoming a Sales Hustler* eBook for FREE! --- ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org/", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Anthony Iannarino" }, "dateModified" : "2021-06-15T6:24:04 PM", "datePublished" : "2012-05-02 22:11:52", "description" : "Leads and opportunities are different. If a company spends money in your segment, that company is a lead. Even if they spend a massive amount of money, they are still just a lead. Spending a lot in your segment doesn’t make them an opportunity. 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