Commissioning lead generation with clear criteria
A contact is not yet a customer. A useful assignment defines the audience, what counts as a relevant enquiry and how the business handles it afterwards.
Define the outcome before the campaign
A submitted enquiry may show interest without confirming need, suitability or buying intent. A qualified enquiry meets agreed criteria; an appointment or sale is a further stage.
Put definitions, assessment and responsibilities in writing. Advice or process review may first develop these criteria; it should not be presented as a guaranteed contact package.
| Stage | Clarify evidence |
|---|---|
| Contact / enquiry | An actual intended contact request |
| Qualified enquiry | Agreed criteria checked |
| Appointment / sale | Further sales stage actually achieved |
Connect offering, audience and channel
Describe the specific offering and suitable audiences, such as businesses with a defined need or private customers in a region. A broad audience without a clear purpose makes evaluation difficult.
Search ads, social campaigns, owned content, events and existing permitted contacts need different work. Choose channels for the task and available material rather than starting everywhere automatically.
Make forms and destinations suitable
Questions should be needed for follow-up and understandable. Too much detail creates friction; too little may generate unsuitable enquiries. Prefilled platform data is not automatically current or verified.
Agree landing pages, confirmation, responsibilities and secure interfaces. Sample cases can test handover without disclosing real prospects in an initial enquiry.
Separate replies from subsequent advertising
Answering a specific request differs from a later advertising series. Explain data use and assess required information, consent, suppression and retention before further steps.
Swiss electronic mass advertising and the limited exception for your own similar offers to actual customers need specific review. A platform checkbox alone is not general legal evidence; origin and additional purposes also matter.
Make quality and follow-up visible
Agree who checks, assigns and answers new enquiries and how outcomes are recorded. A low contact price offers little value if suitable enquiries remain unanswered or are counted twice.
Reports should distinguish invalid details, duplicates, suitable enquiries and achieved follow-up stages. Attribution models and periods may change results; campaign attribution does not prove an additional sale.
Compare beyond cost per contact
Compare strategy, setup, content, campaigns, landing pages, integration and analysis. Media and external tools need separate explanation; sales work may remain with the client.
Performance-based fees particularly need clear definitions, evidence, duplicates, rejection reasons and billing time. A target is not a promise. Clarify revisions, term and handover before one cheap metric replaces total-cost comparison.
| Cost area | Clarify in the quote |
|---|---|
| Preparation | Definition, content, forms and interfaces |
| Campaigns | Count, management and separate media costs |
| Qualification / handover | Assessment, owner and outcome feedback |
| Fees / exit | Billable evidence, term and usable records |
Prepare a specific first enquiry
Provide offering, audience, intended stage, channels, markets, languages and existing systems. One concise shared brief is enough; real lead lists, personal records and secret access details are unnecessary.
Compare suitable quotes and agree a bounded start with verifiable work. Permissions, data routes and approval precede activation; an enquiry alone starts neither advertising nor contact outreach.
Frequently asked questions
What is a qualified lead?
An enquiry that meets the criteria agreed for the assignment. The criteria and actual assessment need clarity.
Are contacts, appointments and sales equivalent?
No. They are different sales stages with their own evidence.
Does a cheap contact guarantee good customers?
No. Quality, handling, media spend and stages actually reached also matter.
Do I need existing campaigns or CRM?
Not for advice or setup. Describe current processes and intended scope; technical details may be unknown.
Can every enquiry join an advertising series?
Not automatically. Purpose, disclosures, permissions and the specific situation need review.
What makes quotes comparable?
Matching audience, definitions, channels and responsibilities, plus separate labour, media and tool costs.
