Leads are the lifeblood of any company. Lead Volume (or Lead Growth) is an important leading indicator for the business' ability to generate future revenue.
Most businesses assign the bulk of Lead generation to Marketing, however sales organizations play a key prospecting role as well, especially in businesses where the Average Selling Price is high or the total addressable market is small and selling requires a relationship.
As Leads are engaged with and educated, a marketer, salesperson, or an automated system will qualify them and, in many cases, assign them a Lead status, such as Open, Active, Inactive, or Dead.