Leads and sales
Hot, warm and cold leads
A simple way to rank leads by intent. Hot: ready to visit or book soon. Warm: interested but undecided. Cold: unreachable or no near-term intent.
Also called: hot lead, warm lead, cold lead, lead temperature
Most Indian sales teams tag leads as hot, warm or cold. The categories are simple, which is their strength. They tell a manager where attention should go today.
| Tag | Typical signals | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| Hot | Budget fits, visit done or booked, timeline under 1 to 3 months | Visit or closing meeting this week |
| Warm | Interested, comparing options, timeline 3 to 6 months | Regular follow-up with new information |
| Cold | Not reachable, no budget fit, or no near-term plan | Low-frequency nurture or close |
Agree on written definitions. If one rep's hot is another rep's warm, pipeline reports are meaningless.