Guides to finding and buying business leads.
Short, plain answers to the questions that come before a lead list: what a lead is, where leads come from, how to find local business clients, and what a lead should cost.
Basics
What is a lead? Cold, warm and hot leads, MQLs and SQLs.
A lead is a person or business that could become a customer and that you have a way to reach. This guide explains cold, warm and hot leads, MQLs and SQLs, and how a lead differs from a prospect, with examples.
7 minute read · Updated Oct 4, 2026
Finding leads
Lead sources: where B2B leads come from.
The main sources of B2B leads compared: referrals, your website, paid ads, events, directories, lead lists, scraping and marketplaces. What each costs, how fast it works, and what you control.
8 minute read · Updated Oct 4, 2026
Finding leads
Local lead generation: finding local business clients.
A step-by-step method for agencies and freelancers who sell to local businesses: choose a niche and an area, get the list, pick the businesses that need you, and make first contact by phone or email.
8 minute read · Updated Oct 4, 2026
Costs
Cost per lead: the formula, and what it leaves out.
Cost per lead is what you spent to get leads divided by the number of leads. This guide gives the formula, worked examples for ads, lists and events, and explains why cost per customer is the number to decide on.
6 minute read · Updated Oct 4, 2026