What qualifies a sales lead?
A sales lead is qualified when they match four criteria: they need a service the business offers, they're in the service area, they can afford the price tier, and they're ready to buy within a reasonable window. The exact thresholds vary by business — a luxury salon's price-tier filter screens out leads that would have qualified for a budget salon; a general contractor's geographic radius might be 30 miles while a specialty contractor's is 200 miles. The single most useful qualification step is service-fit: confirming the caller actually needs what the business sells. The second is geographic-fit. Budget and timing are softer signals on inbound — high-intent callers often miss budget questions but still convert. Aira captures all four fields on every inbound call automatically and routes based on the combination. See qualification criteria templates by industry.
Qualification criteria by service business type
Below are typical qualification criteria for common service-business categories. The exact thresholds vary; what's consistent is that all four dimensions (service fit, geographic, budget, timing) get checked on inbound.
| Business type | Service fit (must match) | Geographic radius | Price tier filter | Timing window |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General contractor | Project type (roof, kitchen, etc.) the business does | 20-50 miles typical | Project size $5K+ typical | Estimate within 2 weeks |
| Dental practice | Insurance accepted; patient type (new vs existing) | 10-30 miles typical | Practice price tier matches | Booking within 30 days |
| Law firm | Practice area match (PI, family, business, estate) | State or county | Matter size matches retainer | Active matter, not just inquiry |
| Salon / spa | Service offered (cut, color, specialty) | 5-15 miles typical | Price tier matches | Booking within 30 days |
| Specialty trade (HVAC, plumbing) | Service type (install, repair, maintenance) | 10-40 miles typical | Diagnostic willing-to-pay | Same-day or scheduled |
Related questions
- What is lead qualification?Lead qualification is the process of deciding whether a new prospect is worth pursuing. Here's how it works for service businesses and what counts as qualified.
- How does lead qualification work?Lead qualification works by capturing 4-6 key fields on the first contact, scoring against fit criteria, then routing the lead to the right next step.
- BANT vs MEDDIC: which framework fits service businesses?BANT (Budget, Authority, Need, Timing) is a fast inbound-friendly framework. MEDDIC adds metrics and decision-process detail. Here's which fits which service-business motion.