Traditional lead capture gives sales a name and email. That's it.
Sales calls start from zero: "What are you looking for?" "What's your budget?" "When do you need this?"
These questions should be answered before the call—not during it. Chatbots can qualify leads automatically, giving sales everything they need before pickup.
The Qualification Problem
Sales reps spend significant time on unqualified leads:
- Hour preparing for calls
- 30 minutes on phone
- Discover: no budget, no authority, no timeline
Meanwhile, hot leads sit in queue getting cold.
The 5 Qualification Questions
Distill lead qualification to 5 key questions, each mapping to a criterion:
| Question | What It Measures | Score Impact |
|---|---|---|
| "What are you looking to solve?" | Need / Pain | 0-3 points |
| "When do you need this in place?" | Timeline | 0-3 points |
| "What's your budget range?" | Budget | 0-3 points |
| "Who else is involved in this decision?" | Authority | 0-3 points |
| "What industry and company size?" | Fit | 0-3 points |
Total score: 0-15 points
- 12-15: Hot lead → Immediate callback
- 8-11: Warm lead → Same-day follow-up
- 4-7: Cool lead → Email nurture
- 0-3: Cold lead → Low priority
Scoring Configuration
Need Score (0-3 points)
| Response | Score |
|---|---|
| Vague / exploratory | 0 |
| Defined problem | 1 |
| Quantified impact | 2 |
| Urgent pain | 3 |
Timeline Score (0-3 points)
| Response | Score |
|---|---|
| No timeline | 0 |
| 6+ months | 1 |
| 1-6 months | 2 |
| Under 1 month | 3 |
Budget Score (0-3 points)
| Response | Score |
|---|---|
| Unknown / none | 0 |
| Below minimum | 1 |
| In range | 2 |
| Above average | 3 |
Authority Score (0-3 points)
| Response | Score |
|---|---|
| Just researching | 0 |
| Influencer | 1 |
| Committee member | 2 |
| Final decision-maker | 3 |
Fit Score (0-3 points)
| Response | Score |
|---|---|
| Poor fit | 0 |
| Partial fit | 1 |
| Good fit | 2 |
| Perfect ICP | 3 |
Natural Qualification Flow
The key is weaving qualification into helpful conversation:
Visitor: "How much does the Pro plan cost?"
Bot: "Pro is $99/month—or $79/month annual. What are
you looking to use it for? I can tell you if Pro
is the right fit or if another plan makes sense."
Visitor: "We need better lead tracking. Currently losing
too many leads between marketing and sales."
Bot: "The handoff problem—we hear that a lot. Pro has
full CRM sync and lead scoring. How many leads
monthly? And is this something you need soon?"
Visitor: "500+ leads a month. Soon—trying to fix
this before Q2 planning."
Bot: "Got it—500 leads with Q2 deadline, definitely
Pro territory. One more: are you making this
decision, or does a team need to sign off?"
Visitor: "I'm marketing director, but VP needs to see it."
Bot: "Makes sense. Want materials to share with your VP?
I can also set up a quick demo. What's your email?"
Qualification gathered:
- Need: Lead tracking / handoff problem (2 points)
- Timeline: Before Q2, urgent (3 points)
- Budget: Pro-level discussion (2 points)
- Authority: Marketing Director + VP approval (2 points)
- Fit: 500+ leads/month, B2B (3 points)
Total: 12/15 — Hot lead
Sales Handoff Format
When hot lead identified, sales receives:
HOT LEAD - Score: 12/15
Contact: [email]
Role: Marketing Director
QUALIFICATION:
- Need: Lead tracking / handoff problem
- Timeline: Before Q2 (urgent)
- Authority: Marketing Director, needs VP sign-off
- Volume: 500+ leads/month
CONVERSATION SUMMARY:
Frustrated with losing leads between teams.
Interested in Pro plan for CRM sync and lead scoring.
Ready to see demo.
SUGGESTED NEXT STEP:
Schedule demo. Prepare ROI case for VP conversation.
No "So, what brings you here today?" on the call. Sales knows everything.
Notification Configuration
| Lead Score | Action |
|---|---|
| Hot (12-15) | Slack notification: Immediate. Email alert: Yes. Dashboard flag: "HOT" |
| Warm (8-11) | Email notification: Yes. Dashboard flag: "Warm" |
| Cool (4-7) | Add to nurture sequence. No alert |
| Cold (0-3) | Low priority queue |
Handling Qualification Objections
"Why do you need my budget?"
"Just want to recommend the right plan—we have options at different price points. No pressure, I can show everything and you decide what fits."
"I'm just looking"
"Totally fine! What caught your eye? Maybe I can point you to the most relevant info."
"I don't want to talk to sales"
"No problem—I can answer most questions myself. What would you like to know?"
Hot Lead Workflow
When hot lead identified:
- Capture email (if not already)
- Offer calendar booking ("Want to set up a quick call?")
- Send Slack notification (immediate alert to sales)
- Sync to CRM (with full qualification data)
Sales can respond within minutes—while lead is still engaged.
Expected Results
| Metric | Without Qualification | With Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Sales time on unqualified leads | 40% | Under 15% |
| Lead-to-meeting rate | 10-15% | 30-40% |
| Sales cycle length | 40-50 days | 25-30 days |
| Win rate | 15-20% | 25-35% |
Sales cycles shorten because leads are pre-qualified. Win rate improves because sales focuses on qualified opportunities.
Scoring Dashboard Metrics
Track lead distribution and conversion by score:
| Score Range | Typical Distribution | Expected Conversion |
|---|---|---|
| 12-15 (Hot) | 10-15% of leads | 40-60% |
| 8-11 (Warm) | 20-25% of leads | 20-30% |
| 4-7 (Cool) | 30-35% of leads | 5-10% |
| 0-3 (Cold) | 30-40% of leads | 1-3% |
Hot leads convert 20-30x better than cold leads. Sales time on cold leads is largely wasted.
Getting Started
Start free with Kya to implement lead scoring:
- Go to Settings → Lead Capture → Scoring
- Turn on auto-scoring
- Configure scoring rules (use template above)
- Set notification thresholds
- Connect CRM or notification channels
After one week, check analytics. You'll see leads distributed by score—and know exactly who to call first.
Sales time is expensive.
Every hour spent on a bad lead is an hour not spent on a deal that could close.
Let the chatbot qualify. Let sales close.
That's the division of labor that works.
