To this end, here is a quick breakdown of what leads are, what they can do, and what the limitations are.

* A lead is little more than a contact. Yet in order to differentiate a personal contact, such as a friend or date, from a professional contact, the term lead is employed to denote that a contact is of a potentially professional nature.

* In multi level marketing, a lead may be a potential customer for the product you are selling or a possible candidate for your down line.

* Leads may be found anywhere and everywhere. When you take your dog for a walk, the person who is walking their dog on the other side of the street may become a lead. The shopper with whom you get into a conversation at the grocery store while perusing the lettuce also may become a lead. Thus it is wise to always have marketing materials on hand to give to potential leads.

* Care must be taken in differentiating leads and properly either selling the product or the business itself.

* In addition to the leads you will meet in person, you can also find leads on the Internet.

* On the ?Net a lead is considered a genuine email address of a real live individual.

* These leads may be generated either via your website, with the help of a newsletter you send out for free to subscribers, or by purchasing them from a company that specializes in the collection of leads.

* These leads are impersonal and while they do not guarantee you any sales or even down line candidates, they are points of contact that may offer a chance at a presentation.

* Some leads are garnered fraudulently, and thus are worthless. Knowing the reputation of the lead generator or seller is vital in ascertaining the worth of the leads that are being sold.

By and large targeting qualified leads when doing business is perhaps the best way to operate. Less often found in leads you generate in person but quite frequently found in leads you purchase from online marketers are unqualified leads. Generally speaking, an unqualified lead is a person who has submitted their email address and sometimes also a name and address in return for a good or service. This may have been an online freebie, a coupon that could be printed from the ?Net, or the promise of a chance to win something. This kind of lead is termed unqualified simply because the individual has no genuine interest in your product or business and unless there was the promise of a reward would not have signed up with an email address. While these leads are easy to come by and quite plentiful, they are also not very productive in the sense that the individuals will be less likely to order your product or join a down line. Avoid such leads whenever possible and instead opt for targeting qualified leads of those who show genuine interest.