Glossary
Lead
A person who has shown interest in a product or service, usually by sharing contact details such as an email or phone number.
A lead is a person who has signaled interest in what you offer, usually by handing over some contact information. That might be an email address entered on a landing page, a phone number on a quote form, or a name submitted to request more details. A lead is not a customer yet. It is a starting point.
Visitor sees an offer
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Visitor gives contact details
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Now they are a lead
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Follow-up turns some leads into customers
The distinction matters because a lead has value only if you do something with it. A thousand email addresses sitting untouched are worth nothing. The money comes later, when you follow up, build trust, and present an offer that some of those people accept.
Leads vary a lot in quality. Someone who requested a specific quote is much closer to buying than someone who entered their email to grab a free download. Businesses that buy and sell leads price them accordingly, which is why a "lead" in one industry can be worth cents and in another can be worth hundreds of dollars.
To go deeper, read what a lead actually is and how lead generation makes money.