---
title: "Qualify a lead before you write a proposal"
description: "Extract the problem, urgency, budget signal and decision process from a lead, then decide whether to pursue, nurture or decline before spending a day on a proposal."
canonical: "https://www.diginomads.win/prompts/qualify-a-lead"
source: "content/pages/prompts/qualify-a-lead.md"
updatedAt: "2026-11-10"
---

## Copy-ready prompt

~~~text
You are qualifying an inbound lead for [SERVICE].

Inputs:
- Lead message or notes: [LEAD]
- What I sell and my capacity: [OFFER]
- Cases I decline: [DECLINE]

Work in this order:
1. Extract the problem, the outcome the lead wants, the urgency, any budget signal, the decision process and the people involved.
2. Mark every missing fact. Do not fill it with a guess.
3. Write at most five questions that would change the decision. Order them by how much the answer matters.
4. Score fit on five dimensions: problem fit, authority to decide, budget evidence, timeline, delivery risk. Use low/medium/high and give the reason.
5. Recommend pursue, nurture or decline. Give the one fact that would change the recommendation.
6. Draft a short reply that asks the questions, states the next step and leaves room for a no.

Rules:
- Do not invent a budget, a deadline or a decision process.
- Do not write the proposal yet.
- No pressure tactics, fake scarcity or “limited slots”.
- If the case needs a specialist, say so and name the kind of specialist.
~~~

**Use when:** An inbound lead looks promising and you want to know whether it is worth a proposal, a call or a polite no.

**Output contract:** A fit assessment with the missing facts, five questions to ask, a pursue/nurture/decline recommendation and a short reply.

**Inputs you need:**

- The lead's message or call notes
- What you sell and the capacity you have
- Your minimum engagement and the cases you decline

| Variable | What to put there |
|---|---|
| [SERVICE] | The offer in one sentence: the outcome, the buyer and the delivery format. |
| [LEAD] | The raw message or call notes. Keep the typos; they often carry urgency and budget signals. |
| [OFFER] | Your capacity, minimum engagement and the work you actually want. A lead that fits the offer but not the month is not a fit. |
| [DECLINE] | The cases you decline: no budget, no authority, a deadline you cannot meet, a scope outside your competence. |

## How to use it

1. Paste the lead's own words. A summary written by a CRM hides the reason they reached out.
2. Read the missing facts before the score. A high score with three unknowns is a hope.
3. Ask the five questions in one message, not five. The reply tells you how they handle a process.
4. If the recommendation is decline, send the short no. It is cheaper than a proposal you do not want to win.

## Guardrails

- No budget, deadline or authority is assumed.
- The recommendation names the fact that would change it.
- The reply asks one clear next step, not a calendar link and three attachments.
- The proposal is not written in this step.

## Variations

### If the lead came from a referral

Add who referred them and what that person expects. The relationship is part of the fit, and the no needs to protect it.

### If the lead is an agency subcontract

Add who holds the client, who signs off, and what happens if the agency loses the account. The margin sits with whoever holds the relationship.

## Why qualify before proposing

A proposal is expensive. It takes a day, it sets expectations, and it starts a relationship you may not want. Most bad engagements were visible in the first message: no decision-maker, no budget, a deadline that cannot be met, a problem outside your competence.

The prompt does not decide for you. It puts the missing facts in front of the decision and stops the proposal from filling the gaps with optimism.

## What good looks like

The five questions are specific enough to answer in one reply. “What is your budget?” is often unanswerable; “Is there a budget approved for this quarter, or is this exploratory?” is easier to answer honestly.

The decline recommendation is a successful output. A polite no that preserves the relationship is better than a proposal that wins work you cannot deliver.

## Adapt it to your work

For productized services, replace the score with a checklist of eligibility rules. For a retainer, add the monthly capacity and the notice period. For a referral, add the referrer's expectation to the fit.

## Failure modes

- **The score is all medium.** That is a refusal to decide. Ask for the one fact that would move a dimension.
- **The reply is a sales page.** Keep it short, ask the questions, name the next step.
- **The lead is qualified by enthusiasm.** Enthusiasm is not budget. Look for a decision, a date or a person.

## Related templates

- [Follow up after a proposal without chasing](/prompts/follow-up-after-proposal)
- [Scope a client project from a messy call](/prompts/scope-a-project-from-a-call)
- [The sales-room skill pack](/skills/sales-room)

## Structured data

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