In direct marketing, consumers are identified as potential leads based on demographics such as occupation or prior purchasing behavior. You may have seen TV commercials for companies offering "100 free sales leads." Although people often refer to these as leads, they are really targeted Lists. These Lists are purchased and processed in bulk for direct marketing campaigns. For example, a Satellite TV service may purchase a List of homeowners for a telemarketing campaign.
Internet leads, on the other hand, are generated by consumers who have requested to be contacted, and must therefore be handled differently. Unlike Lists, Internet leads are highly qualified and time-sensitive in nature. The longer a company waits to contact an Internet lead, the lower the likelihood of conversion. Therefore, the traditional bulk processing model is not appropriate for Internet leads.