Inbound marketing costs 60% less than outbound, and many believe it is a far more effective strategy, too. But, not every inbound lead is worth pursuing. Avoid wasting your time by looking for these signs that you should not go after an inbound lead:

They may still be in school.

Do you have a blog with valuable content on your website? Not every person who signs up for email notifications when a new blog is posted or fills out a form to get access to the content is interested in buying from your company. In fact, many of them may not even be in a position to buy—they could still be in school. Any lead form that you have on your website should ask for the person’s occupation, so if it says “student,” then don’t bother with a phone call or follow-up email.

The lead doesn’t fit your buyer profile.

Every company has an average buyer profile that describes the type of customer that is or should be interested in the company’s products or services. If you receive an inbound lead that is the exact opposite of your typical buyer, it may not be worth your time. You don’t necessarily have to disregard this lead completely, but it would be wise to move it to the bottom of the priority list and focus more on leads that are a sure thing.

They only provided some of their information.

If an inbound lead is genuinely interested in what you have to offer, he will take the time to fill out the entire form. Inbound leads who leave some of the fields on the form blank are probably not as interested in the product as those who thoroughly fill out the form. The same can be said for those inbound leads who have provided information that is obviously fabricated. An address that starts with 123 is probably not real and either is a phone number with a 555 area code. Look past these leads and spend your time on the ones who have a genuine interest and need for what you have to offer.

They’ve converted before.

Before you call any inbound lead, check the company records to see if another salesperson or wholesale distributor has contacted the lead in the past. If the lead has been contacted numerous times in the past and never responded, then there’s really no point in you trying to call again. This person probably loves your company, but doesn’t really have a need for your products or services, which is why they are unresponsive. Perhaps they don’t work in an industry where your products are used, or they do, but don’t have the budget or live in the right location to become a customer. This will happen more frequently as your company grows in size and becomes more well known in the community.

How do you determine whether a lead is worth it or not? Share your strategy in the comments below!