CRM and Lead Nurture Checklist

Quick-start Lead Nurturing Checklist

This checklist is built around what typically moves the needle fastest. Work top to bottom and tick off each group.

• CRM foundations
  • Create lifecycle stages (Subscriber, Lead, MQL, SQL, Opportunity, Customer, Evangelist)
  • Define lead statuses (New, Open, In Progress, Nurture, Disqualified)
  • Build pipelines with clear stages and required fields at each movement
  • Standardise key fields: first/last name, email, phone, company, industry, company size, location, marketing source, UTM params
  • Enable consent tracking (date, source, method) to meet Australian Spam Act 2003 and Privacy Act obligations
• Capture and enrichment
  • Connect all forms and landing pages to your CRM
  • Pass UTM parameters and gclid/fbclid via hidden fields for attribution
  • Enable double opt‑in where appropriate; always include one‑click unsubscribe
  • Append enrichment (company domain → industry, size) where helpful and lawful
  • Set data validation rules and standardised picklists to avoid messy inputs
• Segmentation and lead scoring
  • Create core segments: new leads, active MQLs, cold leads, customers, churn‑risk
  • Draft a simple score model: +10 for pricing page, +7 for case study view, +15 for demo request, −10 for inactivity 30 days
  • Set MQL threshold (e.g., 40 points) and auto‑notify sales when crossed
  • Exclude competitors, partners and internal contacts from scoring
• Email/SMS journeys
  • Welcome series (3–5 emails): confirm value, key resources, soft CTA
  • Consideration series (3–6 emails): problems solved, use cases, social proof
  • Activation series: webinar/event reminders or trial onboarding tips
  • Re‑engagement: 2–3 touches with a strong give (guide, template) then suppress
  • Suppression rules: stop journeys on deal open, reply, or unsubscribe
  • SMS: limited to time‑sensitive alerts and confirmed opt‑ins
• Sales handover and SLAs
  • Route by region/segment; create owner assignment rules
  • Speed‑to‑lead alert: email, SMS or Slack within 5 minutes
  • Define follow‑up SLA (e.g., 3 attempts in 48 hours) and close‑lost reasons
  • Push key context to the deal: last pages viewed, campaign, last email engaged
• Measurement and optimisation
  • Dashboards: capture rate, enrichment completeness, MQL→SQL, SQL→Win, journey engagement, revenue attribution
  • Set weekly review cadences; A/B test subject lines, CTAs, and send times
  • Quarterly data cleanse: dedupe, archive bounces/unengaged, fix picklists
• Compliance and data security (AU)
  • Document consent source and brand identity in all sends
  • Include visible unsubscribe in every message
  • Apply least‑privilege access and MFA for CRM and automation tools

Where lead nurturing fits in your growth system

Lead nurturing connects demand generation (SEO, Google Ads, paid social, content) with sales conversion. Done well, it rescues more pipeline from existing traffic, shortens sales cycles and improves ROI from every channel.

• Top‑of‑funnel: capture and tag intent from content offers and ads
• Mid‑funnel: educate, reduce risk, and progress to sales conversations
• Bottom‑funnel: handover at the right moment with full context
• Post‑sale: onboard, cross‑sell and build reviews/referrals

Simple lead scoring template

Start simple and tie your MQL threshold to sales capacity. Iterate monthly.

• Profile fit (max +20)
  • Industry or role match: +10
  • Company size fit: +5
  • Location fit (AU/NZ focus): +5
• Behaviour (max +50)
  • Pricing page view: +10
  • Case study or ROI page: +7
  • Guide download or webinar reg: +10
  • Return visit within 7 days: +8
  • Email click (high‑intent CTA): +5
• Negative scoring
  • No activity 30 days: −10
  • Competitor email domain: −30
  • Unsubscribed: set score to 0 and suppress

Example threshold: MQL at 40 points triggers owner assignment and an alert. If a deal opens, pause all nurture except product updates.

Journey blueprints you can copy

• B2B demo path
  • Day 0–2: welcome + top 3 use cases + soft demo CTA
  • Day 3–7: case study + ROI calculator + sales intro
  • Day 8–14: objection handling (security, migration, training)
  • Exit rules: demo booked, replied, or deal opened
• Services enquiry path
  • Immediate: “What to expect” email with timeline and next steps
  • Within 48 hours: relevant examples + testimonials + Calendly link
  • Week 2: alternatives and scope clarifier to reduce unknowns
• Ecommerce high‑consideration path
  • Abandon: reminder + value prop + review
  • Revisit: buying guide + comparison + limited‑time benefit
  • Post‑purchase: onboarding + UGC request + cross‑sell

Common lead nurturing mistakes

• Messy data: no required fields, inconsistent picklists, duplicates
• No consent metadata: breaches compliance and hurts deliverability
• Over‑automation: too many emails, not enough value or intent logic
• Weak handover: no alerts, no SLA, no context in the CRM for sales
• Ignoring suppression: nurturing people already in active deals
• Unclear KPIs: no link to MQL→SQL or revenue attribution

Lead nurturing KPIs and sensible ranges

Your baseline depends on audience, offer and list quality. As a guide for established lists:

• Capture rate from qualified traffic: 2–6% on high‑intent pages
• Email open rate (opt‑in lists): 30–45% for welcome, 20–35% for nurture
• Email click‑through: 2–6% average; higher on focused offers
• MQL→SQL: 20–40% with solid scoring and SLAs
• SQL→Closed‑Won: varies by industry; 15–35% for strong ICP fit
• Speed‑to‑lead: under 5 minutes significantly lifts contact rate

Track cohorts by source and campaign, not only totals. Wins come from improving a few micro‑steps, not “sending more email”.

Recommended stack and integrations

Choose tools based on sales complexity, integration needs and reporting:

• CRM: HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Zoho (fit by deal complexity and reporting)
• Automation: HubSpot, ActiveCampaign, Salesforce MCAE, Klaviyo/Mailchimp (lighter)
• Attribution and analytics: GA4, ad platform offline conversions, UTM governance
• Forms and landing pages: native forms or dedicated builders connected to CRM
• Messaging: compliant SMS for time‑sensitive steps only

Self‑audit questions

• Do we capture consent source, brand identity and unsubscribe on every send?
• Can we see last engaged content before every sales call?
• Is there a single MQL definition and handover threshold everyone agrees on?
• Do journeys pause automatically on reply or deal open?
• Are dashboards showing MQL→SQL→Win by source and campaign?
• When did we last cleanse, dedupe and re‑permission the list?

Lead Nurture: Related pages in this series

Connected pillar content