A lead is a person who has indicated interest in your company's product or service by filling out a questionnaire or responding to a phone call. It can take on many forms. Lead generation is the process of attracting and converting strangers and prospects into those leads we just talked about. By showing an interest in your product/service, it's those strangers and prospects that are initiating the relationship with you- versus you, the company, initiating the relationship with them. This makes it easier and more natural for them to want to buy from you somewhere down the line. Essentially, a sale lead is generated through info collection (name & email).