If your sales reps are wasting time chasing prospects who never had any real intent to buy, you’re not alone. Unqualified leads clog up sales pipelines, burn valuable hours, and demoralize even the best teams. The result? Missed revenue targets, frustrated reps, and marketing teams wondering why their efforts aren’t producing results.
At Volkart May, we help B2B and healthcare companies solve this problem every day. And it starts by asking one simple question: are your leads truly sales-ready—or are they just names in a database?
Let’s dive into the symptoms of this common sales struggle—and what you can do to fix it.
The Hidden Cost of Unqualified Leads
Unqualified leads don’t just slow down your sales cycle—they waste time, budget, and morale.
According to industry research:
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Sales reps spend only 36% of their time actually selling—the rest is spent on administrative tasks and chasing the wrong prospects.
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Up to 67% of lost sales are the result of reps not properly qualifying leads before pursuing them.
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Teams that outsource lead generation report 10:1 ROI or better when they focus on qualified, warm leads.
When your team is buried in low-quality leads, productivity suffers. And it’s not always marketing’s fault. Often, it’s a breakdown in alignment, lead scoring, or outreach strategy.
Signs Your Team Is Wasting Time on the Wrong Leads
If you’re seeing any of the following, chances are your pipeline needs a reset:
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Reps constantly complaining about “bad leads”
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High no-show rates for booked calls or demos
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Long sales cycles with no progress
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Poor conversion rates between MQLs and SQLs
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Friction between sales and marketing about lead quality
Sound familiar? You’re not alone—and there’s a smarter way forward.
5 Ways to Stop the Flood of Unqualified Leads
1. Build a Better Lead Qualification Framework
Not every interested prospect is worth a rep’s time. Define what makes a lead “qualified” based on your ideal customer profile (ICP), budget, authority, timeline, and need. Use a lead scoring system to filter prospects before they hit the sales team’s queue.
Pro tip: If you work with an outsourced lead generation partner, align on qualification criteria early so only top-tier leads are passed on.
2. Outsource the Top of the Funnel
Cold calling, data validation, and lead qualification are time-consuming—and your closers shouldn’t be doing them.
Volkart May’s professional outbound calling team acts as your front line, engaging prospects in real conversations, scoring them in real time, and handing off only warm, sales-ready leads to your internal team.
That means your reps get:
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A steady stream of qualified conversations
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More time for high-impact selling
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A shorter, more efficient sales cycle
3. Close the Gap Between Sales and Marketing
Misalignment between departments is one of the top causes of unqualified leads. Marketing may be focused on volume, while sales cares about quality.
Establish regular feedback loops between teams to evaluate lead sources, conversion metrics, and buyer behavior. When both teams are on the same page, everyone wins.
4. Use Data to Prioritize Outreach
Not all leads need a sales call today. Use behavioral data to prioritize outreach. Leads who download a whitepaper aren’t the same as leads who request a demo.
Automation tools can help segment and nurture cold leads, while sales reps stay laser-focused on hot opportunities.
5. Don’t Let “Maybe” Leads Linger
If a lead isn’t ready to buy, don’t force the issue. Instead, use lead nurturing campaigns and periodic check-ins to keep the relationship warm. Your reps should be closing deals—not chasing long shots.
Let’s Fill Your Pipeline With the Right Leads
At Volkart May, we specialize in helping B2B and healthcare sales teams focus on what they do best: closing deals. Our experienced callers take care of the heavy lifting—research, outreach, qualification, and appointment setting—so your salespeople don’t waste time on unqualified leads.
Want to stop spinning your wheels on bad-fit prospects?
Let’s talk. We’ll show you how our proven inside sales process delivers warm leads, better conversations, and measurable results.