A prospect is someone who has shown interest in your brand: they subscribed to your newsletter, signed up on your website, messaged you on WhatsApp, or entered a contest. You have their email address or phone number, but they haven't made a purchase yet.

In the customer lifecycle, the prospect is the first stage. There is only one goal with a prospect: to get them to make their first purchase.

Why does it matter?

Generating a lead takes time and money in advertising. If you don't follow up on it, that investment is wasted. A well-nurtured lead can become a customer with a good welcome message, a thoughtful recommendation, or a timely reminder.

In addition, a healthy prospect base provides you with your own source of growth that doesn't depend solely on paid ads.

Story mode

Lucia subscribes to an online sports store’s newsletter to get the latest running news. Two weeks go by, and she hasn’t made a purchase. The store notices that she’s visited the running shoes category several times and sends her a message highlighting the best-selling models for beginners. Lucia makes her first purchase and goes from prospect to first-time customer.

How to Use It with Data4Sales

• Life Cycle: Data4Sales identifies each prospect as a distinct stage in the life cycle, separate from customers who have already made a purchase.
• Web Pixel: Track which categories and products they viewed, so your message can address what truly interests them.
• Onboarding workflows: Automate the first point of contact via email, WhatsApp, or SMS—available 24/7.
• Purchase likelihood: Predictive models estimate the probability of a new purchase to help you prioritize who to contact first.

Related terms

• New customers
• One Timer
• Customer life cycle
• Conversion rate