Leads Humans

A MANIFESTO

Beyond "Leads"

Humanized, Collaborative Growth in the AI Era

For 25 years, we've reduced human beings to database records. That era is over.

Press or swipe to begin

THE TRAP

How "Lead" Language Emerged

From the industrial age of mechanical processing

2000
Salesforce launches with the Lead object

A data model that taught organizations to treat people as database records to be "converted"

2006
SiriusDecisions Demand Waterfall

Layered artificial stages on top: MQL, SQL, SAL. Codified mechanical processing.

2010s
Marketing automation explosion

Nurture sequences, scoring systems, attribution nightmares—all assuming isolated progression.

The entire framework assumed people would research independently and in isolation.

SYSTEMIC IMPACT

The Dehumanization Beyond Semantics

People Became Objects

  • × "Lead generation" reduced curiosity to extractable resources
  • × "Lead nurturing" implied people needed to be developed like crops
  • × "Lead scoring" quantified human complexity into point systems
  • × "Lead conversion" framed relationships as manufacturing

Asynchronous Default

  • × Create content → Distribute → Wait for conversion
  • × Track behavior → Accumulate points → Trigger when "qualified"
  • × Form fills mattered more than genuine questions
  • × Qualification gatekept human connection

"Show me how you talk about people, and I'll show you how you treat them."

THE SHIFT

AI Changed Everything

People NEVER research alone anymore.

They explore WITH Claude
They evaluate WITH ChatGPT
They draft plans WITH AI assistants

All without ever entering your "funnel."

The Old Assumption

People research independently, progress through stages alone, and signal readiness through forms and demos.

The New Reality

Conversion is the natural outcome of collaborative exploration with intelligent entities. If you're not one of them, you're invisible.

THE INVERSION

Who's Really Prospecting for Whom?

Traditional Framing

We prospect for customers. They are our "prospects"—potential opportunities we search for, qualify, and pursue.

"We're hunting for leads"

The Reality

THEY are prospecting for VALUE. We want to be the gold nugget they discover after sifting through noise.

"We're being discovered by researchers"

They are the:

Prospectors

Actively searching, evaluating, filtering

We are the:

Prospects

The valuable resource being sought

THE MANIFESTO

Core Beliefs

🚫

We reject the reduction of human beings to "leads"

Clinical terminology strips away humanity and reduces genuine interest to potential transactions.

🤝

We embrace synchronous, collaborative progression

Growth happens through present-time relationship development, not asynchronous tracking.

📡

We recognize signals, not scores

Natural human interest generates signals. We respond to authentic indicators, not mechanical points.

🌱

We honor human agency and decision-making

People progress naturally when genuine value emerges. We support their journey, not manufacture advancement.

NATURAL PROGRESSION

The Value Path

Eight stages of authentic human progression

1 Audience

"I am learning!" — Anonymous discovery, signal recognition.

2 Researcher

"I am researching!" — Active investigation, collaborative exploration.

3 Hand Raiser

"I am buying!" — Authentic readiness, timing respect.

4 Hero

"Building conviction!" — Internal champion, stakeholder enablement.

5 Value Creator

"Creating value!" — Active implementation, momentum preservation.

6 Adopter

"Realizing value!" — Optimization, real relationship signals.

7 Advocate

"Telling others!" — Natural referral, trust multiplication.

8 Champion

"Raving fan!" — Industry leadership, methodology co-creation.

Nobody says "I'm an MQL". They DO say "I'm researching" or "I need expert guidance."

IN PRACTICE

Language Transformation

Lead generation Signal recognition
Prospects Researchers / Prospectors
Lead nurturing Relationship development
Lead scoring Signal strength
Qualification Readiness recognition
Converting leads Enabling progression
Funnel / Pipeline Progression pathway
Closed-won Activated
THE PRINCIPLE

The "Together" Principle

Value creation happens through collaboration, not isolation

💡

We create value together

  • • Collaborative exploration from first signal
  • • Questions answered when they emerge
  • • Expertise shared generously during discovery
🤝

We build trust together

  • • Synchronous relationship development
  • • Human connection from first signal
  • • Partnership mindset from beginning

We multiply value together

  • • Co-creation throughout progression
  • • Compound human-AI intelligence
  • • Natural advocacy from satisfaction
Leads Humans

THE VISION

The language we use shapes
the reality we create.

Let's create one worthy of the humans we serve.

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