When a stranger initiates a relationship with you by showing an organic interest in your business, the transition from stranger to customer is much more natural. Lead generation falls within the second stage of the inbound marketing methodology. It occurs after you've attracted an audience and are ready to convert those visitors into leads for your sales team (namely sales-qualified leads). As you can see in the diagram below, Eptins Proposal 2019 generating leads is a fundamental point in an individual's journey to becoming a delighted customer.