What is Lead Routing?
The automated process of assigning incoming leads to the right sales rep based on predefined rules.
Definition
Lead routing determines which sales rep gets which lead. The simplest approach is round-robin (each rep gets the next lead in rotation). More sophisticated routing uses rules based on territory (geographic or industry assignment), deal size (enterprise leads go to senior reps), product interest (route to the specialist), account ownership (existing customer leads go to their assigned rep), or lead score (hot leads get routed to top performers). Speed-to-lead studies consistently show that responding to an inbound lead within 5 minutes vs. 30 minutes increases conversion rates by 10x or more.
Why It Matters
Slow or incorrect routing kills conversions. A lead that sits unassigned for 24 hours has already moved on. A lead routed to the wrong rep (wrong territory, wrong product line) creates a bad first impression and internal friction. Automated routing eliminates the 'someone will get to it' gap and ensures every lead hits the right rep's queue within seconds of arriving.
Example
A director of marketing at a 500-person company in Chicago fills out a demo request form. The CRM checks: company size (mid-market routing), industry (technology), geography (Central territory), existing account owner (none). The lead is automatically assigned to the Central mid-market AE, a Slack notification fires, and the rep's Outreach sequence starts a personalized cadence within 2 minutes of form submission.