Lead Desk
Every morning: which marketing leads go to an AD today, which get nurtured, and which wait. Leads are scored on four factors, the queue is sorted by score, and each lead gets a next best action and a ready hand-off note.
Scoring weights (drag to test a different model)
Score = weighted average of the four factors, 0 to 100. Emerging biotech with a recent funding round and an active Phase I or II program scores highest on fit, because these sponsors outsource most of their development. An RFI form is the strongest intent signal, a content download the weakest. The score rates the prospect, not the status: a disqualified lead keeps its score but shows "DQ" and leaves the active queue. Full explanation below.
| Company | Score | Grade | Stage | Type | Area | Phase | Source | Last touch |
|---|
How the score works
Each lead gets four sub-scores from 0 to 100. The sliders above set how much each one counts, and the final score is their weighted average. Here is what each factor means, why it matters for a CRO, and exactly how it is calculated.
Question: is this the kind of company that buys CRO services?
Why it matters: small biotechs have no big internal clinical teams, so they outsource most development to a CRO. Large pharma does more in-house and buys through big framework deals. Universities have small budgets.
| Company type | Points |
|---|---|
| Emerging biotech | 100 |
| Mid-size biopharma | 90 |
| Large pharma | 60 |
| Medical device | 50 |
| Academic / NIH | 30 |
80% company type + 20% region (North America and Europe 100, APAC 80, LATAM 70).
Question: do they have a trial coming up, and the money to run it?
Why it matters: CROs are hired per study. A drug moving from Phase I to Phase II needs a new, bigger trial. A fresh funding round (Series A, B, C or IPO) is usually spent on exactly that, often within 6 to 18 months.
| Trial phase | Points |
|---|---|
| Phase II (efficacy, dose) | 100 |
| Phase III (large confirmation) | 90 |
| Phase I (first in human) | 80 |
| Preclinical (lab, animal) | 50 |
60% trial phase + 40% funding (raised in the last 12 months 100, no recent round 30).
Question: how strongly did they signal that they want to buy?
Why it matters: the lead source shows intent. Someone who fills in a request-for-information form is asking for a proposal. Someone who downloads a brochure may only be reading.
| Lead source | Points |
|---|---|
| RFI form (asked us for information) | 100 |
| Referral (recommended by a client) | 90 |
| Conference (met at our booth) | 60 |
| Webinar (attended our session) | 60 |
| AD outbound (we contacted them) | 40 |
| Content download (white paper, brochure) | 35 |
Question: are they actively talking to us right now?
Why it matters: a perfect-fit company that went silent two months ago is less urgent than one that replied yesterday. Several people engaging from the same company means a buying team is forming.
| Part | How it scores |
|---|---|
| Recency (50%) | Last touch within 7 days 100, 30 days 60, 60 days 30, older 10 |
| Email (30%) | Replied 100, clicked 67, opened 33, nothing 0 |
| Contacts (20%) | 4+ people 100, 3 people 67, 2 people 33, 1 person 0 |
- A 75+: send to an AD within 24 hours
- B 60 to 74: targeted nurture (case study, webinar recording, follow-up in 3 days)
- C under 60: stays in marketing nurture, re-scored monthly
- DQ disqualified: keeps its score, but leaves the active queue
- New: created, not yet contacted
- Working: analyst researching and reaching out
- MQL: marketing qualified, right profile and real interest
- SQL: sales qualified, an AD accepted it and owns it
- RFP: the prospect asked for a proposal
- SLA breach: a grade A lead still New or Working with no contact for over 24 hours
- DQ reason: why a lead was closed, for example another CRO, in-house team, no budget, duplicate
- Next best action: the rule-based step for each lead, from its grade, stage and source
- Hand-off note: the summary an AD gets so they don't have to redo the research
RFP Funnel Analytics
The reporting side of the role: where leads come from, where they stall, and what to do about it. Everything below is calculated live from the Lead Desk data, including the insights and the weekly report.
Lead to RFP funnel
Leads reaching each stage. The % is conversion from the previous stage.
SQL conversion by lead source
Share of each source's leads accepted by sales.
New leads per week
Last 13 weeks. Hover for values.
What the data says
Source table
| Source | Leads | SQL | SQL % | RFP | Avg score |
|---|
Weekly report, auto-generated
Same format every week, so managers can compare weeks at a glance. Paste into email or Teams.
Account Development Playbook
One shared set of rules, so every lead is handled the same way, reports stay comparable, and new hires get productive fast. This is the organisation side of the role: tool training, onboarding and reporting protocols.
Lead stages and exit criteria
New
Lead created from marketing or research. Scored automatically.
Exit: first touch logged.
Working
Analyst researching and making contact.
Exit: fit confirmed and a reply or meeting interest.
MQL
Marketing qualified: right profile, real interest.
Exit: need, timing and service line identified.
SQL
AD accepts the hand-off and owns the relationship.
Exit: RFP or RFI received.
RFP
Proposal in progress with Business Development.
Exit: awarded, lost or withdrawn.
- RFI form or referral: first response within 4 business hours
- Grade A lead: to an AD within 24 hours
- Grade B lead: first nurture touch within 3 business days
- Grade C lead: marketing nurture, re-score monthly
- Every touch logged the same day (call, email, meeting)
- Required fields before hand-off: service line, phase, area, region, next step, next step date
- One account, one owner. Search before creating to avoid duplicates
- Disqualify with a reason code (no budget, in-house, competitor locked, wrong fit)
- Friday: 15-minute data check before the weekly report
- Who: contact, role, others engaged
- What: trial phase, area, service interest
- Why now: funding, new trial, RFI, event
- Next step agreed with the prospect
- Warm intro by email, AD in copy
Prospect research checklist
- Pipeline: company website pipeline page and ClinicalTrials.gov (registered trials, phase, start dates, countries).
- Funding: press releases and financing news. A new round often means a new trial within 6 to 18 months.
- People: LinkedIn for the decision makers (VP Clinical Operations, Head of Outsourcing, CMO) and recent hires in clinical roles.
- Signals: conference posters, regulatory designations (orphan, fast track), partnership announcements.
- History: CRM check for past contact, earlier proposals or existing work with any Thermo Fisher business.
New hire onboarding plan (AD team)
- CRM and sales automation set-up, views and dashboards
- Lead stages, SLAs and this playbook
- Shadow lead triage for two mornings
- CRO services overview: clinical, regulatory, preclinical, data, labs
- Therapeutic area one-pagers
- Listen to 3 discovery calls
- Research 10 accounts with the checklist
- Write 5 hand-off notes, reviewed by a peer
- First outreach sequence live
- Own a small territory or lead queue
- First weekly report
- 30-day check-in: what is unclear, what to fix in the playbook
Outreach templates
Subject: Recording + one idea for your [Phase] program Hi [Name], Thanks for joining our session on [topic]. Here is the recording: [link]. Given [Company]'s [Phase] work in [area], the part on [specific point] may be most relevant. We recently supported a similar sponsor with [short outcome]. Would a 20-minute call with our [area] team be useful in the next two weeks? Best, [Signature]
Subject: Congratulations on the [Round] Hi [Name], Congratulations on closing the [Round]. Many teams at this stage start planning the next study and its outsourcing model. We support emerging biotechs from IND-enabling work through Phase III, including [service line]. If useful, I can share how others in [area] have structured their first CRO partnership. Open to a short call? Best, [Signature]
Subject: Still planning [study / milestone]? Hi [Name], We spoke in [month] about [topic]. I saw [new trial registration / news] and wanted to check whether timelines have moved. If now is not the right time, just say so and I will follow up next quarter. Best, [Signature]
Interview Prep
The role, the company, the industry, my stories, and my plan. The table below maps each line of the job description to something on this site.
| Job description | What I built or would do |
|---|---|
| Manage marketing-generated leads and follow up | Lead Desk: scoring, grades, SLA flags, next best action for each lead. |
| Create demand generation leads | Prospect research checklist (pipeline, funding, people, signals) and the funding trigger template. |
| Maintain corporate reporting protocols, support analytics | Funnel Analytics with computed insights and a weekly report in a fixed format. |
| Tool usage trainer and new hire onboarding | Playbook: stage definitions, CRM hygiene rules and a 4-week onboarding plan. |
| Strategic plans to drive RFP volume | Source and area analysis shows where RFPs come from, so effort goes to the channels that convert. |
| Hand-off the relationship internally | Auto-generated hand-off note with "why now", score breakdown and suggested angle. |
| Collaborate with Marketing on webinars and campaigns | Webinar follow-up template, source performance feedback for Marketing. |
Know the company
World leader in serving science, with 100,000+ colleagues. Mission: enable customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. Values: Integrity, Intensity, Innovation, Involvement (the 4i).
Global CRO founded in 1985, acquired by Thermo Fisher in December 2021. Now the clinical research business of Thermo Fisher, part of the Clinical Research Group (CRG).
- Clinical development, Phase I to IV
- Regulatory affairs
- Preclinical studies
- Data management and biostatistics
- Laboratory services (central, bioanalytical, vaccine)
- Functional service provision (FSP)
- Full-service CROs: IQVIA, ICON, Parexel, Syneos Health, Fortrea
- Biotech focused: Medpace
- Preclinical: Charles River
Edge to mention: one partner from molecule to market, including Thermo Fisher's labs, manufacturing and clinical supply.
CRO vocabulary
Sponsor: the pharma or biotech company paying for the trial.
RFI / RFP: request for information / proposal. The RFP is the start of a bid.
Bid defense: the meeting where the CRO presents its proposal to the sponsor.
CDA / MSA: confidentiality agreement / master services agreement.
FSP vs full service: CRO provides staff for specific functions, or runs the whole trial.
IND: the filing needed to start human trials in the US.
MQL / SQL: marketing / sales qualified lead.
Emerging biopharma: small biotechs with no big internal teams, who outsource most development. A key target group.
Phases: I safety, II efficacy and dose, III large confirmation, IV after approval.
Likely questions
Why this role, and why a CRO?Motivation
I like the commercial side when it is backed by data: finding the right customers, measuring what works, making the team more effective. At a CRO that work helps get new medicines to patients faster, which makes the numbers matter more. Thermo Fisher's mission (healthier, cleaner, safer) is a clear reason to show up.
You have 50 new leads on Monday. How do you prioritise?Lead mgmt
Score them on fit, pipeline, intent and engagement (exactly what the Lead Desk does). RFIs and referrals first, within hours. Grade A to the ADs the same day with a hand-off note. Grade B into targeted nurture. Grade C stays with Marketing. Then I check the SLA list at the end of the day.
How would you research a prospective client?Demand gen
Pipeline page and ClinicalTrials.gov for phase and timing, funding news, LinkedIn for decision makers, CRM history. I look for a "why now": a new round, a trial moving to the next phase, a regulatory designation.
What makes a good hand-off to an AD?Collaboration
The AD should not need to redo my research. Who, what, why now, what was agreed with the prospect, and a warm intro. The Lead Desk generates this note automatically.
How would you train the team on a new tool?Training
Short sessions built on real daily tasks, a one-page cheat sheet, a shared playbook, and office hours in the first weeks. Then I measure adoption (fields filled, reports used) and fix what people struggle with.
Which metrics would you report weekly?Reporting
Lead volume by source, conversion at each stage (lead to MQL, MQL to SQL, SQL to RFP), response time against SLA, RFP count, and stalled leads. Always the same format, so trends are visible.
Excel or CRM skills?Tools
Pivot tables, XLOOKUP / VLOOKUP, conditional formatting, data cleaning, charts for reports. In CRM: views, dashboards, data hygiene. This site is the proof that I can turn messy data into a clear tool.
My stories (STAR)
30 / 60 / 90 days
- CRM, automation tools and reporting protocols
- CRG service lines and therapeutic areas
- Shadow ADs on calls and hand-offs
- Take over the daily lead queue
- Meet response SLAs every week
- Agree the scoring and hand-off format with ADs
- First demand generation lists from research
- Own the weekly report
- Source and area analysis with Marketing
- Propose one campaign to lift RFP volume
- Run tool training for a new hire
- Review: what moved, what is next
Questions to ask them
- How many ADs would I support, and how is work split between analysts and ADs today?
- Which CRM and sales automation tools does the team use, and where does the data quality hurt most?
- How are leads scored and handed off today? Is there an agreed definition of MQL and SQL?
- Which lead sources produce the most RFPs, and which does the team wish worked better?
- What would make you say after six months that this hire was a success?
- How does the role grow: toward AD, marketing operations, or sales analytics?