A web-based customer lead generator system. The system is based on an application service model, with the programming for the system being accessible to users of the system via web browsers and the Internet. The users are typically business enterprises that maintain e-commerce web sites. The pre-emptive profiling process searches the Internet to obtain email addresses of potential web site buyers. It performs a reverse look-up process to obtain demographic data about each potential buyer. This data is used to provide a purchasing profile of the buyer, which is then forwarded to the e-commerce business enterprise.