sales
MQL (Marketing Qualified Lead)
A lead engaged enough to suggest interest but not yet ready for sales contact.
Definition
An MQL is a prospect who has shown interest (downloaded content, attended a webinar, fits ICP) but has not expressed buying intent. Typically the stage before SQL (Sales Qualified Lead). The MQL definition should be specific: e.g., 'matches ICP firmographics AND has visited pricing page OR downloaded a bottom-funnel asset'. Without a clear definition, marketing claims every email signup as an MQL and sales wastes time on cold contacts.
In your business
- →Define MQL with 4-5 specific criteria
- →Track MQL to SQL conversion rate - under 20% suggests over-loose criteria
- →Score on fit (firmographics) and intent (behavior) separately