Term
MQL / SQL
MQL (Marketing Qualified Lead) and SQL (Sales Qualified Lead) are qualification stages of a lead in the funnel. An MQL shows interest through its behaviour; an SQL is assessed by sales as ready to buy and suitable for handover.
MQL / SQL — explained in detail
MQL (Marketing Qualified Lead) and SQL (Sales Qualified Lead) denote two consecutive qualification stages of a lead on the way from first contact to customer. They are a common model for clearly governing the handover between marketing and sales and for making the funnel measurable.
An MQL is a prospect who has signalled a certain level of interest through behaviour — for example by downloading a whitepaper, repeated website visits or filling in a form. It meets criteria defined by marketing (often via lead scoring) but is not yet considered sales-ready. The MQL continues to be nurtured with content (lead nurturing).
An SQL is a lead that sales has reviewed and assessed as ready to buy. Here, not only interest is evident, but a concrete need, budget and a realistic intent to purchase. The SQL is thus ready for direct handling by the sales team.
The transition
The decisive step is the handover from MQL to SQL. For it to work, marketing and sales agree on shared criteria for when a lead is “qualified” enough for sales. If this definition is unclear, leads are lost or sales receives contacts that are not yet ready. Both stages typically correspond to middle and lower funnel sections (MoFu/BoFu).
Example / practical relevance
A visitor downloads an e-book and subscribes to the newsletter — lead scoring classifies her as an MQL, and she receives further relevant content. A little later she requests a quote via a lead form and states budget and timeframe in the conversation. Sales confirms her readiness to buy — making her an SQL who moves into direct sales handling. The transitions can be counted and evaluated as conversion stages in the funnel.
Distinction from similar terms
- MQL vs. SQL: An MQL is qualified on the marketing side (interest present); an SQL is qualified on the sales side (ready to buy). The SQL sits further down the funnel.
- MQL/SQL vs. lead: “Lead” is the umbrella term for any captured contact; MQL and SQL are qualified subsets of it.
- MQL/SQL vs. cost per lead (CPL): MQL/SQL describe the quality or maturity of a lead; CPL is a cost metric per acquired lead.
Related terms: funnel strategy (ToFu/MoFu/BoFu), cost per lead (CPL), conversion rate (CVR), lead form extension.
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