Glossary: lists and qualification
What is a marketing qualified lead (MQL)?
A marketing qualified lead (MQL) is a lead that marketing judges ready to hand on, because the person fits the target profile and has taken actions that show interest, such as downloading a guide or visiting the pricing page. Sales has not yet confirmed it.
MQL and SQL side by side
Marketing qualified lead
- Judged by marketing
- Based on fit and actions
- Not yet spoken to
Sales qualified lead
- Judged by sales
- Based on a conversation
- Has a confirmed need
A marketing qualified lead is defined by fit and behavior.
A marketing qualified lead is judged by marketing, based on fit and actions, and is not yet spoken to. A sales qualified lead is judged by sales, based on a conversation, and has a confirmed need. The MQL is a line marketing draws, and where it sits is a choice each company makes.
Fit asks who the person is.
Company size, industry and job title show whether this person could ever be a buyer. A student downloading a guide is not an MQL.
Behavior asks what they did.
Actions such as returning to the site, opening several emails or asking for a demo show interest that a single visit does not.
A threshold turns the two into a decision.
Marketing sets a score or a rule. A lead that meets it becomes an MQL and moves to the next team.
Here is a month of leads sorted for an invented company.
Imagine Oakenrill, an invented company that sells analytics software. In one month 400 people downloaded the guide on its site. Oakenrill's rule says an MQL works at a company with over 50 employees and has visited the pricing page.
Of the 400, 150 work at a company that fits. Of those, 60 also visited the pricing page, so Oakenrill counts 60 marketing qualified leads. Sales calls all 60, and 24 are accepted by sales as sales qualified leads. The MQL figure told marketing what to pass on. The 24 told everyone how good the rule was.
Oakenrill's 400 leads at each stage
Use the MQL as an agreed handoff point.
An MQL only works when sales and marketing define it together.
The four steps in order
- 1Agree the rule
- 2Score leads
- 3Hand off fast
- 4Review the rate
- 1
Agree the rule with sales.
Write down which traits and which actions make an MQL. If sales did not help write it, sales will not trust it.
- 2
Score leads the same way every time.
Use one rule for every lead, by score or by checklist, so the count means the same thing each month.
- 3
Hand off fast.
Pass each MQL on the day it qualifies, while the interest is fresh.
- 4
Review the rate sales accepts.
Track the share of MQLs that become sales qualified. A low share means the rule is too loose.
Prymatica works from the outbound side: we source verified prospects, run the outreach, qualify the replies and book interested prospects onto your calendar. See how Prymatica's cold email process works.
Teams make these mistakes with marketing qualified leads.
MQL volume becomes the goal.
A target for MQL count rewards loosening the rule. Judge marketing on the leads sales accepts.
One action counts as intent.
A single download shows curiosity. Asking for several signals, or one strong one, keeps the list honest.
Outbound replies are forced into the MQL box.
Someone who answers a cold email with a question has already started a sales conversation. Qualify them directly.
These glossary terms sit next to marketing qualified lead.
These Prymatica pages go deeper on marketing qualified lead.
Questions
People ask these questions about marketing qualified lead.
What is the difference between an MQL and an SQL?
An MQL is judged by marketing from fit and behavior, before anyone has spoken to the person. An SQL is judged by sales after a conversation confirms a real need and the ability to act on it.
What actions make someone an MQL?
That depends on the company's rule. Common ones are asking for a demo, visiting the pricing page, coming back to the site several times or attending a webinar, combined with a job title and company that fit.
Do outbound campaigns produce MQLs?
Not in the usual sense. Outbound contacts chosen people directly, and a positive reply goes straight to qualification by a person. MQLs belong mainly to inbound marketing, where leads arrive on their own.
How is an MQL calculated?
There is no formula for the lead itself. Teams count MQLs per month and track the share that sales accepts, which is leads accepted by sales divided by MQLs, times 100.
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