Definition
An MQL (Marketing Qualified Lead) is a lead who has been identified by the marketing team as being more likely to become a customer compared to other leads. This qualification is based on their engagement with marketing content and their profile data. An MQL has shown interest beyond general awareness but is not yet ready for a direct sales pitch. They represent the crucial handover point where marketing passes a promising lead to the sales team (SDRs or BDRs) for further qualification.
Examples
- Content Download: A user provides their corporate email and job title to download a detailed whitepaper or an in-depth case study from the website.
- Website Engagement: A lead from a company matching the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) visits the pricing page multiple times, views a product demo video, or uses an ROI calculator.
- Webinar Attendance: A contact registers for, attends, and actively participates in a live webinar about a specific industry challenge the product solves.
- High-Intent Form Fill: A person completes a form to request more information or subscribe to a product-focused newsletter (but not yet a « Request a Demo » form, which is often considered sales-ready).
Advantages/Benefits
- Sales & Marketing Alignment: Creates a clear and agreed-upon definition of a « good lead, » ensuring both teams are working toward the same goal.
- Increased Sales Efficiency: Prevents the sales team from wasting time on cold or uninterested leads, allowing them to focus their efforts on contacts who have shown genuine interest.
- Effective Nurturing: Helps marketing identify which leads need more nurturing with additional content and which are warm enough to be passed to sales.
- Measurable Marketing ROI: Provides a concrete metric to measure the performance of marketing campaigns and their direct contribution to the sales pipeline.
Related terms
- SQL (Sales Qualified Lead)
- Lead Scoring
- Lead Nurturing
- Demand Generation
- Sales Funnel
- Marketing Automation
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