What is a Qualified Lead?
A qualified lead is a contact who meets certain fit and interest criteria that make them more likely to become a customer.
What is an MQL?
A Marketing-Qualified Lead (MQL) is a lead that has met defined engagement and fit thresholds and is considered ready for deeper sales attention.
What is an SQL?
A Sales-Qualified Lead (SQL) is a lead that has been reviewed and accepted by sales as ready for direct conversations, demos, or proposals.
How are qualification criteria defined?
Criteria include firmographics (industry, size), role, behaviour (content engagement, site visits), and intent signals such as demo or pricing requests.
Why is alignment on MQL/SQL definitions important?
Alignment ensures marketing and sales work with the same expectations, improving hand-offs, follow-up quality, and funnel efficiency.
How does lead scoring support qualification?
Lead scoring assigns points based on profile and actions, helping teams prioritise which leads to engage first.
How should Qualified Leads be routed?
Qualified leads should be automatically routed to the right owner or team through CRM and automation tools with clear SLAs for follow-up.
What metrics indicate good lead qualification?
High MQL-to-SQL conversion rates, strong opportunity creation, and healthy win rates indicate good qualification.
How often should qualification rules be reviewed?
Rules should be revisited regularly—often quarterly—as products, market focus, and performance data evolve.
How can feedback loops improve qualification?
Sales feedback on lead quality and outcomes helps marketing refine scoring, campaigns, and targeting for better future results.
