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2. Lists and qualification

What is a marketing qualified lead (MQL)?

A marketing qualified lead (MQL) is a contact who has met an agreed standard of fit and activity, so they are worth passing from marketing to sales. The standard is set by each team and usually combines company traits with actions the person has taken.

The parts

  1. Fit pointsPoints for traits that match your profile, such as company size, industry and job title.
  2. Behavior pointsPoints for actions, such as visiting a pricing page, replying to an email or trying a tool.
  3. A thresholdThe score at which a lead counts as an MQL. It should be written down and agreed with sales.
  4. A handoff ruleWhat happens next: who receives the lead, how fast they follow up and how they report back.

Worked example: Shiftly, a made-up shift-scheduling app

Shiftly adds fit points and behavior points for each lead. A lead at or above the threshold is an MQL and goes to a sales rep.

By hand

  1. The MQL threshold is 60 points.
  2. Mara at Cedar Grove Cafes: fit 35 + behavior 30 = 65 points. MQL.
  3. Jon at Pell Street Gym: fit 40 + behavior 10 = 50 points. Not yet an MQL.
  4. Ines at Aster Clinics: fit 25 + behavior 45 = 70 points. MQL.
  5. 2 leads of 3 passes the threshold and is handed to sales.
LeadFit pointsBehavior pointsTotalMQL?
Mara at Cedar Grove Cafes353065Yes
Jon at Pell Street Gym401050No
Ines at Aster Clinics254570Yes

Three leads scored against a threshold of 60

How to apply it

  1. Write down which traits and actions have come before real deals in your own history.
  2. Give each a point value and set a threshold with the person who will receive the leads.
  3. Pass MQLs to sales with the reason they qualified, so the first message is specific.
  4. Review how many MQLs turn into meetings and move the threshold if sales rejects most of them.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Setting the threshold alone, without agreement from the team that follows up.
  • Counting low-value actions, such as an old email open, as if they signal interest.
  • Never changing the score after seeing which MQLs actually become deals.

Sales qualified lead

A sales qualified lead (SQL) is a lead that the sales team has reviewed and accepted as a real opportunity worth active selling.

Read more

Lead scoring

Lead scoring assigns points to each lead for how well the company and person fit your target buyer and for what they have done, so a team can contact the strongest leads first.

Read more

Lead qualification

Lead qualification is the step of checking whether a lead is worth a sales conversation: whether the company fits your profile, whether there is a real need and whether the person can act.

Read more

Questions

What is the difference between an MQL and an SQL?
An MQL meets the marketing standard of fit and activity. An SQL (sales qualified lead) has also been checked by sales and is accepted as a real opportunity.
Who decides the MQL threshold?
The marketing and sales sides together. It should be written down so both sides read a lead the same way.
Does cold outreach produce MQLs?
Outbound replies are usually qualified in conversation instead. The idea still applies: agree on the standard a contact must meet before a meeting is booked.

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