Marketing & Sales Metrics

MQL (Marketing Qualified Lead)

Lead deemed worth talking to by marketing — meets initial criteria but hasn't been validated by sales.

MQL is the inbound lead that has shown sufficient interest to be passed from marketing to sales. Signals: form submission with target attributes (job role, company size), repeated content engagement, downloaded a high-intent asset, attended a webinar.

MQL → SQL (Sales Qualified Lead) is the funnel transition. SQL means the lead is BANT-qualified (Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline). MQLs that don't convert to SQL stay in nurture.

For Indian SMB-targeting SaaS, MQL definition is usually: filled signup form OR booked a demo. The conversion MQL → SQL → customer rates differ wildly: 30-60% MQL→SQL, then 10-30% SQL→customer.

India context

Indian B2B SaaS often combines MQL/SQL gates because the deal cycles are short. A founder-led 5-person sales team treats every demo-request as SQL-equivalent. As teams grow past 10 reps, the MQL/SQL distinction becomes critical for routing efficiency.

Examples

  • MQL: someone filled out 'Get a demo' form. SQL: AE confirmed they have budget + decision power.
  • MQL→SQL conversion: 50%. SQL→customer: 25%. Net MQL→customer: 12.5%.

FAQ

How is MQL different from a regular lead?

MQL meets your defined criteria for follow-up. Regular leads include unfit prospects (wrong industry, wrong size, etc.) that shouldn't be followed up.

Who decides MQL criteria?

Marketing + Sales jointly. Common scoring: contact has target job title (40 pts), company size in range (30 pts), content engagement (20 pts), location (10 pts). Score above 70 = MQL.

Why are my MQL→SQL rates low?

Common: marketing is generating leads outside ICP, sales is too strict on qualification, or deal-stage criteria aren't aligned.

Related concepts

SQLlead formBANTdeal cycleICPconversion rate

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Related glossary entries

ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) — Detailed description of the customer you should be targeting — the highest-fit, highest-LTV, most-likely-to-succeed segment.Deal Cycle — Average time from lead created to closed-won — measures sales velocity.

More in Marketing & Sales Metrics

CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost)LTV (Lifetime Value)ROAS (Return on Ad Spend)MRR (Monthly Recurring Revenue)AOV (Average Order Value)RTO (Return to Origin)GMV (Gross Merchandise Value)Churn
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