Glossary

Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL)

Definition: 

A Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL) is a potential customer who has exhibited interest in buying what you're selling based on marketing efforts. 
Related Questions:


What is a good lead to MQL rate?

The average lead-to-MQL rate across industries and marketing channels is approximately 30%. Use that figure as your conversion rate benchmark. 


What is a good marketing qualified lead?

The best kind of MQL is the one that your sales team agrees to pursue because they think they can convert into a customer. Remember, an MQL is someone who is essentially window-shopping your company. An MQL that your sales team can move further down the funnel is the goal.


What is an MCL vs MQL?

A Marketing Capture Lead (MCL) is at the very top of the sales funnel. These prospects have just begun to engage with your company by sharing some of their information with you. MCLs become MQLs after they’ve exhibited behavior that makes the marketing team believe they’re ready to buy. 


MQL criteria

Establishing sound MQL criteria helps ensure that your sales team only receives high-quality leads. The criteria can change not only from between companies but also campaign to campaign, so here are some questions to ask yourself as you define your MQL criteria:
What type of marketing content should be engaged with in order to define someone as an MQL?
Which traits (demographic and firmographic) are necessary to call someone an MQL?
 Which pain points or challenges should a person have to make them an MQL?


MQL Examples

Here are a few examples of common actions that SaaS firms use to identify MQLs:

  • Downloading trial software
  • Engaging with software demos
  • Filling out online forms
  • Signing up for a newsletter
  • Adding items to a wishlist or shopping cart
  • Repeatedly visiting a website
  • Clicking ads to a website
  • Clicking CTAs
  • Interacting with social posts 

MQL vs SQL 


A Sales Qualified Lead (SQL) is further down the funnel than an MQL and closer to becoming a customer. Simply put, SQLs are the MQLs that the sales team agrees are good prospects with a strong chance of converting.
        


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