SQL
Sales Qualified Lead
A Sales Qualified Lead (SQL) is a prospect that has been vetted by marketing and accepted by sales as ready for direct selling. Unlike MQLs, SQLs have demonstrated buying intent, match your ICP, and have the authority and budget to make purchasing decisions.
A B2B SaaS company passes 100 MQLs to sales in Q1. After discovery calls, sales accepts 40 as genuine opportunities (SQLs) — a 40% conversion rate. The 60 rejected leads go back to marketing for further nurturing. This feedback loop helps marketing refine their scoring model.
Here's what nobody tells you about SQLs: the definition is only as good as the handoff process behind it. We've seen companies where marketing calls something an SQL, sales disagrees, and the lead rots in a queue for 3 weeks. The real question isn't 'what makes an SQL?' — it's 'do sales and marketing agree on the answer?' If your SQL acceptance rate is below 70%, you don't have a lead problem. You have an alignment problem. Fix the definition once, document it, and hold both teams accountable.
Define ItOther Definitions
“A sales qualified lead is a prospective customer that has been researched and vetted — first by an organization's marketing department and then by its sales team — and is deemed ready for the next stage in the sales process.”
“An SQL is a prospective customer who has moved through the sales pipeline — from marketing-qualified lead through sales-accepted lead — to a position where the sales team can now work on converting them into an active customer.”
“A sales qualified lead has been qualified by the sales team as a potential customer. They fit the ideal customer profile, have the budget and authority to make the purchase, and have clearly expressed interest.”
A Sales Qualified Lead represents the critical handoff point where marketing passes a vetted prospect to sales for direct engagement. The key distinction from an MQL is validation: an SQL has been confirmed to have genuine buying intent, fits your ideal customer profile, and possesses the authority and budget to make purchasing decisions. This qualification typically happens through a discovery call or BANT/MEDDIC assessment. The SQL stage exists because not every marketing-qualified lead is actually ready for sales — and having sales chase unqualified leads destroys productivity. Companies with mature RevOps typically see 30-50% of MQLs convert to SQLs, with variations based on lead source quality and qualification rigor.
MistakesCommon Mistakes
No documented agreement between sales and marketing on SQL criteria
Using demographic data only (company size, title) without behavioral signals
Not tracking SQL acceptance rate — the metric that reveals alignment issues
Passing leads too early (quantity over quality) to hit MQL targets
No feedback loop when sales rejects leads — same mistakes repeat
Sales rejecting 50%+ of your 'qualified' leads?
The problem isn't lead quality — it's the handoff. We align your MQL and SQL definitions so marketing passes leads sales actually wants.
Experience across
