Glossary · B2BTOFU
SQL (Sales Qualified Lead)
The short answer
An SQL (Sales Qualified Lead) is a lead that the sales team has engaged with and confirmed as a genuine opportunity — the right fit, a real need, some budget and a plausible timeline.
Common qualification frameworks look at budget, authority, need and timing, though every sales team adapts its own criteria.
Why SQLs matter for marketing
Cost per SQL is a far better measure of lead-gen performance than cost per lead. Feeding SQL status back to ad platforms as offline conversions teaches them to find more leads like the ones that qualify.
In practice
Agree a service-level expectation: how quickly sales must contact an MQL, and how quickly they must mark it as SQL or rejected. Without that, leads sit untouched, and marketing can't tell whether the problem is lead quality or follow-up.
Lead stage progression
SQLs in practice
After a discovery call, a salesperson confirms budget, need and timeline and marks the lead as sales-qualified, creating an opportunity in the CRM.
Common SQL mistakes
- No clear qualification criteria
- Delayed sales follow-up
- Not tracking SQL-to-close rates
Frequently asked questions
What's a good MQL-to-SQL conversion rate?
It varies by business. A consistently low rate means marketing's definition or targeting needs work.
Is SQL the same as an opportunity?
Many teams treat them as equivalent; others create an opportunity only after a further step like a proposal.
Who decides if a lead is an SQL?
Sales, using criteria agreed with marketing.
Should campaigns optimise for SQLs?
Where volume allows, yes — import SQL events as offline conversions.
What's the difference between an MQL and an SQL?
Marketing qualifies MQLs; sales confirms SQLs after direct contact.
What frameworks qualify SQLs?
Common ones look at budget, authority, need and timing.
Related terms
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