Definition
A Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL) is a prospect who has demonstrated enough interest and ICP-fit through marketing channels to warrant being passed to a sales rep for direct outreach. The criteria are set by mutual agreement between marketing and sales.
MQL is a handoff contract, not a real-world category. The whole point of an MQL definition is to give marketing and sales a shared standard for 'this lead is ready' — without that contract, marketing throws everyone over the wall and sales throws everyone back. The MQL standard is what makes the marketing-sales relationship functional.
MQL definitions typically combine ICP fit (right company size, right industry, right role) with behavioural signals (visited pricing page, requested demo, downloaded gated asset, attended webinar). The exact combination depends on the business but should be tight enough that 30%+ of MQLs become SQLs (sales-qualified).
Origin
The MQL/SQL framework was formalised by SiriusDecisions in the late 2000s as part of the Demand Waterfall model and adopted broadly across B2B marketing organisations in the 2010s.
How it works
- Agree the MQL definition jointly between marketing and sales.
- Combine ICP fit attributes (firmographic, role) with engagement signals (behavioural).
- Build lead scoring in the marketing automation tool to flag MQL status automatically.
- Set a target MQL→SQL conversion rate (30%+ is healthy).
- Review and adjust the MQL definition quarterly based on actual conversion data.
When to use it
Use when
- Any B2B funnel with separate marketing and sales teams.
- When sales complains about lead quality.
- When marketing volume looks high but pipeline isn't growing.
Skip when
- For very small teams where marketing and sales are the same person.
- Product-led growth motions where leads self-qualify in-product.
Key metrics
- MQL volume per month
- MQL→SQL conversion rate (target 30%+)
- MQL cost (marketing spend / MQL count)
- MQL→closed-won rate
Examples
- Our MQL→SQL conversion was 12% — way too low. We tightened the MQL definition and it jumped to 38%.
- Sales kept rejecting MQLs as low quality. The MQL bar needed raising.
- We had 400 MQLs and 30 closed deals last quarter. That's the only number that matters.
In practice at Makreate
Makreate runs an MQL audit early in every B2B advertising engagement. The most common pattern we see: clients are generating MQL volume but at criteria so loose that sales has stopped trusting the queue entirely. We rewrite the MQL definition with both teams in the room, rebuild the scoring logic, and re-instrument the handoff — typically taking MQL→SQL conversion from sub-15% to 35%+ within 60 days, with the same lead volume.
Advertising →Common mistakes
- Setting the MQL bar too low (high volume, low quality).
- Setting the MQL bar too high (sales has nothing to call).
- Not building MQL criteria jointly with sales.
- Not reviewing MQL→SQL conversion data.
- Treating every gated-content downloader as an MQL.
Frequently asked
How is MQL different from SQL?
MQL is marketing's handoff. SQL is sales' acceptance — they've called the lead and confirmed it's a real opportunity worth pursuing.
What's a good MQL→SQL conversion rate?
30%+ is healthy for B2B. Below 20% suggests the MQL definition is too loose.
Should MQL criteria be the same across all channels?
Generally yes — the lead is what it is. But scoring weights can vary (a 'requested demo' from cold inbound differs from a 'requested demo' from an existing customer's referral).