Qualified lead(MQL/SQL)
Email and CRM
Email and CRM
A qualified lead is a potential customer who has shown interest and also meets the criteria that make follow-up by marketing or sales worthwhile.
The difference with a plain lead is the criteria. Someone downloading an e-book is a lead; someone submitting a request who fits your audience and describes a concrete problem is qualified. Those criteria are your own choice: company size, industry, role, budget indication, urgency or the type of request.
In practice there are two levels. An MQL (marketing qualified lead) fits your profile and has shown enough interest to reach out to. An SQL (sales qualified lead) has been confirmed by sales after that: there is a real question, a timeline and someone who decides.
Qualifying makes your numbers honest. Once you only count qualified requests as conversions, you see which channels and pages actually produce customers instead of just forms.
Tip
Set criteria that are just strict enough to let only serious requests through. That way you measure your marketing, not just your definition.
Related terms
- Lead scoringLead scoring assigns points to leads based on who they are and what they do, so you can prioritise follow-up.
- ConversionA conversion is an action you defined as valuable: an enquiry, purchase, download or phone call. The conversion rate is the share of visitors who take it.
- CRMA CRM is the system where you keep customers, contacts, deals and all communication, so everyone sees the same state of play.