Short answer
An MQL (marketing qualified lead) is a lead that fits your target profile and has engaged enough with marketing that it's worth sales' attention, but hasn't confirmed a need. An SQL (sales qualified lead) is a lead a salesperson has spoken to and confirmed as a real prospect: the right company, a person involved in buying, a problem you solve and a reason to act. Marketing scores MQLs; sales qualifies SQLs.
- MQL means marketing thinks the lead is worth a look; SQL means sales has confirmed it.
- Put a sales accepted lead (SAL) stage between them, with a follow-up promise.
- Define an MQL as fit plus behavior, never behavior alone.
- Judge marketing by cost per SQL and pipeline, not by MQL volume.
- Send rejected leads back to nurture with a reason, and review the reasons monthly.
On this page
This page is for marketers, SDRs and sales leaders who need to agree on when a lead moves from marketing to sales. It defines both terms, adds the stage most teams skip, works through the funnel arithmetic and gives a short process for setting definitions both teams will accept.
MQL vs SQL at a glance
| MQL (marketing qualified lead) | SQL (sales qualified lead) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it means | Fits your profile and has engaged enough to be worth sales' time | Confirmed by a salesperson as a real prospect |
| Who decides | Marketing, usually by lead score | Sales, after a conversation |
| Typical evidence | Right company and role, plus actions such as a pricing page visit, a webinar or several content downloads | A problem you solve, a person involved in the decision, a reason to act and an agreed next step |
| What happens next | Sales accepts it and gets in touch | Discovery meeting, then an opportunity |
| Common failure | Behavior with no fit: students, competitors, tiny companies | Reps marking leads as SQLs to hit a target |
HubSpot's definition captures the MQL side: "An MQL is a contact who has shown interest in a product or service but isn't ready to buy yet." The SQL side is a judgment a person makes after talking to the lead.
What a sales qualified lead is
A sales qualified lead is a prospect that sales has qualified directly. Most teams check four things, whatever framework they use:
- Fit: the company matches your ideal customer profile.
- Role: the person is involved in the decision, or will introduce you to someone who is.
- Need: they've described a problem you solve, in their own words.
- Timing: there's a reason to act, such as a contract ending, a project or a deadline.
A demo request from a person at a company that fits often goes straight to SQL after a short call. For the questions that establish need, timing, authority and budget, see the BANT questions.
The stages between: MQL, SAL, SQL
| Stage | Definition | Owner | Exit rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead | Any contact with an email address | Marketing | Reaches the MQL score |
| MQL | Fits the ICP and has engaged enough | Marketing | Sales accepts or rejects it |
| SAL (sales accepted lead) | Sales agrees it's worth working and commits to follow up | Sales | Qualified, recycled or disqualified |
| SQL | Sales has confirmed fit, role, need and timing | Sales | Becomes an opportunity, or is recycled |
The sales accepted lead stage matters because it makes rejection visible. Without it, MQLs that sales ignores simply disappear, and nobody learns whether the scoring is wrong or the follow-up never happened.
These stage names are associated with the Demand Waterfall, a funnel model that SiriusDecisions first launched in 2006 and that is now part of Forrester. A 2018 Forrester post on the model lists "what is a marketing qualified lead (MQL)?" and "What is a sales accepted lead (SAL)?" among the definitions marketing and sales operations need to agree on.
How a lead becomes an MQL
Most teams use a lead score with two parts: fit (who they are) and behavior (what they've done). Requiring both stops the most common failure, which is passing sales a student who downloaded five ebooks.
Illustrative example. The scoring and figures are invented to show the method.
Corvane Telematics (corvane.example) sells fleet tracking to companies that run vans and trucks. Its MQL rule: at least 20 fit points and at least 20 behavior points.
| Fit | Points | Behavior | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Runs 50 to 500 vehicles | 15 | Visited the pricing page | 15 |
| Fleet, operations or finance role | 10 | Attended a webinar | 10 |
| Industry on the target list | 5 | Downloaded a guide | 5 |
| Fewer than 10 vehicles | minus 20 | Unsubscribed | minus 20 |
A fleet manager at a 120-vehicle distributor (an industry on the target list) who visits the pricing page and attends a webinar scores 30 fit and 25 behavior: an MQL. A student who downloads every guide scores zero fit and never becomes one. Build and test your own weights with the lead scoring template.
Worked example: the funnel and the cost per SQL
In one quarter Corvane's marketing spends $90,000 and produces 600 MQLs.
| Stage | Rate | Count | Marketing cost each |
|---|---|---|---|
| MQL | 600 | $150 | |
| SAL | 80% of MQLs accepted | 480 | $188 |
| SQL | 25% of SALs qualified | 120 | $750 |
| Customer | 20% of SQLs won | 24 | $3,750 |
The MQL to SQL conversion rate is 120 ÷ 600 = 20%. Now suppose a new campaign offers MQLs at $100 each but only 10% become SQLs. Its cost per SQL is $100 ÷ 0.10 = $1,000, a third more than the current $750, even though each MQL is cheaper. That's why cost per MQL is a poor target on its own.
The stage rates also tell you where to look. Many rejected MQLs point to the scoring rules. Accepted leads that rarely become SQLs point to lead quality or slow follow-up. SQLs that rarely close point to qualification standards or the sales process itself.
Common confusions
- SQL vs opportunity. Some CRMs treat them as the same thing; others create an opportunity only after a discovery meeting. Pick one and write it down.
- PQL (product qualified lead). In product-led companies, a free or trial user whose product usage suggests they're ready to buy. It plays the MQL role.
- MQA (marketing qualified account). In account-based marketing, the account rather than one person crosses the threshold, because several people are researching.
- Outbound leads. Prospects your SDRs find themselves skip the MQL stage. They start from fit and become SQLs once a conversation confirms need and timing. Bebop finds companies that match a plain-language description of your ICP and explains why each fits, so that outbound list starts from fit too.
How to set definitions both teams accept
- Agree on the ICP first. Fit criteria come from it.
- Define the MQL as fit plus behavior, with point values both teams can see.
- Write a service-level agreement: for example, sales contacts every accepted lead within one business day and makes at least four attempts over two weeks.
- Define the SQL in plain criteria: fit, role, need and timing, with a booked next step.
- Require a reason for every rejection and send rejected leads back to nurture.
- Review monthly with marketing and sales together: rejection reasons, stage rates and cost per SQL.
Next step: set your fit and behavior weights in the lead scoring template.
Sources
- The Demand Waterfall: What Sales Operations Needs to Know, Forrester (Steve Silver), 17 May 2018
- MQL vs. SQL: What they are and how they differ, HubSpot, 31 July 2026
- MQL vs. SQL: What Are They? How Do They Help You Sell?, Salesforce, 26 January 2024
Written by the Bebop team at Blackpearl Group. Last updated .
Questions people ask
What is the difference between an MQL and an SQL?
An MQL is a lead that marketing judges worth sales' attention because it fits your target profile and has engaged with your content, such as visiting the pricing page or attending a webinar. An SQL is a lead that a salesperson has spoken to and confirmed as a real prospect, with a problem you solve, a person involved in buying, a reason to act and an agreed next step.
What is a sales qualified lead?
A sales qualified lead is a prospect that a salesperson has qualified directly, usually in a call. It means the company fits your ideal customer profile, the person is involved in the decision or can introduce you to someone who is, they've described a problem you solve, and there's a reason to act soon. Most teams also require a booked next step, such as a discovery meeting.
What is a good MQL to SQL conversion rate?
There's no reliable universal benchmark, because every company defines MQLs and SQLs differently, and most published averages are compiled by vendors without a clear method. Calculate your own rate as SQLs divided by MQLs for the same period, track it by source, and watch the trend. A falling rate usually means the MQL rules have loosened or follow-up has slowed.
What is a sales accepted lead (SAL)?
A sales accepted lead is an MQL that sales has reviewed and agreed to work, usually with a promise to follow up within a set time. It sits between MQL and SQL. The stage makes rejection visible: if sales turns down many MQLs, the scoring rules need work, and if accepted leads are never contacted, the follow-up process does. Every rejection should carry a reason.
Who decides when an MQL becomes an SQL?
Sales does. Marketing decides when a lead becomes an MQL, usually through a lead score, and sales decides whether it's a real prospect after speaking to the person. Both teams should agree on the written criteria for each stage in advance, review rejected leads together each month and adjust the scoring when sales consistently rejects a type of lead.