What is a marketing qualified lead (MQL)?
The marketing qualified lead is marketing's signal that a prospect is warm enough to warrant sales attention. It is usually determined by lead scoring that combines engagement and fit.
An MQL is a prediction, not a confirmation. Marketing believes the lead is ready; sales then decides whether to accept it as an SQL. The conversion between the two measures how good marketing's prediction is.
Short answer
A marketing qualified lead (MQL) is a prospect that has shown enough engagement and fit, through actions like downloading content, requesting a demo, or repeated visits, for marketing to judge it ready to pass to sales. It is qualified on behavior and profile, not yet on a sales conversation, and precedes the sales qualified lead.
Key takeaways
- A lead marketing judges ready for sales, based on engagement and fit.
- Usually determined by lead scoring.
- A prediction of sales-readiness, not a confirmation.
- Precedes the sales qualified lead.
How MQLs are scored
Most teams score leads on two axes: engagement (content downloads, email clicks, demo requests, site visits) and fit (industry, company size, role matching the ideal customer profile). A lead crossing a scoring threshold becomes an MQL. Scoring on engagement alone, without fit, produces busy but poor-fit leads.
The MQL bar should be calibrated against the MQL to SQL conversion rate. If sales rejects most MQLs, the bar is too low; if marketing passes very few, it may be too high and limiting volume.
How Ardovo handles it
Ardovo scores MQLs on engagement and fit and tracks their conversion to SQLs by source. Rook flags sources whose MQLs rarely convert, so marketing can raise the bar or shift spend away from volume that never becomes revenue.
Frequently asked questions
What is a marketing qualified lead?
A prospect that has shown enough engagement and fit, through actions like content downloads or demo requests, for marketing to judge it ready to pass to sales. It is qualified on behavior and profile, not yet on a sales conversation.
How is an MQL scored?
Usually by lead scoring combining engagement (downloads, clicks, demo requests, visits) and fit (industry, company size, role). A lead crossing a scoring threshold becomes an MQL. Scoring on engagement without fit produces busy but poor-fit leads.
What is the difference between an MQL and an SQL?
An MQL is marketing's prediction that a lead is sales-ready, based on engagement and fit. An SQL is sales accepting that lead after confirming fit and intent. The MQL comes first; the SQL confirms it.