Marketing Qualified Lead

A Marketing Qualified Lead is a client-to-be, a potential customer who shows a strong intent of buying a service or product. It is a prospect who usually passes through the marketing funnel and is ready to be handed over to the sales teams for a successful conversion.

When a prospect is aware of a service/product and is considering making a purchase decision, it’s the right time to let the sales team handle the conversion. Such a potential customer is known as a Marketing Qualified Lead.

What is a Qualified Lead in Marketing?

In marketing, an MQL is a lead that moves beyond the awareness and consideration stages of the marketing funnel, through different marketing tools and techniques. This successful lead is likely to make a purchase decision and holds a huge value for the sales team.

The marketing and sales teams must be properly aligned to cater an MQL with delicate care to ensure that both teams follow a unified approach. The sales teams must know exactly when to pitch and how to engage with a Marketing Qualified Lead based on their marketing activity.

Marketing Qualified Lead Example

A visitor clicks on a promotional ad on Instagram, views through the product catalog, and adds items to the cart but doesn’t buy them. This is exactly the type of behavior that flags a customer as a Marketing Qualified Lead.

Different marketing teams use various methods to score these behaviors. A customer is flagged as an MQL once they hit the score set by the marketing team, based on their specific actions and demographics.

Here are some of the examples of actions that indicate a lead as an MQL when a prospect:

1. Sign up for the free-trial.
2. Watch a walkthrough guide from an email link.
3. Fill out a “request a quote” form.
4. Add multiple products to a cart with no checkout.
5. Visit the price plans several times in a week.
6. Seek out more information about the features and specifications.

Marketing Qualified Lead Criteria

There are different approaches to set up Marketing Qualified Lead criteria for the identification of potential prospects. One of the most common methods is the scoring system. In this method, the points are assigned to a lead’s actions and characteristics. A lead becomes an MQL once they reach a certain score threshold.

Understanding Marketing Qualified Lead definition is crucial as it helps align marketing and sales teams. It not only ensures that the sales reps deal with the right prospects for successful conversions, but also improves the entire sales funnel by ensuring resources are directed toward the most promising opportunities.