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SQL (Sales Qualified Lead)

Sales Qualified Lead is a lead that sales has vetted and deemed ready for direct outreach. Fits ICP, has budget, shows intent.

What Is an SQL (Sales Qualified Lead)? SQL vs MQL

MQL vs SQL: Marketing Qualified Lead showed interest (downloaded whitepaper, attended webinar). SQL was reviewed by sales and meets criteria: right company size, budget, decision maker identified, timing to buy. SQL conversion rates are 20-30% for good sales teams. SQL to closed-won typically takes 30-90 days for B2B SaaS.

Examples

A lead downloads a whitepaper, which makes them an MQL. Sales then reviews the lead, confirms the company has 200 employees, a budget line for the product, and a named decision maker planning to buy this quarter, and reclassifies them as an SQL ready for direct outreach.
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Related Terms

ICP (Ideal Customer Profile)

ICP describes your perfect customer. The type of company or person most likely to buy, get value, and stay long-term.

Lead Scoring

Lead scoring is a system that assigns point values to a lead's actions and attributes so leads can be ranked and prioritized instead of treated as equally likely to buy.

MQL (Marketing Qualified Lead)

An MQL is a lead that marketing has judged more likely to become a customer than an average visitor, based on actions they've taken, like downloading a guide, attending a webinar, or revisiting the pricing page, rather than a conversation with sales.

PQL (Product Qualified Lead)

A user who has experienced meaningful value in your product and is likely to convert to a paying customer.

A/B Testing

A/B testing (split testing) means showing two versions of something to different users and measuring which performs better. Version A vs. Version B. Data wins, opinions lose.

Account-Based Selling

Account-based selling is a sales strategy that targets a curated list of specific named companies individually, tailoring outreach and pitch to each one, instead of casting a wide net across anyone who might vaguely fit.

View all terms