What is an SQL (Sales Qualified Lead)?
SQL stands for Sales Qualified Lead. A sales qualified lead is a lead (a potential customer) who is assessed as ready to be sold to/to make a purchase. SQL is the next step in the customer journey after MQL and typically means the lead transitions from the marketing department to the sales department. It is usually at the SQL stage that a salesperson makes direct contact with the lead.
When and how does a lead become an SQL (Sales Qualified Lead)?
When and how a lead moves from being a marketing qualified lead to a sales qualified lead depends on the individual company and the customer's customer journey. Typically, an MQL is assessed as becoming an SQL when they perform X actions on the website, visit selected pages on the website, reach a lead score of X, or similar. In other words, something that indicates within your business that your potential customer is approaching purchase readiness.
Based on the criteria and lead scoring you choose to use — and that are relevant to your business — it is determined when and how the lead moves from MQL to SQL.
SQL VS MQL
The step before SQL is MQL (Marketing Qualified Lead), and the difference between the two lies in the fact that when a lead moves from MQL to SQL, it is assessed as being ready to be sold to/to buy. It is therefore also typically during this transition (from MQL to SQL) that the lead moves from being handled by the marketing department to being handled by the sales department.
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