Glossary
MQL vs SQL: where marketing hands off and sales takes over
MQL and SQL separate the lead marketing qualifies from the one sales accepts. The criteria for each and how the gap between them fixes your campaigns.
Also available in: Português · Español
MQL and SQL are two stamps on the same lead, applied by different teams. MQL is the lead marketing considers ready to approach. SQL is the lead sales looked at and accepted as a real opportunity. The distance between those two numbers is the most honest diagnostic a paid media operation has.
What each one means
MQL, marketing qualified lead. Filled the form, has the minimum data, fits the profile and showed interest consistent with the offer. The criteria are observable without talking to anyone.
SQL, sales qualified lead. Sales had a conversation, confirmed need, budget and timing, and opened an opportunity. The criteria require a human.
| MQL | SQL | |
|---|---|---|
| Who stamps it | Marketing | Sales |
| Based on | Form data and behavior | A conversation |
| Fails when | Criteria are too loose | The team never records the rejection |
| Linked metric | CPL | Cost per opportunity |
Why the distinction is useful
Because it turns an argument into a number. "The leads are bad" is not actionable. "Out of 300 MQLs, 42 became SQLs, against 96 last month" is.
When the MQL-to-SQL rate falls with nothing changed on the sales side, the cause is almost always traffic: new audience, new creative, a promise that attracts people who do not buy, or a form that got too easy to fill. It is the earliest signal that CPL dropped because quality fell, not because the campaign improved.
How to implement it without a big project
- Write the MQL criteria in one sentence. If it does not fit in a sentence, it is not decided yet.
- Record the rejection. Sales has to mark why an MQL did not become an SQL. Without that, marketing optimizes blind.
- Record the source at signup. With no source, the rate belongs to the whole operation and points at no campaign. The standard is in UTM parameters for ads.
- Read the rate by source, once a month. Weekly is too early for a cycle that takes weeks.
The common mistake
Optimizing campaigns by MQL volume. The platform delivers exactly what you ask: if the request is cheap leads, it finds the people most willing to fill a form, who are rarely the people most willing to buy. The counterweight is always watching the next stage, inside the sales funnel.
The report format that keeps both readings side by side is on the paid media reporting page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between MQL and SQL?
An MQL is a lead marketing considers qualified based on behavior and the data they left. An SQL is a lead sales accepted as a real opportunity after first contact.
Who defines the MQL criteria?
Both teams together, in writing. Criteria set by marketing alone produce volume sales rejects; set by sales alone, they narrow so much that marketing loses its optimization signal.
What MQL-to-SQL rate is acceptable?
There is no universal number. What matters is tracking your own rate over time: when it falls with no change on the sales side, the traffic source changed.