MQL vs SQL — marketing-qualified versus sales-qualified leads compared: what each means, who owns it, and why the handoff matters.
In one line. An MQL (marketing-qualified lead) has shown enough interest to be worth nurturing; an SQL (sales-qualified lead) has been further vetted and is ready for a salesperson. The MQL→SQL handoff is where marketing and sales either align or fall out.
| MQL | SQL | |
|---|---|---|
| Stage | Shown marketing interest | Vetted, ready for sales |
| Owned by | Marketing | Sales (accepted from marketing) |
| Signal | Fit + engagement | Fit + intent + readiness |
| Decided by | Lead scoring threshold | Sales acceptance / BANT-style check |
| Next step | Nurture or pass to sales | Direct sales follow-up |
An MQL matches your ICP and has engaged enough — downloads, webinars, repeat visits — to be more likely than average to buy. It is interest, not yet readiness.
An SQL has been further qualified for fit, intent and timing and is judged ready for a direct sales conversation. Not every MQL becomes an SQL — the conversion rate between them is a key funnel-health metric.
A written, shared definition of each stage — and of what marketing delivers and what sales does in return — is what keeps the two teams trusting each other. Counting SQLs rather than raw leads keeps marketing honest about quality. See the B2B lead-gen playbook.
An MQL has shown marketing engagement suggesting interest; an SQL has been further vetted for fit, intent and readiness and is ready for direct sales follow-up. The SQL is closer to a real opportunity.
Marketing owns MQLs and qualifies leads to that stage; sales owns SQLs, accepting the leads it judges ready to pursue. A clear, shared definition of each prevents disputes.
It varies by industry and how strict your definitions are, so track your own baseline and improve it. A healthy, rising MQL-to-SQL rate signals that marketing is sending genuinely qualified leads.
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