Marketing qualified lead (MQL)

Definition

A lead that marketing thinks is ready for sales, usually with zero correlation to what sales actually wants—basically a participation trophy of the B2B world.

Example Usage

Sales rejected 78% of this month's MQLs because they downloaded a whitepaper, not because they're buying.

Origin

B2B marketing terminology formalized in early 2000s

Fun Fact

The average MQL to SQLConversion rate is 25%, meaning 75% of marketing's 'qualified' leads are qualified in name only

Source: B2B marketing and sales alignment

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