SaaS Marketing
Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL)
Quick definition
An MQL is a lead that marketing has scored as likely to become a customer, based on demographic fit and engagement with marketing content.
MQLs are typically scored using a combination of firmographic data (company size, industry), behavioral signals (downloaded content, watched demo), and ICP fit.
Why Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL) matters
MQL definitions vary widely between companies, which makes benchmarking risky. Internally, what matters is the conversion rate from MQL to SQL to closed-won.
How Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL) works in practice
Refine MQL definitions every 6–12 months based on actual conversion data. A scoring model that worked last year often miscalibrates as ICP shifts.
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Related terms
Sales Qualified Lead (SQL)
An SQL is a lead that sales has accepted as worth pursuing, typically after qualifying budget, authority, need, and timeline (BANT) or equivalent criteria.
Product Qualified Lead (PQL)
A PQL is a user who has experienced enough value in a free or trial product to be a strong candidate for paid conversion.
Demand Generation
Demand generation is the marketing discipline of creating awareness and interest in your product — building demand that doesn't yet exist.
CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost)
CAC is the total sales and marketing spend required to acquire one paying customer.
Demand Capture
Demand capture is the marketing discipline of converting existing buyer intent into pipeline — through bottom-of-funnel SEO, paid search, comparison pages, and retargeting.
Inbound Marketing
Inbound marketing is a strategy that attracts customers through helpful content and experiences they actively seek — rather than interrupting them with outbound messaging.