Key takeaways
- An MQL needs both fit and a sign of interest; either alone is not enough.
- The criteria should be written down and agreed with sales.
- Sales accepts or rejects each MQL, and the reasons feed back into the criteria.
- Counting MQLs without checking how many sales accepts invites gaming the number.
What are the MQL criteria
A lead becomes an MQL when it meets an agreed fit rule and an agreed interest rule at the same time. Many teams express these as a lead score with a threshold; others keep a short checklist. Either works if both teams can read the rule and agree with it.
- Fit: the company is in a target industry and size band, and the person holds a relevant role.
- Interest: a high-intent action, such as asking for a demo or a price.
- Or steady engagement, such as returning to product pages over several visits.
- Exclusions: competitors, students, job seekers and existing customers who belong to account managers.
How does an MQL become an SQL
An MQL becomes an SQL when a seller reviews it, makes contact and confirms there is a real need and a reason to act. The hand-off needs three things in writing: how fast sales picks up a new MQL, what counts as accepted, and where a rejected lead goes.
Rejected leads should go back to marketing with a reason attached, not vanish. Those reasons are the most valuable part of the process: if sales turns down many MQLs from one campaign because the companies are too small, marketing can fix the targeting instead of arguing about lead quality.
Why do some teams move away from MQLs
Some teams move away from MQLs because the count is easy to inflate. Gated content can produce plenty of leads that clear a points threshold with no intention to buy, and a team rewarded on the count will produce more of them.
Common alternatives track whole accounts rather than individuals, or count only hand-raisers such as demo requests. The idea behind the MQL, an agreed bar before sales time is spent, survives either way.
Where Pebbles Ai fits
- CapabilityProspecting & customer recordsThe Pebbles Ai CRM (in Beta) holds your ideal customer profiles, and each record carries a score badge and notes, so the reason a lead passed or failed the bar stays with it. An admin can add a Choice custom field for your own MQL status.
- CapabilityResearch & analysisBefore a seller picks up an MQL, an assistant can research the company from its public pages with numbered citations, so the first call starts from facts.
Common questions
Is an MQL the same as a lead?
No. Any contact who might buy is a lead. An MQL has passed marketing's agreed bar for fit and interest, so it is ready to be offered to sales.
Who decides what counts as an MQL?
Marketing proposes the rules and sales agrees them, often with RevOps writing them into the CRM. Review them together against which MQLs turned into deals.
What happens if sales rejects an MQL?
It goes back to marketing with a reason, such as wrong company size or no need yet. Some return to nurturing; others are closed so they do not come back.
Can an outbound lead be an MQL?
Usually not. MQL describes inbound interest that marketing has judged. Outbound leads chosen by sellers are normally tracked from the first reply or meeting instead.
About this page. Written by the Pebbles Ai team for people who run sales, marketing and growth. Last updated .
