MQL (Marketing-Qualified Lead)
lifecycleA lead qualified by marketing behaviour (downloads, webinar signups) but not yet sales-ready.
In practice
An MQL has engaged with marketing (content downloads, webinar attendance, pricing page visits) enough to warrant nurture, but hasn't shown direct buying intent. In the B2B funnel, MQL is upstream of SQL. For Indian B2B SMBs with thin marketing motions, MQL may be a smaller category, most leads arrive through paid ads, referrals, or aggregators with clearer intent signals.
- 1.
Downloaded an ROI calculator, MQL.
- 2.
Booked a demo call, SQL (beyond MQL).
→Check it yourself
How to tell where you actually stand.
Marketing-qualified usually means someone showed interest, which is a weaker claim than it sounds.
- 01Look at what action makes a lead qualified in your setup, often a download or a form.
- 02Check how many leads with that action ever spoke to a rep.
- 03If most did not, the qualification step is measuring attention, not demand.
See also
How Leadkaun uses this
Lead ScoringNeighbouring terms
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