MQL vs. SQL: Definitions, Qualification Criteria, and Handoff Rules

May 1, 2026

Author: Shusaku Yosa

An MQL is a lead marketing considers ready for sales review. An SQL is a lead sales has qualified for a concrete evaluation or selling process. Exact definitions vary by company and CRM. Adopting the labels does not automatically align the teams.

Agree on the evidence, decision-maker and next action for each transition. Also decide whether an SQL and an opportunity are the same stage or separate stages.

Example lifecycle definitions

Stage	Illustrative rule	Next check
Lead	A contactable prospect record exists	Duplication, fit and communication conditions
MQL	Fit and a relevant intent signal are verified	Sales checks the purpose
SQL	Sales confirms a problem and a next evaluation step	Determine opportunity readiness
Opportunity	A specific evaluation or proposal is managed	Participants, timing and value
Won	The company’s contract criteria are met	Revenue and ongoing use are separate measures

These are design examples, not universal definitions. A download need not make someone an MQL, and answering a call need not make them an SQL. Route support requests and out-of-scope inquiries separately.

Agree on both sides of the handoff

Dimension	Marketing provides	Sales verifies
Fit	Match between problem and offer	Actual operating conditions
Intent	A stated request or relevant action	The next decision the buyer wants to make
Evidence	Source, date and known facts	Missing information
Ownership	Notification and response target	Acceptance, deferral or rejection
Contact conditions	Permission, refusal and preferences	Appropriate follow-up

Specify business hours and cover for absent owners. An acceptance deadline, such as the next business day, is an internal operating choice. Acceptance can mean taking responsibility for review; it need not imply a promised sale.

Make rejection and recycling informative

Replace “poor quality” with specific reasons: out of scope, future timing, duplicate, missing information, unreachable contact or capacity constraint. Record what would allow reconsideration. Do not push questions only sales can answer back to marketing by default.

Deferred records need a review date or trigger. Explicit refusals and unsubscribed contacts must not automatically enter another promotional sequence.

Calculate conversion from the same cohort

Suppose 100 fictional MQLs acquired in one month are followed for 60 days. Sales accepts 80, qualifies 40 as SQLs, creates 30 opportunities and wins six.

Metric	Calculation	Result
MQL acceptance	80 ÷ 100	80%
MQL to SQL	40 ÷ 100	40%
Accepted to SQL	40 ÷ 80	50%
SQL to opportunity	30 ÷ 40	75%
Opportunity to won	6 ÷ 30	20%

If cases remain open after 60 days, this is an interim result. Dividing this month’s wins by this month’s new MQLs can combine unrelated cohorts. Display counts, observation time and unresolved cases alongside rates.

Use a handoff worksheet and review rhythm

Record: case ID; acquisition date and source; the prospect’s stated problem; fit evidence; intent and timing; contact conditions; stage; owner; next action and deadline; return reason.

Weekly reviews should resolve unassigned work, overdue actions and missing reasons. Monthly reviews should compare accepted and progressed cases by source at equivalent ages. Cheap leads that never become suitable cases may require different acquisition criteria, but capacity and proposal quality also deserve investigation.

Version the definitions when products, target customers or sales operations change. Explain where a historical comparison is no longer like-for-like. Shared language is useful because it supports coordinated action, not because every company uses the same acronym in the same way.

Review your results consistently

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