Qualified Lead
A qualified lead is a contact who has voluntarily opted in to receive communication from your company, has been educated about your product or service, and has demonstrated genuine interest in learning more. It’s important to note that marketing and sales teams may have different criteria for identifying qualified leads, with marketing typically categorizing them as Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) and sales as Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs). Therefore, collaboration between marketing and sales teams is crucial to align expectations and ensure smooth lead handover processes.
Example
An example of a qualified lead for a software company that offers project management tools: John, a project manager at a medium-sized tech company, signed up for a webinar hosted by the software company titled “Mastering Agile Project Management.” During the webinar, John actively participates in the discussion, asks relevant questions, and takes notes on how the software can streamline his team’s project workflows.
After the webinar, John downloaded a whitepaper on “Effective Project Collaboration in Remote Teams” from the company’s website and subscribed to their newsletter to stay updated on industry trends and product updates. Based on his engagement level, John is considered a Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL) and is passed on to the sales team for further nurturing and conversion into a paying customer.