Sales Qualified Leads are prospects who have shown clear buying intent and meet specific sales-readiness criteria. These leads pass through a qualification process that evaluates factors like budget, urgency, fit, and purchasing authority.
Define what qualifies a lead as sales-ready. This often includes factors such as identified need, available budget, decision-making role, and appropriate timing.
Use a structured qualification framework such as BANT (Budget, Authority, Need, Timing) or MEDDIC to assess each lead.
Evaluate MQLs that meet or exceed these sales-readiness benchmarks using data from your CRM or sales platform.
Confirm qualification through direct interaction, such as a discovery call or initial meeting.
Count all leads that meet the sales criteria during a specific period. These are your SQLs.
There is no single formula for calculating SQLs. SQLs are identified when a lead meets sales-defined criteria, typically during qualification calls or early-stage meetings.
SQLs = Leads that fulfill predefined sales qualification requirements
A common benchmark for SQL-to-customer conversion rate is between 20 percent and 30 percent. High-performing sales teams may exceed this range depending on the quality of MQLs, deal value, and length of the sales cycle.
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A lead becomes an SQL when they meet criteria like having a defined need, available budget, and readiness to engage with sales.
No. The typical SQL-to-customer conversion rate is around 20 to 30 percent, depending on the business model and sales approach.
Yes. Each company should define its own qualification criteria based on target market, product, and sales process.
Ensure marketing and sales teams align on lead qualification criteria, and continuously refine your scoring and qualification processes.