SQL
What is SQL?
An SQL is a sales qualified lead — a prospect that sales has vetted as a real opportunity, typically confirming budget, authority, need, and timeline before it enters the pipeline as an opportunity.
Also known as: Sales Qualified Lead
Common Mistakes with SQL
- Letting sales reject MQLs silently instead of feeding back why — the definition of "qualified" only converges when both teams review the funnel together.
- Skipping qualification frameworks (BANT, MEDDIC) on small deals and discovering at contract stage that there was never budget.
SQL FAQ
What is an SQL?
A sales qualified lead is a prospect that a rep has actively qualified — confirmed fit, budget, authority, need, and timeline — and accepted into the pipeline as a workable opportunity. It is the stage after MQL and before a formal opportunity with a dollar value.
What is a good MQL-to-SQL conversion rate?
B2B SaaS teams commonly see 10–25%, but the number depends entirely on how strictly each stage is defined. The trend matters more than the absolute value: a falling rate means marketing and sales are drifting apart on who the ICP is.
More questions? See the full SQL FAQ.