Refers to leads that have been identified by marketing as more likely to become customers based on predefined criteria.

What it Measures ?

Leads that are more likely to become customers.

Relevant StakeHolders 

Marketing Teams, Sales Teams

In-depth Use Case / Real-world Example

MQLs are leads who have shown buying intent or engagement strong enough to be passed to sales for further qualification. Criteria may include website behaviors (e.g., product page views, whitepaper downloads), email engagement, or event participation. For example, a factory operations head who downloaded a solution brochure, attended a live demo, and subscribed to product updates may be flagged as an MQL. In manufacturing marketing, MQLs are a vital bridge between brand awareness and actual deal flow. By tracking MQL volume and quality, teams can ensure that sales spends time on leads with real potential. This KPI is usually monitored through a marketing automation platform or CRM, and is tied closely to lead scoring models that reflect buyer readiness. A healthy MQL pipeline indicates that top-of-funnel activities (ads, SEO, webinars) are attracting the right audience and that nurture programs (emails, retargeting, gated content) are effective. However, if MQLs fail to convert further down the funnel, it may indicate misaligned scoring, poor content mapping, or a disconnect between marketing and sales handoff. To increase MQLs, marketers often refine audience targeting, personalize communication, and optimize content offers for specific stages of the buyer journey.