SQL vs MQL: what is the difference?

MQL and SQL side by side

As Salesforce defines them:

Compared	MQL	SQL
What it has done	Engaged with marketing or visited the site a few times	Shown it is serious about buying
What it needs	More information before a decision	A conversation with sales
Who works it next	Marketing	Sales

An MQL is a lead "that marketing has deemed likely to become a customer based on preset criteria, like product-need fit and budget." An SQL is one that is "ready to move into your sales process."

Why does the difference matter?

Because leads get lost between the two teams. Salesforce warns that if the handoff goes wrong, "the lead can slip right through your fingers and you lose the deal." Write down the criteria for each stage, and who follows up and how fast.

Where do outbound leads fit?

Outbound skips the MQL stage. An outbound prospect never filled in a form, so the first sign of interest is a reply. Pay per intent, one of Dylan's ways to pay (a way to pay we are testing), bills that moment: A reply, in the prospect's own words, from a person inside your definition, that asks for a next step.

Pay per qualified opportunity (a way to pay we are testing) sits further down the funnel: A held meeting that your meeting owner confirms as a qualified opportunity, against criteria you wrote before launch.