MQL vs SQL: Definition, Meaning & Guide for Indian Businesses

MQL (Marketing Qualified Lead) is a lead that showed enough interest to be worth contacting. SQL (Sales Qualified Lead) is one that sales has spoken to and confirmed budget, authority, need and timeline.

What is MQL vs SQL?

MQL and SQL are stages every B2B lead passes through. An MQL is generated by marketing — they downloaded an e-book, attended a webinar, filled a contact form, or clicked enough emails. Marketing then hands the lead to sales. Sales calls or messages, qualifies the lead against BANT (Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline) or a similar framework, and decides whether to promote them to SQL. Only SQLs are added to the pipeline as deals. This handoff is where many Indian SMBs lose 40-60% of leads because no one owns the moment between marketing and sales. A CRM enforces the handoff with status fields and SLA timers.