Sales Qualified Lead (SQL)
An MQL that sales has accepted as a real opportunity worth active pursuit.
A Sales Qualified Lead (SQL) is an MQL that sales has accepted as a real opportunity — meaning the lead has confirmed budget, authority, need, and timeline (or modern equivalents like MEDDIC, BANT, CHAMP). SQLs convert to Opportunities, which convert to Won deals. The MQL → SQL conversion rate is the critical handoff metric that exposes marketing-sales misalignment. Best-in-class SaaS: 30-50% MQL → SQL. Below 20% suggests marketing is sending unqualified leads. Empire325 instruments the full funnel with closed-loop attribution from first touch through revenue.
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Performance Analytics
Marketing measurement, MMM, and incrementality testing to prove ROAS at the channel and creative level.
Explore Performance Analytics →Related terms
Marketing Attribution
The practice of assigning credit for a conversion to specific marketing touchpoints across the customer journey.
Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
Total marketing and sales investment divided by new customers acquired in a period.
Customer Lifetime Value (LTV)
Total revenue (or gross profit) a single customer generates over the entire relationship.
Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)
The systematic discipline of increasing the percentage of visitors who complete a desired action.