A marketing qualified lead (MQL) is a potential customer that marketing efforts have qualified as having shown intent or interest in the solution and is ready to be passed on to the sales team. Criteria for showing interest can vary depending on the marketing channels, but often includes engaging with content, requesting demos or participating in webinars.

Identifying clear criteria for MQL qualification is important as it ensures that sales teams receive leads that are actually ready to move through the funnel. This ensures that the sales team is not wasting their resources or time on a lead that has a low chance of converting to a paying customer.

Typically, companies try to align their marketing efforts and criteria for MQLs to align with their ideal customer profile (ICP) to streamline the validation process. In B2B, MQLs are vital key performance indicators (KPI) for evaluating different marketing campaigns and channels for their effectiveness as revenue drivers (compared to driving brand awareness for example).