SQL is sales-verified, ready to close. 40-60% become opportunities. Track MQL→SQL to measure quality.
By The Ad Spend
A lead that sales has verified meets qualification criteria (budget, authority, need, timeline) and is ready for active selling.
Formula
Lead meeting sales criteria
Benchmark range
SQL-to-opportunity: 40-60%. SQL-to-customer: 15-30%. Much higher quality than MQLs.
Why it matters
SQL is the handoff point between marketing and sales. Track MQL-to-SQL conversion to measure marketing's lead quality. Low conversion = misaligned qualification. Sales blaming marketing for bad leads? Check this metric first.
