Glossary
SQL (Sales Qualified Lead)
A lead that sales has accepted and confirmed is worth working toward a deal.
Definition
A Sales Qualified Lead (SQL) is an MQL (or directly-sourced contact) that a salesperson has manually qualified as having the company fit, role authority, problem and timing required to potentially become a deal.
Why it matters
SQL is the most useful pipeline metric in many funnels because it represents real, accepted opportunity — not just interest.
More terms
ICP (Ideal Customer Profile)
The exact firmographic, persona and trigger combination of the accounts most likely to buy from you.
SDR (Sales Development Representative)
The role responsible for prospecting and booking qualified meetings for closers.
BDR (Business Development Representative)
An outbound prospecting role, often used interchangeably with SDR.
MQL (Marketing Qualified Lead)
A lead that has shown enough interest in your marketing to be worth a sales follow-up.
SAL (Sales Accepted Lead)
The intermediate step between MQL and SQL where sales accepts ownership.
BANT (Budget, Authority, Need, Timing)
A classic four-part lead qualification framework.
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