How to Convert More Sales Prospects Using MQL and SQL

Sales and Marketing Leaders Want to Convert More Sales Prospects
To convert more prospects, business sales training experts emphasize a critical insight: not all sales leads are created equal. Some prospects are strategically positioned to deliver high value and align perfectly with solution selling approaches, while others offer limited upside.

Yet far too many sales and marketing leaders apply the same time, effort, and resources to every lead. Sales rep assessment simulation data consistently show that this undisciplined approach dilutes focus, reduces conversion rates, and ultimately limits revenue growth. High performing sales teams prioritize and segment leads based on potential likelihood and impact, aligning resources with opportunity to maximize both efficiency and results.

Defining Marketing and Sales Leads to Convert More Sales Prospects
To set your sales and marketing teams up for success, we recommend starting by defining two main types of leads.

• A Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL)
  is a prospective customer that is more likely to become a paying customer compared to other leads based on pre-determined demographics, activities, attributes or behaviors that are aligned with your ideal target client profile and unique value proposition.In other words, they are worth investing the time and energy to nurture and potentially vet.
• A Sales Qualified Lead (SQL)
  is a prospective customer that has been researched and vetted — first by marketing or business development, then by sales — and is qualified enough to move to the next stage in the sales process.

The Job of Marketing
We believe it is the job of marketing to create brand clarity, drive brand awareness, and generate consistent marketing qualified leads that have a high likelihood to turn into sales qualified leads.  In short, marketing should help set the stage to convert more sales prospects into buying customers.

The Job of Sales
We believe it is the job of sales to convert more sales prospects into buying customers by turning marketing qualified leads into sales qualified leads – that turn into profitable customers.  Top performing solution sellers excel at conversion.

The Bottom Line
To convert more sales prospects into paying and satisfied customers, focus on the quality (not the quantity) of your sales leads.  Marketing to or following up on unqualified leads that do not match your unique value proposition can be a total waste of marketing and selling resources.  You will know you are on the right track when you increase the percentage of marketing leads that are accepted by sales and that convert into customers.

To learn more about taking your sales performance to the next level, download 15 Sales Warning Signs Your Sales Team is Headed in the Wrong Direction