The short answer
A sales qualified lead (SQL) is a prospect that sales has vetted and confirmed is worth pursuing: the company fits your ideal customer profile, they have a problem you solve, you can reach the people who buy, and they have agreed to a concrete next step. An SQL sits between a marketing qualified lead (MQL) and an opportunity.
On this page
- The 5 Criteria That Make a Lead Sales Qualified
- MQL vs SAL vs SQL: Where the SQL Sits
- The MQL-to-SQL Handoff, Step by Step
- A Sales Qualified Lead SLA You Can Copy
- The SQL Qualification Checklist
- Why SQLs Stall, and How to Fix Each
- Getting More Sales Qualified Leads From the Top
- Find ICP-fit accounts that turn into SQLs in three steps
- FAQ
Key takeaways
Define it in writing: An SQL needs written criteria both teams sign: fit, problem, buyer access, timing and an agreed next step. Opinions don't scale.
Fit before interest: A hot lead from the wrong company is still the wrong company. Check ICP fit first, then the problem and timing.
Run handoffs on an SLA: Set response times, required fields and a recycle path, so no lead sits untouched and no rejection goes unexplained.
Watch the conversion rates: Track MQL to SQL and SQL to opportunity by source every month. A drop tells you which side of the handoff to fix.
The 5 Criteria That Make a Lead Sales Qualified
A sales qualified lead meets five criteria, and you can check every one on a single call. Write them down, get marketing and sales to agree on them, and stop arguing about individual leads.
| Criterion | What you need to know | Question that confirms it | Red flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fit | Industry, size and region match your ICP | (Check before the call) | Too small, wrong market, a competitor |
| Problem | They have the pain you solve, in their words | "How are you handling [problem] today?" | "We're just curious" |
| Impact | What the problem costs them | "What happens if this stays the same for a year?" | No cost, no urgency |
| Access | Who decides and who signs | "Who else would weigh in on a change like this?" | "I'd have to figure out who owns that" |
| Next step | A dated, agreed follow-up | "Worth 30 minutes on Thursday with your ops lead?" | "Send me some info" |
Three are non-negotiable. Fit, problem and next step must all be true. Impact and access can be partial on a first call, as long as you know how you'll fill the gap.
Timing is the tiebreaker. A recent trigger, such as a new leader, a hiring push or a contract renewal, turns a fit into a priority. If you need help spotting them, see our guide to sales trigger events.
MQL vs SAL vs SQL: Where the SQL Sits
The SQL is one stage in a chain, and most handoff fights come from blurry stage definitions. Many teams use a version of the classic demand waterfall: inquiry, MQL, sales accepted lead (SAL), SQL, opportunity.
| Stage | Owner | What moves it forward | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| MQL | Marketing | Fit plus a meaningful action | Maya Chen at Halden Freight requests a demo |
| SAL | SDR or BDR | Sales agrees it's worth working | SDR confirms Halden is in the ICP and books a call |
| SQL | SDR, confirmed by AE | All five criteria met on a call | Maya confirms quoting delays cost them loads, agrees to a demo with her VP |
| Opportunity | AE | Discovery done, deal in the forecast | Demo held, mutual plan agreed |
The SAL step prevents quiet rejection. Without it, reps ignore leads they don't like and marketing never finds out why. For the wider picture of MQLs, SQLs and product qualified leads, read our guide to qualified leads.
The MQL-to-SQL Handoff, Step by Step
A clean handoff has six steps, and each one has an owner and a deadline. Skip one and leads leak.
- Marketing routes with context. The MQL arrives with its source, the pages or content consumed and any form answers.
- The SDR accepts or rejects. Within the agreed window, the SDR either works it (SAL) or rejects it with a reason code.
- Research before the first touch. Five minutes on the account's website, news and hiring turns a generic follow-up into a relevant one.
- Run the qualifying conversation. Use the five criteria above. Pick a framework such as BANT qualification for simpler deals.
- Mark the SQL with required fields. No SQL without the problem in the prospect's words, the next step and its date.
- The AE accepts or returns. If the AE sends it back, the reason goes to both the SDR and marketing.
A Sales Qualified Lead SLA You Can Copy
An SLA turns good intentions into commitments both teams can be measured on. Fill in the brackets, agree it in one meeting and review it monthly.
MQL-to-SQL SLA: [Company], effective [date]
Marketing commits to:
- Route MQLs that meet [ICP criteria] to [owner] within [1 business hour]
- Include source, content consumed and form answers on every record
- Deliver [number] MQLs per month across [segments]
Sales commits to:
- First touch within [4 business hours] of routing
- [6] attempts over [10] business days across email, phone and LinkedIn
- Accept (SAL) or reject with a reason code within [2 business days]
- Mark SQL only when fit, problem and next step are documented
Shared:
- Rejection reasons: [wrong fit / no problem / duplicate / no response / other]
- Recycle path: rejected-but-fit leads return to nurture after [30] days
- Review: [monthly] meeting on MQL to SQL and SQL to opportunity rates
Reason codes are the point. After a quarter of rejections with reasons, you'll know exactly which campaigns produce real buyers and which produce students and vendors.
The SQL Qualification Checklist
Reps should fill this in during or straight after the call, before the lead is marked as an SQL. It doubles as the handoff note for the account executive.
SQL checklist: [Account] / [Contact name, title]
[ ] Fit: [industry], [size], [region] match ICP tier [A/B/C]
[ ] Problem, in their words: "[quote from the call]"
[ ] Impact: what it costs today: [time / money / risk]
[ ] Access: contact is [role]; decision maker is [name or role]
[ ] Timing: trigger or deadline: [event, date]
[ ] Current approach: [tool / spreadsheet / competitor / nothing]
[ ] Next step: [meeting type] on [date] with [attendees]
[ ] Disqualifiers checked: [none / list]
Go deeper on complex deals. For multi-stakeholder enterprise sales, extend the checklist with a MEDDIC template once the opportunity is open.
Why SQLs Stall, and How to Fix Each
When SQL numbers disappoint, the fix is almost never "work harder." Diagnose first.
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Lots of MQLs, few SQLs | MQL bar too low | Add fit criteria to the MQL definition |
| SQLs rejected by AEs | Criteria not followed | Make problem, impact and next step required fields |
| SQLs that never show up | Weak next step | Book the meeting on the call, with a calendar invite |
| Good SQLs, low win rate | Wrong accounts at the top | Tighten the ICP and build lists from fit and signals |
| Slow first touch | No owner or no SLA | Assign routing and track response time weekly |
Getting More Sales Qualified Leads From the Top
Most SQL problems start at the top of the funnel: the wrong accounts went in, so the wrong conversations came out. A targeted lead list built from your ICP and real signals produces fewer leads and more SQLs.
Prepare every qualifying call. Walk in knowing what the company sells, who it serves and what just changed, then use sharp discovery call questions to confirm the problem.
Do the research at scale. Edithly finds companies that match your ICP, each with why it fits and a source, then researches any account you choose and writes the call script and emails around their business. See how Edithly supports lead qualification. You still bring the contacts, from whichever data tool you use.
How Edithly does it
Find ICP-fit accounts that turn into SQLs in three steps
Edithly finds real companies that match your ICP, each with why it fits and a source, then researches any account and writes the call script and emails that get you to the qualifying conversation.
- 1
Click Generate all in Strategy
In your playbook's Strategy tab, click Generate all. Edithly drafts your TAM, Potential ICP, Customers, Markets and Outreach cards from your own website.
- 2
Click Find prospects
Open Suggested Prospects, choose how many companies you want and add an optional focus. Each result shows why it fits, a signal and a source link.
- 3
Click Use in Generate
Pick the companies worth a conversation and generate a cold call script or email outreach for each one, with discovery questions built around their business.
How many
Ready
- Why they fit
- Signal
- Visit site
- Source
- Use in Generate
- By hand
- 30 to 45 minutes to find and research each new account
- With Edithly
- A few minutes per account, research included
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an MQL and an SQL?
An MQL (marketing qualified lead) has shown interest that marketing considers worth passing on, such as a demo request or repeated visits to pricing. An SQL (sales qualified lead) has been checked by sales: the company fits, the problem is real, the right people are reachable and a next step is agreed. MQL is a signal of interest. SQL is a confirmed reason to sell.
Who decides if a lead is sales qualified?
Sales does, against criteria both teams agreed in writing. Usually an SDR or BDR runs the first qualifying conversation and marks the lead as an SQL, then an account executive accepts it or sends it back with a reason. Marketing should see every rejection reason, because that is how the MQL definition gets better.
What is a good MQL to SQL conversion rate?
It varies so much by source, deal size and how strict your MQL definition is that published benchmarks rarely transfer. Compare each source against your own baseline instead. Demo requests should convert far better than content downloads. If one source converts much lower than the rest, tighten its MQL criteria rather than pushing sales to accept more.
How fast should sales follow up on a new lead?
As fast as you can reliably staff, and written into the SLA. Many teams commit to a same-day first touch for demo requests and a slower window for lower-intent leads. What matters most is consistency: a lead that waits days for a reply has often moved on or booked a call with someone else.
Can Edithly find sales qualified leads for me?
Edithly works upstream of the SQL. Suggested Prospects finds real companies that match your ICP, grounded in web search, each with why it fits and a source. It doesn't supply contacts or qualify leads for you. Pair it with your contact data tool, then use Edithly to research the account and write the call script and emails that start the qualifying conversation.