MQL to SQL – The Qualification Process [Infographic]

You can use the customer lifecycle to determine if a lead is ready to buy. This is crucial because it will affect how you nurture your leads. Your interactions with them should vary depending on their life stage.

A customer identified as a subscriber in the lifecycle might not be able to discuss details about a product or service. These types of leads are just beginning to learn about your brand.

This could lead to product-specific content appearing too salesy. This might discourage potential customers from moving forward. Enter MQLs and SQLs to get marketing-qualified leads.

A customer who is tagged as a " Sales Qualified Leader" stage will likely be open to hearing about the details of your product offering, such as pricing or other areas of personalization.

These leads may be open to a more direct approach to selling, as they are weighing all options and need specific information to make an informed buying decision.

John Arnott has a video that will refresh your knowledge on MQL/SQL basics:

Quick Takeaways

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  Different strategies work better for different parts in the MQL->SQL funnel
  

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  Prospective clients can be turned away if you get too involved in the details
  

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  The funnel works best when both the sales and marketing teams are on the same page
  

It is important to have an understanding of every stage of the customer's lifecycle. You must identify the potential client's location so you can tailor your message and adjust accordingly.

Proper preparation is essential for increasing your chances of successfully nurturing prospects towards the ultimate goal, which is a sale conversion.

Optimizing the Qualification Process

Marketing qualified leads are usually more engaged than average leads, but are still not ready to purchase at the time they contact you. You can determine where an MQL is at the funnel based on your unique criteria.

You can have multiple layers of MQLs or SQLs, depending on their position in the lifecycle. You should determine what buyer behavior and triggers will promote a lead to either an MQL, or SQL.

Visitor to Lead

Once visitors to your website have provided contact information, they become leads. This is the beginning of the qualification process. It is achieved through digital and content marketing.

Leads to MQL:

Once they engage with your content, their lead will make the transition from lead into MQL. Your sales team can focus on the important things like sharing and commenting on your blog posts.

There are many levels to MQL status. You will need to determine when prospects are ready to hear more about your products and larger details.

MQL to SQL

Salesodyssey.com says:

In reality, an MQL is an SQL for most organizations if you have enough information about them.

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  Who are they
  
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  Who are they working for?
  
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  What is their role?
  
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  Their Context
  
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  Their Problems and Pain Points
  
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  Their Motivations and Needs
  

These criteria are subjective and must be agreed on by your marketing and sales teams. It is crucial that sales and marketing teams form a strong partnership in order to create a smooth lifecycle that drives sales conversions.

Both teams can become more familiar with their target market and identify the behaviors they should be looking out for. They can identify which leads should be nurtured first or which ones are ready to go on a sales call based upon potential opportunity.

The likelihood of closing more leads and identifying the right leads increases when the marketing and sales teams work together. This results in better revenue, improved ROI and a healthier bottom line.

Aligning Marketing and Sales

Source: Teamgate

This process works only if the marketing and sales teams are on the same page. These departments often work in isolation with the marketing team trying to generate as many leads possible while the sales team is under pressure.

This shouldn't be an isolated process, but a collaborative effort.

These are some quick tips to help you align your sales and marketing teams in order to maximize lead generation and conversion.

1. Agree on a Single Customer view

Each team must spend the time to identify their target audience. Both teams must have a clear understanding of their ideal customer. This can be done by sharing the knowledge between them.

The ideal customer persona helps you create better content and market more effectively during the qualification process. Knowing the type of customer you are looking for will help you choose the right language and CTAs to move them forward in your funnel.

You should get to know each customer contact until you have a complete picture that is based on mutual understanding and shared goals. You will need to create customer profiles in order to define your KPIs as well as overall business goals.

2. Organise regular meetings

Although it may seem obvious, it can be difficult to make time for regular meetings, especially when there is a deadline to meet or time becomes scarce.

The page is the best way to communicate goals and benchmarks.

It is important to make time for catch-ups as these sessions are crucial in alignment. You can make the most of these meetings by setting a clear agenda for sharing processes, resources and best practices.

Marketers need to be updated about the progress of their sales teams in meeting their goals and quotas. This allows marketing to provide specific support as needed.

3. Marketing should keep sales informed about upcoming campaigns

It is important to share any new content marketing or digital marketing campaigns with your sales team. This creates a seamless front for the sales team to directly engage leads who have ingested these marketing materials.

When you send out an email blast or acquire new leads, make sure marketing coordinates with sales. This will give you insight into the customer's interests and will help sales reps understand what motivates them to take the next steps.

4. Closed-Loop Feedback Systems are recommended

Source: Bain & Company

Sales team members communicate with prospects and leads regularly so that they can tell you what customers want. They may not always be able to capture these insights and this can cause a disruption in communication.

This issue can be addressed by using shared documents to gather ideas and references. Regular brainstorming sessions are a great way for sales staff to share their knowledge about how to attract leads and what content will resonate with prospects.

Closed-loop feedback will allow for open communication and ensure that customers are able to take advantage of all available opportunities.

Take a bow

Qualification is subjective. Different businesses may need different definitions. It is important to work together with your marketing and sales teams to determine the best set definitions for you business.

You can convert more visitors to SQL's with a great communication system and the right targets.

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