Que the bad sales and marketing joke! But what are the key differences between a prospect, an MQL and an SQL?
Prospects
All leads begin life as prospects - a prospect is at the awareness stage of their journey , they have , they know they have a problem and want to find out more about what’s causing it they are not at this stage looking for a specific solution – they are on a fact finding mission.
You and your marketing material need to show that you understand their problems and can identify the cause. This process builds the trust you need for the next stage of the buyers journey.
MQL
A prospect will become a lead when they begin to engage with your content and are comfortable enough to share their details with you so that they can be identified as individuals. During this stage the lead will progress from awareness to consideration, at this point they are looking for answers and will begin to consider the solutions that you have to offer.
But not every lead can progress to the next stage, even if they have shown interest in the solutions that you have to offer. To become an MQL the lead needs to have shared enough information for you to have qualified them as the right fit for your proposition.
To get them to share this information your content must be good enough to persuade them to give you their job role, company name and contact details.
This is normally as far as marketing will take a lead before passing over to sales for further qualification.
SQL
The lead now transitions from consideration to decision. They have seen that you offer a solution to the problem they are facing and have shared their information so that they can be identified; you are moving towards closing the deal.
The lead is looking for reassurance and specific examples and illustrations about your capabilities; it is a time for case studies and testimonials. But you also need to make sure that the lead presents a serious sales opportunity. Have they got the budget for your solution? Do they need to fix the solution quickly; can you meet their timescales? This further qualification is what makes an SQL. If they meet all the criteria you can invest some serious sales time in converting the opportunity.
