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In the digital marketing world, it is common to use several terms to describe potential customers. These terms are used to classify and qualify customers at different stages of the buying process.
In this article, we are going to talk about the difference between lead, MQL, SQL and opportunity in marketing.
Lead
A lead is a potential customer who has shown interest in your products or services, and has provided their contact information. This information can be an email address, phone number, first and last name, company, etc.
However, not all leads are of equal quality, as some may be more valuable than others. For example, a lead who has visited your website and downloaded an eBook is likely to have a greater interest in your products or services than someone who has simply provided their email address to receive updates from your blog.
MQL
An MQL (Marketing Qualified Lead) is a lead that has been qualified by the marketing team. MQLs are those leads that have shown an interest in your products or services, and that meet the criteria of your ideal customer profile.
To qualify a lead as an MQL, different criteria can be used, such as company size, industry, job title or budget, among others.
It is important to mention that not all leads qualify as MQLs, since the objective is to identify those that have a higher potential to become customers.
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SQL
A SQL (Sales Qualified Lead) is a lead that has been qualified by the sales team. SQLs are those leads that have shown an interest in your products or services, have been qualified by the marketing team as MQLs and meet the criteria of the sales team's ideal customer profile.
It is important to mention that SQLs are those leads that are ready to be contacted by the sales team and have a higher probability of becoming customers.
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Opportunity
An opportunity is a lead that has been qualified as a SQL and has progressed through the buying process. That is, it has had interactions with the sales team, has received a commercial proposal and has shown interest in making a purchase.
It is important to mention that not all leads qualify as opportunities, as a higher commitment from the lead is required to move forward in the buying process.
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Conclusion
In summary, the difference between lead, MQL, SQL and opportunity in marketing is that each term is used to classify and qualify your prospects at different stages of the buying process.
Leads are those potential customers that have shown interest in your products or services, MQLs are those that meet the marketing team's ideal customer profile, SQLs are those that meet the sales team's profile and have advanced in the buying process and opportunities are those leads that have advanced in the buying process and are ready to make a purchase.
Identifying and classifying potential customers at different stages of the buying process is critical to the success of your marketing and sales team, as it allows you to focus resources on those leads that have the greatest potential to become customers.
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Contact us today and schedule a meeting to discuss your business goals and how we can help you achieve them, we are ready to help you grow!