In the world of marketing and sales, the term "MQL" (Marketing Qualified Lead) has been a cornerstone for identifying potential customers. However, as the landscape of customer acquisition continues to evolve, it's essential to reassess the role and relevance of MQLs. Much of this thinking evolved from my reading of No Forms, No Spam No Cold Calls by Latane Conant.

Why Are MQLs Still Viewed As Important?

MQLs have been looked at as generally a contact to whom you can start sending information and putting a BDR (Business Development Rep) on to move them down the pipeline. The general rationale on why MQLs matter is:

1. Efficient Resource Allocation: By identifying leads that are more likely to convert into customers, businesses can allocate their resources more efficiently. This means focusing sales efforts on prospects with a higher likelihood of conversion.

2. Improved Sales Productivity: MQLs provide sales teams with a more refined list of potential customers. This helps sales reps spend their time engaging with leads who are more likely to make a purchase, increasing overall sales productivity.

3. Better Lead Nurturing: MQLs are typically at a stage where they have shown some interest in your product or service. By nurturing these leads with relevant content and personalized communication, you can guide them through the buying journey.

Much of this is based on the general concept of Behavioral Triggers or scoring methodologies used for pipeline management and funnel paths.

What Can Be Considered an MQL?

Typically, an MQL is a lead who has demonstrated a certain level of interest and engagement with your brand, the behavioral actions of a visitor on your website. This could include actions such as:

• Downloading a whitepaper or eBook

• Watching a product demo

• Requesting a consultation

• Repeatedly visiting your pricing page

But, in most sales and marketing motions much of these actions are based on data pulled off your website with gates on everything and barriers of entry to get access to your branded and owned content. The forms and gates make a user provide email and contact info that can be added to the scoring models. But in the book, I really like how Latane has structured her thinking - that you spend little time spamming and cold calling people, dropping them into the nurture funnels that waste a lot of energy and resources.

Why MQLs Might Be "Dead"

Latane explains in her book that wasting time on moving the MQLs into the SAL stage is fraught with issues. A few reasons why MQLs are "dead":

1. Complex Customer Journeys: Buyers today often engage with multiple touchpoints and channels before making a purchase. This complexity challenges the binary nature of MQLs, as leads may exhibit various behaviors along their journey.

2. Data-Driven Lead Scoring: With advanced data analytics and predictive lead scoring models, businesses can move beyond static MQL criteria and focus on real-time data to identify high-potential leads.

3. Personalization: Modern marketing emphasizes personalization. Instead of treating all MQLs the same, businesses are tailoring their approach to individual lead preferences and behaviors.

The strategy is moving away from the target accounts and only spending time on the signals and idea of really understanding your actionable in-market accounts and using the demographic and firmographic data to spend time on prospects that show interest or high intent. Building content around education and understanding as opposed to hoping that they'll complete a form or give you access when the prospect might still be in the inquisitive aspects of their buyer journey.

The only times to use forms are when we actually, honestly need a person’s information to do what they want to do:

• Register for an event or webinar

• Use one of our online assessment tools

• Request a demo or ask us to contact them

The differentiator is not about generating more MQLs; it’s about fast-tracking in-market accounts and ensuring they’re worked as effectively and efficiently as possible.

In conclusion, while the concept of MQLs remains important in marketing and sales, it's essential to adapt to changing customer behaviors and embrace data-driven strategies for lead qualification. The traditional MQL may not be "dead" but rather evolving to meet the demands of a dynamic marketplace.