The Marketing Industry’s Growing Debate on MQLs
For years, the Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL) has been a staple in demand generation strategies. Marketers have long relied on MQLs to measure potential customer interest, signaling to sales teams that a lead is “ready” for further engagement. However, as buyer behavior evolves and digital marketing advances, many question whether MQLs still hold relevance.
HubSpot, a leader in inbound marketing, highlights that traditional MQL models often fail to reflect modern customer journeys. Buyers today conduct extensive independent research, delaying interactions with sales teams. This shift raises a critical question: is MQL outdated in today’s marketing landscape?
What Exactly is an MQL?
Before determining if MQLs are obsolete, let’s define them. An MQL is a lead that has shown some level of engagement with a brand’s content, often meeting a predefined criteria such as:
- Downloading an eBook
- Subscribing to a newsletter
- Attending a webinar
- Clicking on specific email links
MQLs differ from Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs) in that they are not necessarily ready for a sales conversation but have demonstrated interest. The core idea behind MQLs is that by nurturing these leads, marketers can push them further down the sales funnel.
Why MQLs Are Losing Their Edge
In the past, marketers used a funnel model where leads moved from awareness to consideration before becoming sales-ready. Today, that’s no longer the case. Research from Gartner indicates that 77% of B2B buyers describe their latest purchase as “very complex or difficult”, with multiple decision-makers and unpredictable interactions.
1. The Buying Journey is No Longer Linear
In the past, marketers used a funnel model where leads moved from awareness to consideration before becoming sales-ready. Today, that’s no longer the case. Research from Gartner indicates that 77% of B2B buyers describe their latest purchase as “very complex or difficult”, with multiple decision-makers and unpredictable interactions.
MQL models fail because they assume a predictable path. In reality, customers may interact with a brand across multiple platforms, revisit content months later, or engage in unpredictable ways that don’t align with MQL scoring models.
2. MQLs Focus on Marketing Actions, Not Buyer Intent
One of the biggest criticisms of MQLs is that they prioritize engagement with marketing content over actual buying intent. Just because a user downloads an eBook doesn’t mean they are ready to buy.
Sales teams often find that MQLs aren’t converting, leading to friction between marketing and sales. In fact, according to a report by Forrester, only 1% of MQLs actually result in closed deals, highlighting the inefficiency of this metric.
3. The Rise of Product-Led Growth (PLG) and Self-Serve Buyers
The rise of Product-Led Growth (PLG) models, where users experience value before purchasing, is disrupting traditional lead scoring. Companies like Slack and Zoom thrive without heavily relying on MQLs, instead prioritizing user engagement metrics such as:
- Time spent using the product
- Feature adoption
- Expansion within an organization
As self-serve buying behaviors increase, relying on gated content to generate MQLs feels outdated.
Modern Alternatives to MQLs
Since MQLs are declining in effectiveness, what should marketers use instead?
1. Pipeline-Qualified Leads (PQLs)
A Pipeline-Qualified Lead (PQL) is a more refined version of the MQL that considers buying signals and intent data rather than just content engagement.
- PQLs track behaviors that indicate a user is actively looking to make a purchase, such as repeated visits to pricing pages, feature comparisons, and request-for-demo interactions.
- Unlike MQLs, PQLs align marketing with sales needs, ensuring leads are genuinely sales-ready.
2. Product-Qualified Leads (PQLs) for SaaS Businesses
For SaaS companies, a Product-Qualified Lead (PQL) is even more valuable than an MQL. PQLs are users who have actively engaged with a product and experienced its value, such as:
- Completing a free trial
- Using a premium feature in a freemium model
- Adding teammates to a workspace (showing potential expansion)
PQLs drive higher conversions because users have already validated the product’s value before engaging with sales.
3. Intent-Based Lead Scoring
Companies are shifting towards intent data instead of traditional MQL scoring. Intent-based scoring includes:
- First-party intent signals: Tracking interactions on your website, like viewing case studies or revisiting the pricing page.
- Third-party intent data: Tools like Bombora or ZoomInfo track leads researching your competitors, signaling high buying intent.
By focusing on actual buying signals, intent-based lead scoring leads to better alignment between marketing and sales teams.
Does This Mean MQLs Are Completely Dead?
Not necessarily. While MQLs alone are insufficient, they can still serve as an early-stage engagement metric in some industries. However, companies should not rely on MQLs as the primary driver of sales.
A more effective approach is blending MQLs with intent data and PQLs to create a holistic demand generation strategy. Instead of focusing solely on content downloads, businesses should evaluate:
- What content leads to conversions?
- How do users interact with sales-related assets?
- Which channels drive the most sales-qualified opportunities?
Final Verdict: Is MQL Outdated?
The short answer is: Yes, but with caveats.
Traditional MQL models are no longer effective as standalone lead qualification methods. However, they still hold value when combined with modern intent-based strategies. Companies that evolve beyond MQLs and embrace PQLs, buyer intent data, and product-led strategies will outperform competitors stuck in outdated models.