Sales-qualified lead (SQL)
Sales-qualified lead (SQL) is a sales-qualified lead is a prospect that the sales team has vetted and accepted as a genuine potential deal — someone with confirmed fit, interest, and usually a concrete need or timeline. It's the stage after marketing qualification and the last step before an opportunity is created in the CRM.
The SQL is where a lead stops being a marketing statistic and becomes sales work. The defining feature is that sales, not marketing, makes the call: a rep has spoken with the prospect (or reviewed strong evidence, like a detailed booth conversation) and agreed the lead is worth pursuing. For exhibitors, SQL count is a far better event metric than lead or MQL volume, because it survives the qualification gauntlet — a show that produces 30 SQLs from 200 scans beat one that produced 60 MQLs that sales rejected. Tracking the event-to-SQL conversion rate across your show calendar quickly reveals which events attract buyers and which attract browsers. The nuance worth knowing: SQL definitions vary between companies, and even between teams in the same company, so when someone quotes SQL numbers, ask what the acceptance criteria were. The common mistake at events is skipping stages — pushing every enthusiastic booth conversation straight to SQL status because the interaction felt good in person. Face-to-face warmth inflates perceived intent; the prospect who loved your demo may have no budget, no authority, and no project. Let the first follow-up call confirm qualification before promoting the lead, and your event pipeline numbers stay credible.
Direct answer
A sales-qualified lead is a prospect that the sales team has vetted and accepted as a genuine potential deal — someone with confirmed fit, interest, and usually a concrete need or timeline. It's the stage after marketing qualification and the last step before an opportunity is created in the CRM.
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