[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":116},["ShallowReactive",2],{"lesson-/academy/sdr/mql-vs-sql":3},{"path":4,"data":5,"html":52,"toc":53,"prev":66,"next":73,"track":78},"/academy/sdr/mql-vs-sql",{"title":6,"description":7,"primaryQuery":8,"secondaryQueries":9,"module":13,"order":14,"tier":15,"intent":16,"asset":17,"publishedAt":20,"author":21,"reviewedAt":22,"relatedTool":23,"challenge":24,"exercise":49},"MQL vs SQL vs Lead vs Prospect: The Funnel Stages Explained","A lead is a maybe, a prospect is a fit you've engaged, an MQL is marketing-qualified, and an SQL is a sales-qualified lead worth a meeting. This page gives you the funnel-stage table that maps who qualifies what — and why the SDR's core job is converting MQLs into SQLs and booked meetings.","mql vs sql",[10,11,12],"lead vs prospect","sales qualified lead definition","marketing qualified lead vs sales qualified lead",3,7,"B","informational",{"type":18,"title":19},"reference","Funnel-stage definition table: lead → prospect → MQL → SQL","2026-09-10","closers","2026-09-24",null,{"type":25,"id":26,"brief":27,"buckets":28,"items":31},"sort","m3-l7-funnel-stage","Six statements about a contact. Which funnel stage does each describe — the early 'lead/prospect' zone, or the qualified 'SQL' zone worth a meeting?",[29,30],"Early — lead/prospect","Qualified — SQL",[32,35,38,41,43,46],{"key":33,"text":34},0,"A raw list of names from a purchased database, never contacted",{"key":36,"text":37},1,"The right person, with a real problem, budget exists, and ready to talk this quarter",{"key":39,"text":40},2,"A marketing lead that passed a fit score but hasn't been contacted by sales",{"key":13,"text":42},"A contact that fits your ICP and has shown interest, but no need or budget confirmed",{"key":44,"text":45},4,"A person who downloaded a whitepaper but you've never spoken to",{"key":47,"text":48},5,"The head of ops, migrating off a legacy tool this quarter, budget approved",{"prompt":50,"successCriteria":51},"Sort the six statements into the early lead/prospect stage and the qualified SQL stage, then write one sentence naming what turns a lead into an SQL.","You can name the trigger without hedging: sales qualification — confirmed problem, budget, authority, and timeline — not just interest or a fit score.","\u003Cp>The funnel has four words people use interchangeably, and the confusion costs you: a \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/lead/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">lead\u003C/a> is a maybe, a \u003Cstrong>prospect\u003C/strong> is a fit you've actually engaged, an \u003Cstrong>MQL\u003C/strong> is a lead marketing has scored, and an \u003Cstrong>SQL\u003C/strong> is a sales-qualified lead worth a meeting. The \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/sdr/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">SDR\u003C/a> turns inbound MQLs into SQLs and \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/qualified-meeting/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">qualified meetings\u003C/a>; the \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/bdr/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BDR\u003C/a> turns the prospects it creates into SQLs too. Same end point, different front half. This page gives you the table.\u003C/p>\n\u003Ch2 id=\"the-funnel-stage-table\">The funnel-stage table\u003C/h2>\n\u003Cp>Here is the asset:\u003C/p>\n\u003Ctable>\n\u003Cthead>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Cth>Stage\u003C/th>\n\u003Cth>What it is\u003C/th>\n\u003Cth>Who qualifies it\u003C/th>\n\u003Cth>Example\u003C/th>\n\u003C/tr>\n\u003C/thead>\n\u003Ctbody>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd>\u003Cstrong>Lead\u003C/strong>\u003C/td>\n\u003Ctd>A person/company with a faint sign of interest\u003C/td>\n\u003Ctd>Nobody yet\u003C/td>\n\u003Ctd>Downloaded a whitepaper\u003C/td>\n\u003C/tr>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd>\u003Cstrong>Prospect\u003C/strong>\u003C/td>\n\u003Ctd>A lead that fits your ICP and you've engaged\u003C/td>\n\u003Ctd>You (research + outreach)\u003C/td>\n\u003Ctd>Fits the ICP, replied to one message\u003C/td>\n\u003C/tr>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd>\u003Cstrong>MQL\u003C/strong>\u003C/td>\n\u003Ctd>A lead marketing scored as a likely fit\u003C/td>\n\u003Ctd>Marketing (score/form/downloads)\u003C/td>\n\u003Ctd>Passed a fit score, not contacted\u003C/td>\n\u003C/tr>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd>\u003Cstrong>SQL\u003C/strong>\u003C/td>\n\u003Ctd>A lead sales has qualified — real problem, budget, authority, timeline\u003C/td>\n\u003Ctd>Sales (you)\u003C/td>\n\u003Ctd>Head of ops, migrating this quarter, budget approved\u003C/td>\n\u003C/tr>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd>\u003Cstrong>Qualified meeting\u003C/strong>\u003C/td>\n\u003Ctd>The SQL, booked on the AE's calendar\u003C/td>\n\u003Ctd>You, after a \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/discovery-call/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">discovery call\u003C/a>\u003C/td>\n\u003Ctd>Confirmed + showing up\u003C/td>\n\u003C/tr>\n\u003C/tbody>\n\u003C/table>\n\u003Ch2 id=\"what-turns-a-lead-into-an-sql\">What turns a lead into an SQL\u003C/h2>\n\u003Cp>Two things separate an early lead from an SQL: \u003Cstrong>fit\u003C/strong> and \u003Cstrong>qualification\u003C/strong>. Fit is the \u003Ca href=\"/academy/sdr/what-is-an-ideal-customer-profile/\">ICP\u003C/a> — is this the type of company where you win. Qualification is asking the questions that confirm problem, budget, authority, and timeline. Marketing can score fit; only sales can qualify. That is the \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/sdr/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">SDR\u003C/a>'s core value: it takes an inbound maybe and makes it a qualified yes, so an \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/account-executive/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">account executive\u003C/a>'s calendar only fills with meetings worth having.\u003C/p>\n\u003Ch2 id=\"why-the-labels-matter\">Why the labels matter\u003C/h2>\n\u003Cp>The labels exist so the \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/pipeline/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pipeline\u003C/a> is honest. Call everything a lead and you can't tell a maybe from a qualified yes; the AE books a meeting and it's a dead end. Keep the stages sharp and you protect your reputation and your \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/quota-attainment/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">quota attainment\u003C/a>: qualified meetings that show up are the number that matters, and you can only hit it by being ruthless about what you call an SQL.\u003C/p>\n\u003Ch2 id=\"start-here\">Start here\u003C/h2>\n\u003Cp>You can tell a maybe from a qualified yes. The last piece of the module is the machine that turns them into booked meetings — \u003Ca href=\"/academy/sdr/sales-cadence/\">how many touches a sequence needs\u003C/a>, and how to build a 14-day cadence that converts.\u003C/p>\n",[54,57,60,63],{"id":55,"text":56},"the-funnel-stage-table","The funnel-stage table",{"id":58,"text":59},"what-turns-a-lead-into-an-sql","What turns a lead into an SQL",{"id":61,"text":62},"why-the-labels-matter","Why the labels matter",{"id":64,"text":65},"start-here","Start here",{"path":67,"title":68,"description":69,"module":13,"order":70,"kind":71,"practiceCall":23,"core":72},"/academy/sdr/sales-trigger-events","Sales Trigger Events: When to Reach Out (18 Signals)","A sales trigger is a change at an account — funding, a new hire, a launch, a compliance deadline — that signals a problem and a reason to buy now. This page gives you an 18-trigger reference list and the timing rule for reaching out while the window is open.",6,"order",true,{"path":74,"title":75,"description":76,"module":13,"order":77,"kind":71,"practiceCall":23,"core":72},"/academy/sdr/sales-cadence","Sales Cadence: How Many Touches to Book a Meeting (14-Day Template)","A sales cadence is the scheduled, repeated sequence of touches across email, phone, and LinkedIn that most reps need to book a meeting — most replies come after the first touch. This page gives you a 14-day multi-channel cadence template and the rules for knowing when to keep going and when to stop.",8,{"slug":79,"title":80,"shortTitle":81,"crumb":82,"path":83,"positioning":84,"totalLessons":85,"modules":86},"sdr","Certified Sales Development Representative (CSDR)","SDR/BDR Certification","SDR Certification","/academy/sdr","The free certification for getting your first sales job — no degree, no experience, no upsell.",58,[87,90,93,96,100,103,106,109,112],{"id":36,"name":88,"lessonCount":70,"description":89},"The Role","What an SDR actually does, whether it’s for you, and the sales career path it opens — 6 core lessons.",{"id":39,"name":91,"lessonCount":13,"description":92},"Getting In With No Experience","Land your first sales job with no experience or degree — a 30-day plan — 3 core lessons.",{"id":13,"name":94,"lessonCount":77,"description":95},"Prospecting and Research","Find the right accounts and contacts to reach — 8 lessons.",{"id":44,"name":97,"lessonCount":98,"description":99},"Cold Calling",11,"Make cold calls without freezing up — 11 core lessons.",{"id":47,"name":101,"lessonCount":77,"description":102},"Cold Email and LinkedIn","Write cold emails and LinkedIn messages that get replies — 8 core lessons.",{"id":70,"name":104,"lessonCount":47,"description":105},"Conversations: Discovery and Qualification","Run discovery calls and qualify real buyers — 5 core lessons.",{"id":14,"name":107,"lessonCount":13,"description":108},"The Tool Stack","The tools that run an SDR’s daily workflow — 3 core lessons.",{"id":77,"name":110,"lessonCount":70,"description":111},"Money: Comp, Commission and Quota","SDR salary, OTE, commission and quotas — 6 lessons.",{"id":113,"name":114,"lessonCount":77,"description":115},9,"Getting Hired","Resume, interview answers, offer negotiation, and the certification assessment — 8 lessons.",1792888519700]