Sales qualified lead (SQL)
A sales qualified lead (SQL) is a lead that Sales has qualified as a real buying opportunity, usually after a first conversation.
In practice
The SQL marks the point where Sales takes ownership. A clear definition stops leads sitting in limbo between teams and gives RevOps a clean point to create the opportunity and start the sales cycle clock. Some teams add a sales accepted lead (SAL) step between MQL and SQL, for leads Sales has agreed to work but not yet qualified.
Write the acceptance criteria down (for example, confirmed need, a contact with authority or access to it, and a plausible timeline) and record the date a lead becomes an SQL. Measure MQL to SQL and SQL to closed-won conversion, segmented by source.