Lead generation is the process of generating consumer interest for a product or service with the goal of turning that interest into a sale. Leads are part of the buying process that consumers follow when they transition from visitor to customer. Not all leads are created equal (nor are they qualified the same). There are different types of leads based on how they are qualified and what lifecycle stage they're in.

Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL)
Marketing qualified leads are contacts who've engaged with our marketing team's efforts but aren't ready to receive a sales call. An example of an MQL is a contact who fills out a landing page form for an offer.

Sales Qualified Lead (SQL)
Sales qualified leads are contacts who've taken actions that expressly indicate their interest in becoming a paying customer. An example of an SQL is a contact who fills out a form to ask a question about your product or service.

Product Qualified Lead (PQL)
Product qualified leads are contacts who've used your product and taken actions that indicate interest in becoming a paying customer. PQLs typically exist for companies who offer a product trial or a free or limited version of their product (like HubSpot!) with options to upgrade, which is where our sales team comes in. An example of a PQL is a customer who uses our free version but engages or asks about features that are only available upon payment.

Service Qualified Lead
Service qualified leads are contacts or customers who've indicated to our service team that they're interested in becoming a paying customer. An example of a service qualified lead is a customer who tells their customer service representative that they'd like to upgrade their product subscription; at this time, the customer service representative would up-level this customer to the appropriate sales team or representative.

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