The marketing qualified lead (MQL) has long been a staple of B2B marketing – a reliable, if imperfect, signal of buying intent. But as 2025 unfolds, more marketers are starting to ask: Is the MQL still fit for purpose?
Increasingly, the answer appears to be no.
B2B buyer journeys have grown more complex, involving more stakeholders, more channels, and more nuanced decision-making. Against this backdrop, the traditional MQL model is being overtaken by more dynamic, intent-driven alternatives that better reflect real-world behaviour and sales readiness.
A brief refresher: what is an MQL?
In most B2B organisations, an MQL is a lead that ticks enough boxes to be passed to sales. That might mean someone with the right job title or company size who has taken certain actions, like downloading an ebook or attending a webinar.
Once the criteria are met, the lead is handed off to sales – theoretically more likely to convert than a generic inquiry.
Why the MQL is falling short
While the MQL was once a useful way to sort signal from noise, today’s B2B environment exposes several flaws in the model.
Firstly, MQLs tend to reward activity over intent. A prospect might download a whitepaper out of curiosity, with no actual buying plans – yet still be flagged as ‘qualified’. This results in poor-quality handoffs and wasted sales time.
Secondly, the MQL model often focuses on individuals, not the wider buying committee. In complex deals, influence is distributed across multiple roles. Scoring one lead per account misses the bigger picture.
Sales teams also frequently report that MQLs lack the context they need. Marketing might think the lead is ready to talk, but sales often disagrees – leading to friction and misalignment.
And finally, the MQL framework can introduce delays. Prospects who are ready to buy might be kept in a nurture track until they meet arbitrary thresholds, risking lost opportunities.
What’s replacing the MQL?
High-performing B2B teams are adopting more holistic and intent-based qualification models. These approaches focus less on form fills and more on behavioural signals, context, and account-level activity.
One approach is buying group scoring – looking at engagement across multiple stakeholders within a target account. If several people from the same company are researching your solution, that’s a much stronger signal than a single enthusiastic clicker.
Other teams are leaning on behavioural intent data. Tools like Bombora, 6sense, and Demandbase track external research activity and surface leads showing active buying behaviour, such as reading comparison content or searching for vendors.
AI-driven predictive scoring is also gaining ground, using historic conversion patterns to forecast which leads are most likely to progress. These models often outperform traditional rules-based scoring, as they factor in a wider range of variables.
Some organisations are going even further, replacing MQLs entirely with revenue-qualified leads (RQLs) – buying groups or accounts that meet both intent and fit criteria and are actively progressing towards a deal.
A mindset shift: from leads to opportunities
Perhaps the most important evolution is conceptual. Rather than focusing on lead quantity or conversion rates, modern marketing teams are shifting towards pipeline contribution and revenue impact.
This requires stronger collaboration between marketing and sales to define what a qualified opportunity looks like, when handoffs should happen, and how success is measured – not just in terms of leads, but in terms of opportunities created and deals won.
Lessons from the field
Plenty of B2B brands have already made the leap.
Cognism, for example, moved from traditional MQLs to intent-based scoring and saw a 30% increase in sales-qualified opportunities – despite a drop in total leads.
Similarly, Pendo adopted a buying group approach, combining CRM signals with marketing engagement data. The result was more focused sales outreach and a 22% lift in close rates.
So, should you abandon MQLs?
Not necessarily. For high-volume models or simpler sales cycles, the MQL can still serve as a useful gatekeeper. But in enterprise environments, it’s fast becoming outdated.
The future lies in lead qualification models that reflect how B2B buying actually works – across teams, over time, and driven by intent.
In short, marketers must move beyond scoring actions and start understanding intent. Beyond individual leads, towards buying groups. And beyond handoffs, towards true revenue collaboration.
Done right, this shift won’t just improve alignment – it will accelerate pipeline growth and improve close rates, too.
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