---
title: "What is an SQL?"
type: doc
evidence_type: method
category: "Aligning Sales & Marketing"
publisher: "LeanScale"
date_modified: 2024-05-29
word_count: 263
topics: ["demand-generation", "gtm-strategy"]
canonical_url: https://knowledge.leanscale.team/docs/aligning-sales-marketing-what-is-an-sql/
source: "LeanScale Knowledge Hub — https://knowledge.leanscale.team"
license: "Free to quote and cite with attribution to LeanScale."
---

# What is an SQL?

**Evidence type:** method (what we prescribe)

A Sales Qualified Lead is a prospect judged to be a good fit for the product and ready for direct sales engagement. The definition matters more than the label: it is the handoff point between marketing and sales, and both teams have to agree on it before either can be measured fairly.

### Sales Qualified Lead (SQL)

**Definition:** A Sales Qualified Lead (SQL) is a potential customer who has been deemed to be a good fit for a company's product or service and is ready to move forward in the sales process.

**Sales Perspective:** From a sales perspective, an SQL is someone who has met with a sales representative and gone through the qualification process. This process typically involves determining if the potential customer has a need for the company's product or service, if they have the budget to purchase it, and if they are authorized to make a decision.

**Marketing Perspective:** From a marketing perspective, an SQL is someone who has met with a sales representative and has been deemed to be a good fit for the company's product or service. This determination is typically made based on the potential customer's needs, budget, and decision-making authority.

**Importance of Clear Rules of Engagement:** It is important to have clearly defined Rules of Engagement (ROEs) for SQLs so that everyone involved in the sales process is on the same page. These ROEs should include:

* The criteria for what constitutes an SQL
* The process for qualifying SQLs
* The roles and responsibilities of sales and marketing in the SQL qualification process

**Benefits of Clearly Defined ROEs:** Having clearly defined ROEs for SQLs can help to:

* Improve communication and collaboration between sales and marketing
* Streamline the sales process
* Increase the number of SQLs
* Close more deals

**Conclusion:** SQLs are a critical part of the sales process. By having clearly defined ROEs for SQLs, companies can improve their chances of success.

## Canonical

https://knowledge.leanscale.team/docs/aligning-sales-marketing-what-is-an-sql/