R.I.P. MQLs: B2B Marketing no longer needs you...

Let’s face it: the traditional way we’ve been handling leads in B2B marketing, specifically Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs), is starting to drastically show its age.

For years, MQLs were the Holy Grail, the go-to metric to determine which leads were "sales-ready." But as buyer behavior evolved and new technologies have emerged, it’s become clear that MQLs are no longer the best way to measure lead quality.

So, why the shift? Todays buyers are smarter, more self-sufficient, and don’t always follow the neat, predictable paths that MQLs were based on.

The rise and popularity of MQLs

Before we get into why MQLs are falling out of favour, let’s quickly rewind to when they were first introduced. MQLs were once the magic ticket for B2B marketing teams. An MQL was essentially a lead that had shown interest in your brand, whether by downloading an eBook, attending a webinar, or clicking on a CTA. The theory was simple: the more a lead engaged with your content, the closer they were to making a purchase, right?

In theory, MQLs were great. They provided a clear, data-backed way to tell marketing and sales teams, "Hey, this lead is worth pursuing." Sales teams could focus their energy on people who seemed interested, and marketing teams could measure their success based on the number of MQLs they generated. This alignment was golden for streamlining B2B sales cycles.

But here’s the catch: the way MQLs were defined and used was often too simplistic, and they didn't always mean a lead was ready to talk to sales. While marketers celebrated their ability to generate a ton of MQLs, the quality of those leads was sometimes questionable. Over time, teams began to realize that simply counting MQLs wasn't the best indicator of future sales.

Why MQLs are no longer effective

The evolution of buyer behavior

Let’s start with the obvious: buyer behavior has drastically changed. In the past, prospects would land in your lap after a few clicks on your website or a webinar sign-up. Today, they’re researching solutions, comparing competitors, and reading reviews long before they even think about talking to a salesperson.

This shift has fundamentally changed how companies should approach lead qualification. MQLs are no longer an accurate reflection of where someone is in their buying journey. Today, buyers often don’t need to interact with your brand before they make a purchase decision. They’ve already gathered enough information online to make up their minds, often bypassing the traditional sales funnel.

The problem with lead scoring

At the heart of the MQL model was lead scoring - essentially assigning points based on a lead's engagement with your content. But as digital marketing evolved, lead scoring became a bit of a guessing game. Lead scoring models were often based on a set of arbitrary rules that didn’t really reflect the true intent or purchasing power of a lead. For example, someone might download an eBook but still have no real interest in your product. On the flip side, someone could be engaging with your content without clicking on a CTA, but they might be closer to making a purchase.

This is where MQLs fall short. Lead scoring doesn’t always accurately capture buyer intent, which is crucial in today’s B2B world, where deals can be complex and long-cycle.

The disconnect between sales and marketing

Another issue with MQLs? The ongoing disconnect between sales and marketing teams. Marketing’s job was to generate leads, and sales’ job was to close them, right? The problem was that marketing teams often flooded sales with MQLs that weren’t truly ready for a sales conversation. In fact, some studies have shown that as much as 80% of MQLs were unqualified for sales, resulting in wasted time and resources.

Salespeople, tired of sifting through low-quality leads, started to view MQLs as a distraction rather than a useful tool. And when marketing and sales aren’t aligned, it’s bad news for both teams - and for the bottom line.

Quality vs. Quantity

The focus on generating large volumes of MQLs led many B2B organizations to prioritize quantity over quality. Sure, you could generate hundreds or even thousands of MQLs, but if they weren’t properly qualified, you were simply wasting resources.

B2B marketing has shifted. Instead of aiming for a high number of MQLs, companies are focusing on high-value, highly targeted accounts that are more likely to convert into long-term customers. This is a major reason why MQLs are losing relevance: marketers are realizing that quality, not quantity, should be the goal.

The impact of automation and AI

The rise of marketing automation, artificial intelligence, and machine learning has added even more complexity to the MQL model. With these tools, marketers can now analyze buyer intent with much more precision. Predictive analytics can tell you exactly where leads are in the buying cycle, making the need for MQLs obsolete.

AI can track online behaviours - like what content leads are consuming, what they’re searching for, and how they’re engaging with your brand - giving marketers more insight into a lead’s readiness to buy. With these technologies, MQLs just don’t cut it anymore.

Alternative approaches to lead qualification

If MQLs are on their way out, what should B2B marketers focus on instead? Fortunately, there are several modern approaches that offer a more accurate and efficient way to qualify leads.

The emergence of SQLs (Sales Qualified Leads)

One alternative to MQLs is the rise of SQLs (Sales Qualified Leads). While MQLs are marketing’s responsibility, SQLs are the point at which marketing hands the baton to sales. These are leads that have shown clear signs of readiness to make a purchasing decision.

SQLs are often defined by behaviors that indicate a real intent to buy, such as requesting a demo or engaging directly with a sales rep. The beauty of SQLs is that they involve collaboration between sales and marketing to define what makes a lead "sales-ready." This is a more refined and dynamic approach to lead qualification that ensures sales teams only get leads who are truly ready to engage.

Intent data and predictive analytics

Intent data is another game-changer. It’s no longer about waiting for leads to engage with your content - it’s about understanding what leads are already looking for and when they’re ready to buy. With intent data, you can track signals like content consumption, search behavior, and even third-party data to understand what’s driving a lead’s purchasing decision.

By leveraging predictive analytics, B2B marketers can forecast which leads are most likely to convert into customers. This allows for a much more efficient qualification process than relying on traditional MQL scoring.

Account-Based Marketing (ABM)

Account-Based Marketing (ABM) is quickly becoming the go-to strategy for B2B marketers who want to focus on high-value accounts. Rather than casting a wide net and hoping for a good catch, ABM targets specific companies or organizations that fit your ideal customer profile. This personalized, high-touch approach allows you to focus your resources on the accounts that matter most.

ABM eliminates the need for MQLs altogether. Instead, marketers work closely with sales to engage the right accounts and decision-makers with tailored messaging. The result is better-qualified leads, more meaningful relationships, and ultimately, higher conversion rates.

Buyer journey mapping

Understanding the buyer journey is crucial. Instead of relying on MQLs, marketers are mapping out the entire journey - from awareness to decision - to better understand when a lead is truly ready to talk to sales. By tracking engagement at every stage of the journey, marketers can identify when a lead is actually sales-ready, eliminating the guesswork that comes with MQLs.

The role of technology in redefining lead qualification

Technology has played a huge role in redefining how B2B marketers approach lead qualification. Marketing automation platforms like HubSpot, Marketo, and Salesforce now offer more nuanced ways to track and measure lead behaviour, moving away from simple MQL scoring.

AI-powered tools are helping to qualify leads with greater precision. Predictive lead scoring, chatbots, and lead enrichment tools allow marketing and sales teams to make better-informed decisions about which leads are worth pursuing.

By integrating these technologies with CRM systems, sales and marketing teams can have a unified view of each lead’s behaviour, making it easier to qualify leads based on intent rather than arbitrary scores.

What’s next? The future of lead qualification in B2B marketing

So, what’s next? The future of lead qualification is all about hyper-personalization, data-driven insights, and deeper sales-marketing alignment. Gone are the days of generic lead scoring models. The future is about delivering personalized experiences and understanding the true intent behind each lead’s actions.

Data will continue to play a massive role in this shift. By leveraging closed-loop analytics, marketers will gain deeper insights into the entire buyer journey, allowing for more accurate lead qualification. And as sales and marketing teams work more closely together, the need for rigid MQL definitions will fade into the background.

Final thoughts

MQLs had their time in the sun, but the landscape of B2B marketing has changed. Buyer behaviour has shifted, technologies have advanced, and sales and marketing teams are becoming more aligned. As a result, MQLs are no longer the best way to measure lead quality.

In the future, we’ll see a move towards more sophisticated, intent-based qualification models like SQLs, intent data, ABM, and predictive analytics becoming the norm. These approaches will help B2B marketers focus on quality over quantity, improving conversion rates and driving better ROI.

So, if you’re still holding on to the old MQL model, it’s time to embrace the future of lead qualification.

It’s a lot more nuanced, a lot more data-driven, and a whole lot more effective.