Why are we talking about MQLs and SQLs? Funnel Marketing has dominated the last two episodes. First, it was the interview with Gia Laudi, author of "Forget the Funnel." Then I shared my thoughts on how the Funnel can be used effectively for start-ups and growth companies. Marketing Qualified Leads are a layer on top of the Funnel that bridges the gap between Marketing and Sales teams. So if you've just set up a stand-alone marketing team, or your Sales and Marketing folks just don't talk to each other, MQLs and SQLs can be a great way to improve communication and reduce friction. I explain how MQLs/SQLs work, and emphasize the importance of agreeing on definitions of each, between the teams; and I talk about the metrics to look at around the process. I also highlight some of the time-sinks that exist around the funnel - namely, Lead Scoring and Attribution. They may make sense for Enterprise organizations with well established marketing teams. But for most companies, they just suck up precious resources. I also mention a Generative AI session I participated in, run by Frederick Werhle and the San Francisco AMA. More info here. Some additional reading: Salesken.ai "Marketing Qualified Lead vs. Sales Qualified Lead vs. Sales Accepted Lead" Salesdorado: "Why Your Lead Scoring System is Probably Useless"