SQL (Sales Qualified Lead)
Lead that sales confirmed has budget, authority, need and deadline (BANT) — ready for the senior salesperson to close.
SQL (Sales Qualified Lead) is the lead that sales confirmed has the 4 conditions to close: quote, decision authority, clear need and defined term (also known as the BANT framework — Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline). This is where the senior salesperson comes in.
From MQL to SQL: what changes
| Criterion | MQL | SQL |
|---|---|---|
| Interest | Showed | Confirmed |
| Need | Vacancy | Specific and quantified |
| Budget | Unknown | Known and sufficient |
| Decision Maker | Maybe don't talk to him | Are you the decision maker or have direct access |
| Deadline | "Someday" | Specific (next 30, 60, 90 days) |
| Next step | Additional qualification | Proposal/closing |
How the bot identifies an SQL
Configure automatic tags based on response to qualifying questions. Example:
- Customer said "I need it next week" → tag
prazo:urgente. - Customer said "I have up to R$5,000" → tag
budget:5k. - Customer said "I decide" → tag
decisor:direto.
Tag SQL automatically applied when 3 of the 4 BANT conditions match.
Why separating MQL from SQL matters
Expensive senior salesperson responding to warm lead wastes resource time. Bot serves cold MQL without the cost of human hours. Senior salespeople only assume SQL = only talk to those who have a real chance of closing. Increases productivity by 2-3x.
Recommended SLA for SQL
SQL needs to be met in less than 15 minutes during business hours. Above that, the chance of closing drops. Configure notification on the Zapext dashboard: New SQL → alert sound → senior salesperson takes over.
See: MQL, lead scoring, sales funnel.