Every time I scroll through LinkedIn, there’s another thought leader ranting about how sales teams are stuck dealing with “junk leads” and how marketing is just obsessed with hitting MQL goals. Why is this still an issue? Why are we still running in circles? Let’s unpack this, because clearly, someone needs to.
Every time I scroll through LinkedIn, there’s another thought leader ranting about how sales teams are stuck dealing with “junk leads” and how marketing is just obsessed with hitting MQL goals.
Why is this still an issue?
Why are we still running in circles? Let’s unpack this, because clearly, someone needs to.
If you think “leads” and “MQLs” are interchangeable, then I think we found the problem.
Let’s clear something up: All leads are not MQLs. If you think they are, we need to have a conversation about your lead funnel—asap..
Leads, at it's highest level, are people who’ve done the bare minimum if anything at all as it relates to your brand—maybe they downloaded your generic eBook, signed up for your newsletter, or made it all the way to your website without immediately bouncing. These are “people who know you exist.” Not exactly a stamp of approval that they’re ready to buy, right?
Marketing’s job is to nurture these leads and guide them to the next level of engagement. It’s not about turning everyone into an MQL right away. Just like at a party, some people are there for the free food and casual conversation. They’re not ready to commit, but with the right nurturing, they might just be ready for a deeper conversation later on.
Marketing qualified leads, these are the people who’ve shown real intent. They’ve filled out a form for a demo, requested pricing, or stuck around long enough at your booth to ask more about your product (not the people who just show up for a free pen or water bottle). These are the leads who’ve raised their hands to show they’re serious about learning more. And when sales gets them, there’s a different level of follow-up required. If you’re tossing every lead over to sales with the same urgency, stop.
MQL volume is like counting how many cookies you made instead of whether anyone actually ate them. Sure, it’s easy to track, but if no one’s eating those cookies, who cares?
Marketing teams love to boast about hitting their MQL targets. But here’s the thing: hitting MQL goals doesn’t mean anything if those leads don’t actually help move the sales needle. MQLs should be measured by impact on the pipeline and revenue, not volume. Think of it like this: It’s better to have 10 high-quality leads who are ready to engage than 1,000 tire-kickers who just wanted the free download.
So stop patting yourself on the back for hitting your MQL target and start focusing on how many of them actually turn into meaningful opportunities. After all, your MQL target isn’t going to pay the bills, is it?
Marketing teams love a good outdated channel, and it’s almost endearing how much they hang onto them. Content syndication? Yep, still throwing money at that. Scanning every event attendee’s badge just so you can spam them with your newsletter? Check. And let’s not forget the trusty “let’s blast out generic content” approach. Classic.
Look, I get it. These tactics were once the golden child of lead generation. But today? Not so much. If you’re still investing in these channels with no return, you’re basically holding onto a flip phone in the age of smartphones. It’s time to pivot, my friends. Invest your budget elsewhere—preferably in channels that offer segmentation, intent signals, or personalization - channels that actually drive qualified leads. You’ll get better results and probably even save some cash.
Sure, gating content can be useful, but if you gate everything—your blogs, videos, one sheets, ebooks, your secret recipe for success—you’re basically creating a lead generation moat and then wondering why no one wants to cross it.
People don’t want to feel like they’re entering a fortress every time they try to engage with your brand. Allowing some content to flow freely can help you build trust with your audience. Plus, when they see value, they’re more likely to engage further and become an MQL. But if you’re gating everything, all you’re doing is giving people one more reason to click “back” and forget you ever existed.
Here’s a shocking revelation: sales and marketing don’t always get along. It’s like the odd couple of business teams. Marketing passes over leads, and sales goes, “Really? This is what you’re giving me?”
The handoff process needs to be smoother.
Marketing, stop sending over every lead and hoping for the best. Sales, stop acting like every lead that hits your inbox should be ready to sign on the dotted line.
A clear and agreed-upon lead qualification process is key. If Sales deems an MQL “qualified” after a good discovery call or demo, then they shouldn’t be whining when the deal falls apart.
CRM systems are supposed to be the treasure maps for your leads. But if you’re running it in default mode, it’s like trying to follow a treasure map that’s been scribbled on by a toddler. It’s messy, disorganized, and leads you nowhere.
Your CRM should be tracking data that helps both marketing and sales prioritize leads—by quality, by engagement, by source, etc. If you’re just lumping everything together and calling it a day, you’re going to have a tough time figuring out which leads are worth your time. Customizing your CRM to best fit your processes, definitions, KPIs, and goals ensures that both teams are working with actionable data that helps them focus on the right prospects.
Here’s the thing: sales reps, it’s time to take responsibility. Once marketing passes an MQL to you, it’s your job to qualify it further. If you get an MQL that seems promising, do your job—pick up the phone, ask questions, and actually qualify them through discovery, demos, and all those fun sales activities.
If, after your magic touch, you decide that the MQL is worth pursuing and enters the pipeline, then guess what? Don’t start complaining when it gets lost. You were the one who qualified it to the point of pipeline and forecast, after all. You can’t play the “but it wasn’t a good lead” card when you’re the one who said, “Yes, let’s move it forward, dollarize it, and report on that value.” There needs to be ownership all the way through—including the responsibility for when things go sideways.
In the end, here’s the deal: If you’re still complaining about junk leads, it’s time to stop, take a deep breath, and rethink your process.
1. Stop treating leads and MQLs like the same thing.
2. Focus on quality over volume.
3. Get rid of those outdated channels.
4. Target better. Stop casting such a wide net that you end up with more junk than you can handle.
5. Stop gating everything. Seriously, people want your content, but they don’t want to be interrogated for it.
6. Align marketing and sales. Let’s stop playing the game of “I did my part, now it’s your problem.” Teamwork, people.
7. Customize your CRM. Don’t just track leads. Track the right leads, with the right context, and the right info.
Once we get past these issues, maybe, just maybe, we can all stop complaining about junk leads—and actually start closing deals. But hey, no pressure.
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