The traditional Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL) model is losing relevance. It treats buying as a solo act when B2B decisions are actually made by buying committees. By the time a lead is scored and handed off, the buying group has often already made their decision. According to The 2024 B3B Buyer Experience Research Report, 84% of buyers have selected a vendor before engaging with sales.

The solution? Marketing Qualified Accounts (MQAs). This approach reflects actual buying behavior at the account level. But transitioning to MQAs is more than just a tweak to lead scoring, it requires a shift in mindset, strategy, process and measurement.

The revenue plot twist your team didn't see coming: While Marketing celebrates MQL milestones and Sales chases single-threaded leads, 84% of B2B buying committees have already selected their vendor without either team noticing. This isn't just a measurement gap—it's an organizational blindspot where siloed teams track different metrics for the same customer journey. Consider this transformation blueprint your alignment accelerator: a step-by-step guide to rewiring how Marketing, Sales, and BDRs unite around account intelligence rather than lead volume. The MQL-to-MQA shift isn't just changing terminology—it's creating a shared revenue reality where teams finally speak the same language about the buyers who matter.