MQL to MQA transition: A practical martech guide
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The Revenue Marketer
MQL to MQA transition: A practical martech guide
Is your planning process effective? Or just a lot of busy-work?
If you relate to the latter, we feel you! No one learns "how to plan" in school. They learn it through osmosis by following other leaders throughout their career. That typically is in an amalgamation of styles that result in 90 page decks that no one looks at after Jan 1. Let's change that!
When I facilitated my first MQL-to-MQA transition workshop last year, I watched seasoned marketers wrestle with a fundamental shift in thinking. The lightbulb moment came when someone asked, "So we're not creating an entirely new process then —we're just adapting?" Exactly.
The Evolution, Not Revolution Approach
Here's the thing about moving from a strictly Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) methodology to one that also surfaces other buying signals such as Marketing Qualified Accounts (MQAs).
Your instinct might be to rip everything out and start fresh. You need to resist that temptation!
Not sure you’re convinced yet? Hear me out…
During a recent client engagement, I witnessed a team nearly derail their entire MQA process implementation with overcomplexity. In what started as an admirable effort to come up with the absolute best, best-in-class MQA process design, resulted in a very impressive and aspirational flow diagram that couldn’t be operationalized in any practical way in their systems and wouldn’t have jived with the day-to-day rhythm of the sales team.
Instead, after encouraging them to step back and revisit their existing lead funnel and MQL process first, the client came to realize that their desired MQA process wasn’t that different from their existing lead funnel/MQL process and ultimately decided to repurpose and adjust elements of their existing MQL process configuration to meet the needs of the MQA process instead of creating an entirely separate (and overcomplicated) process.
That's not only technically efficient—it's smart change management that can have a huge impact on user adoption.
Key Considerations Before You Touch That Tech Stack
1. Audit Your Existing Infrastructure First
Think of your current lead/demand funnel like the foundation of a house. You wouldn't demolish the entire foundation to add a second story, would you? Instead:
- Audit existing fields (funnel stage, status, recycle reasons)
- Document current automation workflows
- Identify which, if any, automated processes can be adapted vs. replaced
Pro Tip: I've seen teams reduce implementation time by 40% simply by leveraging existing field mappings and workflows from their lead funnel and mql hand-off process. Bonus - your sales team will thank you for maintaining familiar territory.
2. Understanding MQA Timing and Frequency
This is where things get interesting (and where I've seen implementations stumble). Your MQA conditions aren't static—they're dynamic, living categorizations that need careful consideration:
- Surfacing Frequency: How often will accounts move in and out of MQA status?
- SLA Implications: How does this frequency impact your sales follow-up cadence?
- Active vs. Recently Expired MQAs: Consider creating a grace period for "cooling" MQAs
Personal Insight: During a recent implementation, we discovered that accounts were bouncing in and out of MQA status daily. The solution? A 72-hour "cool-down" period using an Account Disposition Status field that prevented sales whiplash while maintaining urgency.
3. The Recycling and Resurfacing Dance
Here's where the rubber meets the road. You need crystal clarity on:
- The exact conditions for MQA resurfacing after being recycled or disqualified
- Timing thresholds for MQA resurfacing after being recycled or disqualified
- Impact of MQA disqualification and recycling on related MQLs (yes, they still matter!)
4. The MQL-MQA Relationship Status: It's Complicated
To be honest, this relationship dynamic still keeps me up at night (in the best way). On one hand it feels like we’ve been talking about the sure and eventual demise of MQLs since forever and therefore should be ready to make the call already and leave them in the past. But, on the other hand I can also think of several scenarios where the MQL motion is still relevant.
All that to say, regardless of where you fall on the spectrum of Ditching vs. Keeping MQLs, it is important to consider the interconnected implications of your solution design
- Dispositioning Cascade: If an MQA is disqualified, what happens to its related contacts?
- Reverse Impact: When a contact from an MQA account becomes sales-accepted, how does that affect the account's status?
Field Note: I recently helped a client create a "relationship matrix" that mapped every possible interaction between MQLs and MQAs. Game-changer for ensuring sales alignment.
5. The Lead Conversion Conundrum
As a result of all of this, be aware that your Salesforce lead conversion process might need a tune-up. Ask yourself:
- How do unattached leads factor into account qualification?
- Can anonymous contact engagement trigger MQA status?
- Is your conversion process flexible enough for account-based motions?
6. Buying Committees: The Secret Sauce
At the most basic level, the key difference between MQL and MQA methodologies can be explained as a difference in signals. MQLs being the signal of individual interest (that may or may be weighted based on the account they are related to) and MQAs which are a shared/group signal, typically inferred using tracked account-level intent data and/or an ABM platform. Due to this distinction, you will likely need to consider the concept of buying groups in your MQA process, and ideally will already have or considered the following:
- Standardized job role/function data
- Clear buying committee definitions based on account (company) size
- A process for identifying and tagging committee members
Reality Check: Start manual, automate later. I've watched teams spend months trying to automate buying committee identification when a simple manual tagging process would have gotten them 80% there in weeks.
Your Implementation Roadmap
- Audit First: Map your existing infrastructure
- Define Relationships: Document MQL-MQA interactions
- Set Timing Rules: Establish surfacing/resurfacing logic
- Address Conversions: Align lead conversion with MQA needs
- Start Simple: Manual processes before automation
- Test and Iterate: Launch with a pilot group
The Human Element
Remember, behind every successful martech implementation is a team of humans who need to adopt new processes. Your technical architecture might be flawless, but if it creates friction for your sales team, it will fail.
I learned this the hard way during an early MQA implementation. We built a beautiful, complex system that sales promptly ignored. The lesson? Familiarity breeds adoption. Evolution, not revolution.
Looking Ahead
As we move deeper into 2025, the shift from MQLs to MQAs isn't just a trend—it's a fundamental reimagining of how we think about B2B engagement. Your martech stack should reflect this evolution, not fight against it.
The most successful transitions I've witnessed share one common thread: they honor the past while building for the future. Your existing MQL infrastructure isn't obsolete—it's the foundation for something greater.
Ready to make the shift? Start with an audit, start small and embrace incremental change, and remember: the best martech implementations feel inevitable, not forced.
About the author
Service page feature
Martech
When I facilitated my first MQL-to-MQA transition workshop last year, I watched seasoned marketers wrestle with a fundamental shift in thinking. The lightbulb moment came when someone asked, "So we're not creating an entirely new process then —we're just adapting?" Exactly.
The Evolution, Not Revolution Approach
Here's the thing about moving from a strictly Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) methodology to one that also surfaces other buying signals such as Marketing Qualified Accounts (MQAs).
Your instinct might be to rip everything out and start fresh. You need to resist that temptation!
Not sure you’re convinced yet? Hear me out…
During a recent client engagement, I witnessed a team nearly derail their entire MQA process implementation with overcomplexity. In what started as an admirable effort to come up with the absolute best, best-in-class MQA process design, resulted in a very impressive and aspirational flow diagram that couldn’t be operationalized in any practical way in their systems and wouldn’t have jived with the day-to-day rhythm of the sales team.
Instead, after encouraging them to step back and revisit their existing lead funnel and MQL process first, the client came to realize that their desired MQA process wasn’t that different from their existing lead funnel/MQL process and ultimately decided to repurpose and adjust elements of their existing MQL process configuration to meet the needs of the MQA process instead of creating an entirely separate (and overcomplicated) process.
That's not only technically efficient—it's smart change management that can have a huge impact on user adoption.
Key Considerations Before You Touch That Tech Stack
1. Audit Your Existing Infrastructure First
Think of your current lead/demand funnel like the foundation of a house. You wouldn't demolish the entire foundation to add a second story, would you? Instead:
- Audit existing fields (funnel stage, status, recycle reasons)
- Document current automation workflows
- Identify which, if any, automated processes can be adapted vs. replaced
Pro Tip: I've seen teams reduce implementation time by 40% simply by leveraging existing field mappings and workflows from their lead funnel and mql hand-off process. Bonus - your sales team will thank you for maintaining familiar territory.
2. Understanding MQA Timing and Frequency
This is where things get interesting (and where I've seen implementations stumble). Your MQA conditions aren't static—they're dynamic, living categorizations that need careful consideration:
- Surfacing Frequency: How often will accounts move in and out of MQA status?
- SLA Implications: How does this frequency impact your sales follow-up cadence?
- Active vs. Recently Expired MQAs: Consider creating a grace period for "cooling" MQAs
Personal Insight: During a recent implementation, we discovered that accounts were bouncing in and out of MQA status daily. The solution? A 72-hour "cool-down" period using an Account Disposition Status field that prevented sales whiplash while maintaining urgency.
3. The Recycling and Resurfacing Dance
Here's where the rubber meets the road. You need crystal clarity on:
- The exact conditions for MQA resurfacing after being recycled or disqualified
- Timing thresholds for MQA resurfacing after being recycled or disqualified
- Impact of MQA disqualification and recycling on related MQLs (yes, they still matter!)
4. The MQL-MQA Relationship Status: It's Complicated
To be honest, this relationship dynamic still keeps me up at night (in the best way). On one hand it feels like we’ve been talking about the sure and eventual demise of MQLs since forever and therefore should be ready to make the call already and leave them in the past. But, on the other hand I can also think of several scenarios where the MQL motion is still relevant.
All that to say, regardless of where you fall on the spectrum of Ditching vs. Keeping MQLs, it is important to consider the interconnected implications of your solution design
- Dispositioning Cascade: If an MQA is disqualified, what happens to its related contacts?
- Reverse Impact: When a contact from an MQA account becomes sales-accepted, how does that affect the account's status?
Field Note: I recently helped a client create a "relationship matrix" that mapped every possible interaction between MQLs and MQAs. Game-changer for ensuring sales alignment.
5. The Lead Conversion Conundrum
As a result of all of this, be aware that your Salesforce lead conversion process might need a tune-up. Ask yourself:
- How do unattached leads factor into account qualification?
- Can anonymous contact engagement trigger MQA status?
- Is your conversion process flexible enough for account-based motions?
6. Buying Committees: The Secret Sauce
At the most basic level, the key difference between MQL and MQA methodologies can be explained as a difference in signals. MQLs being the signal of individual interest (that may or may be weighted based on the account they are related to) and MQAs which are a shared/group signal, typically inferred using tracked account-level intent data and/or an ABM platform. Due to this distinction, you will likely need to consider the concept of buying groups in your MQA process, and ideally will already have or considered the following:
- Standardized job role/function data
- Clear buying committee definitions based on account (company) size
- A process for identifying and tagging committee members
Reality Check: Start manual, automate later. I've watched teams spend months trying to automate buying committee identification when a simple manual tagging process would have gotten them 80% there in weeks.
Your Implementation Roadmap
- Audit First: Map your existing infrastructure
- Define Relationships: Document MQL-MQA interactions
- Set Timing Rules: Establish surfacing/resurfacing logic
- Address Conversions: Align lead conversion with MQA needs
- Start Simple: Manual processes before automation
- Test and Iterate: Launch with a pilot group
The Human Element
Remember, behind every successful martech implementation is a team of humans who need to adopt new processes. Your technical architecture might be flawless, but if it creates friction for your sales team, it will fail.
I learned this the hard way during an early MQA implementation. We built a beautiful, complex system that sales promptly ignored. The lesson? Familiarity breeds adoption. Evolution, not revolution.
Looking Ahead
As we move deeper into 2025, the shift from MQLs to MQAs isn't just a trend—it's a fundamental reimagining of how we think about B2B engagement. Your martech stack should reflect this evolution, not fight against it.
The most successful transitions I've witnessed share one common thread: they honor the past while building for the future. Your existing MQL infrastructure isn't obsolete—it's the foundation for something greater.
Ready to make the shift? Start with an audit, start small and embrace incremental change, and remember: the best martech implementations feel inevitable, not forced.
Resources
About the author
Service page feature
Martech
MQL to MQA transition: A practical martech guide
Speakers
Other helpful resources
When I facilitated my first MQL-to-MQA transition workshop last year, I watched seasoned marketers wrestle with a fundamental shift in thinking. The lightbulb moment came when someone asked, "So we're not creating an entirely new process then —we're just adapting?" Exactly.
The Evolution, Not Revolution Approach
Here's the thing about moving from a strictly Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) methodology to one that also surfaces other buying signals such as Marketing Qualified Accounts (MQAs).
Your instinct might be to rip everything out and start fresh. You need to resist that temptation!
Not sure you’re convinced yet? Hear me out…
During a recent client engagement, I witnessed a team nearly derail their entire MQA process implementation with overcomplexity. In what started as an admirable effort to come up with the absolute best, best-in-class MQA process design, resulted in a very impressive and aspirational flow diagram that couldn’t be operationalized in any practical way in their systems and wouldn’t have jived with the day-to-day rhythm of the sales team.
Instead, after encouraging them to step back and revisit their existing lead funnel and MQL process first, the client came to realize that their desired MQA process wasn’t that different from their existing lead funnel/MQL process and ultimately decided to repurpose and adjust elements of their existing MQL process configuration to meet the needs of the MQA process instead of creating an entirely separate (and overcomplicated) process.
That's not only technically efficient—it's smart change management that can have a huge impact on user adoption.
Key Considerations Before You Touch That Tech Stack
1. Audit Your Existing Infrastructure First
Think of your current lead/demand funnel like the foundation of a house. You wouldn't demolish the entire foundation to add a second story, would you? Instead:
- Audit existing fields (funnel stage, status, recycle reasons)
- Document current automation workflows
- Identify which, if any, automated processes can be adapted vs. replaced
Pro Tip: I've seen teams reduce implementation time by 40% simply by leveraging existing field mappings and workflows from their lead funnel and mql hand-off process. Bonus - your sales team will thank you for maintaining familiar territory.
2. Understanding MQA Timing and Frequency
This is where things get interesting (and where I've seen implementations stumble). Your MQA conditions aren't static—they're dynamic, living categorizations that need careful consideration:
- Surfacing Frequency: How often will accounts move in and out of MQA status?
- SLA Implications: How does this frequency impact your sales follow-up cadence?
- Active vs. Recently Expired MQAs: Consider creating a grace period for "cooling" MQAs
Personal Insight: During a recent implementation, we discovered that accounts were bouncing in and out of MQA status daily. The solution? A 72-hour "cool-down" period using an Account Disposition Status field that prevented sales whiplash while maintaining urgency.
3. The Recycling and Resurfacing Dance
Here's where the rubber meets the road. You need crystal clarity on:
- The exact conditions for MQA resurfacing after being recycled or disqualified
- Timing thresholds for MQA resurfacing after being recycled or disqualified
- Impact of MQA disqualification and recycling on related MQLs (yes, they still matter!)
4. The MQL-MQA Relationship Status: It's Complicated
To be honest, this relationship dynamic still keeps me up at night (in the best way). On one hand it feels like we’ve been talking about the sure and eventual demise of MQLs since forever and therefore should be ready to make the call already and leave them in the past. But, on the other hand I can also think of several scenarios where the MQL motion is still relevant.
All that to say, regardless of where you fall on the spectrum of Ditching vs. Keeping MQLs, it is important to consider the interconnected implications of your solution design
- Dispositioning Cascade: If an MQA is disqualified, what happens to its related contacts?
- Reverse Impact: When a contact from an MQA account becomes sales-accepted, how does that affect the account's status?
Field Note: I recently helped a client create a "relationship matrix" that mapped every possible interaction between MQLs and MQAs. Game-changer for ensuring sales alignment.
5. The Lead Conversion Conundrum
As a result of all of this, be aware that your Salesforce lead conversion process might need a tune-up. Ask yourself:
- How do unattached leads factor into account qualification?
- Can anonymous contact engagement trigger MQA status?
- Is your conversion process flexible enough for account-based motions?
6. Buying Committees: The Secret Sauce
At the most basic level, the key difference between MQL and MQA methodologies can be explained as a difference in signals. MQLs being the signal of individual interest (that may or may be weighted based on the account they are related to) and MQAs which are a shared/group signal, typically inferred using tracked account-level intent data and/or an ABM platform. Due to this distinction, you will likely need to consider the concept of buying groups in your MQA process, and ideally will already have or considered the following:
- Standardized job role/function data
- Clear buying committee definitions based on account (company) size
- A process for identifying and tagging committee members
Reality Check: Start manual, automate later. I've watched teams spend months trying to automate buying committee identification when a simple manual tagging process would have gotten them 80% there in weeks.
Your Implementation Roadmap
- Audit First: Map your existing infrastructure
- Define Relationships: Document MQL-MQA interactions
- Set Timing Rules: Establish surfacing/resurfacing logic
- Address Conversions: Align lead conversion with MQA needs
- Start Simple: Manual processes before automation
- Test and Iterate: Launch with a pilot group
The Human Element
Remember, behind every successful martech implementation is a team of humans who need to adopt new processes. Your technical architecture might be flawless, but if it creates friction for your sales team, it will fail.
I learned this the hard way during an early MQA implementation. We built a beautiful, complex system that sales promptly ignored. The lesson? Familiarity breeds adoption. Evolution, not revolution.
Looking Ahead
As we move deeper into 2025, the shift from MQLs to MQAs isn't just a trend—it's a fundamental reimagining of how we think about B2B engagement. Your martech stack should reflect this evolution, not fight against it.
The most successful transitions I've witnessed share one common thread: they honor the past while building for the future. Your existing MQL infrastructure isn't obsolete—it's the foundation for something greater.
Ready to make the shift? Start with an audit, start small and embrace incremental change, and remember: the best martech implementations feel inevitable, not forced.
About the author
Service page feature
