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.

Step 1: Build Belief with Data

To drive adoption of MQAs, you need both belief and proof. Start with data to make the case:

• Compare single-threaded vs. multi-threaded deals: Multi-contact deals close faster and generate more revenue.
• Measure people-per-opportunity: Identify how many leads typically engage in closed-won deals.  Include anonymous, first-party, and intent signals to get a complete picture of account activity.

This helps unify teams around the reality that accounts, not individuals, are the true opportunities, and buying is a collaborative process.

And with that proof, you’re ready to have the conversation about  this shift might require and not only from a systems and process standpoint.  A successful transition from MQL to MQA starts with philosophical alignment across Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success.

Ask the tough questions:

• Do all three teams truly see themselves as one unified Revenue team?
  Alignment starts with mindset. Teams must move beyond functional silos and commit to shared accountability for bookings and revenue.
• Is there agreement that new ways of working are necessary?
  MQA is not just a change in terminology; it’s a change in behavior. Are teams willing to collaborate differently to reach shared goals?
• Is there a shared understanding of what an MQA is?
  Success hinges on a collective recognition that the account, not the individual lead, is the real opportunity. Is everyone on board with this shift?
• Do they embrace the buying group reality?
  B2B purchases are made by committees, not solo decision-makers. Are all teams aligned around the concept of a buying group?
• Have they agreed on the personas or roles that make up the buying group?
  This clarity ensures consistent messaging and prioritization across the revenue team.
• Are they ready to leave volume-based thinking behind?
  MQA demands a quality-over-quantity mindset, focusing on meaningful buying signals, even if that means seeing fewer “leads” at first.
• The critical question: Are we ready to collaborate as one revenue team, recognizing that the account (not the individual) is the true opportunity?

Without this foundational alignment, even the best systems and processes will fall short. The shift to MQA is as much about mindset as mechanics.

Philosophical alignment is the foundation. Without it, operational changes will meet resistance. This is a cultural shift, not just a process one.

Step 2: Operational Alignment: Pilot and Scale

Once belief is secured, operational alignment turns theory into practice. Start small with a pilot program:

Pilot Planning & Alignment

• Align on pilot scope: define goals, success metrics, duration, and participating accounts.
• Identify necessary marketing adjustments across campaigns, content, messaging, offers, and processes.
• Jointly select BDRs for the pilot, define inspection criteria, feedback loop, and meeting cadence.

Operational Setup

• Establish a manual process for surfacing MQAs to BDRs using CRM and intent tools.
• Train selected BDRs to engage full buying groups with persona-specific outreach.

Pilot Execution

• Hold recurring check-ins with BDRs to capture feedback on messaging, processes, and data quality.
• Document workflows, highlight gaps, and capture insights to inform automation and scaling.

Organization-Wide Rollout
Incorporate insights from the pilot to refine and implement the following across the organization:

1. Define MQAs and Criteria: align on what qualifies as an MQA: key behaviors, roles, and buying group composition.

2. Map Signals to Actions: identify key buying signals and link them to tailored content, tactics, and role-specific messaging.

3. Score and Prioritize Accounts: collaborate with Sales on scoring models and ensure MQAs surface clearly in your systems.

4. Redesign BDR Process: adapt research steps, outreach strategy, SLAs, and compensation to MQA workflows.

5. Refine Marketing’s Role: focus on engaging full buying groups and define post-MQA responsibilities and success metrics.

6. Ensure System Readiness: validate tech, workflows, manual tests, and feedback loops to support MQA execution.

7. Embrace Change Management: prepare for a mindset shift from leads to accounts; ensure leadership and team readiness.

This phaseis all about evolving from working individual leads to orchestrating multi-threaded engagement across an account.

Step 3: Shared Metrics and Goals

If Sales and Marketing don’t share goals, alignment will falter. MQAs require new metrics focused on account engagement and pipeline progression—not just lead volume.

Align around these metrics:

• MQA Volume and Quality: How many accounts reach MQA status each month? How many are accepted by Sales?
• Buying Group Engagement: Are the right personas engaging across channels? Are Marketing and Sales activating different roles effectively?
• Pipeline Conversion: What percentage of MQAs convert to opportunities? What’s the average time-to-opportunity from MQA?
• Deal Value and Win Rate: How do MQA-generated deals compare to traditional leads? Are they larger, faster, more likely to close?
• BDR Effectiveness: How are BDRs performing under the new model? Are their follow-ups timely, strategic, and aligned with signal-driven outreach?

Redefine compensation models to reward opportunity generation and revenue impact, not just top-of-funnel lead creation.

Make the Shift to Account-Based Growth

The MQL model no longer reflects how modern B2B buying happens. MQAs offer a clearer, more effective path to revenue, but only if belief, process, and performance metrics align. Prove it with data. Operationalize with pilots. Measure what truly matters. This is how you move from fragmented execution to a focused, revenue-generating engine. The shift isn’t optional. This is how you turn alignment into acceleration. It provides the path to sustainable, account-based growth.

The Opportunity Cost of Inaction

Sticking with the MQL model doesn’t just slow growth, it costs you pipeline, revenue, and strategic influence. While your team chases individual leads, real buying groups are forming and making decisions often anonymously and well before a form fill. By the time someone from Sales is engaged, over 80% of buyers have already picked a shortlist of vendors. That means you're arriving late, missing the chance to shape the conversation, and wasting resources on signals that don’t matter. MQAs let you engage buying groups early, prioritize real opportunity, and rally your revenue team around what actually drives revenue. The longer you delay the shift, the more deals  you cede to competitors who already understand how modern B2B buying works. Can you really afford that?

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