Resource

    🗒️ Lead Lifecycle Stages Cheat Sheet

    2/26/2025
    By Sara McNamara

    📌 Overview

    Use this template to define, measure, and optimize your lifecycle stages, ensuring a clean funnel and alignment between marketing and sales.
     

    Section 1: Define Your Lifecycle Stages

    Below are common lifecycle stages, but you can customize them for your business:
    Stage
    Definition
    Entry Criteria
    Exit Criteria
    Inquiry
    Contact who has shown initial interest (ex: signed up for a newsletter).
    Subscribes to content but hasn’t engaged in buying signals.
    Engages with higher intent marketing content or fills out a lead form.
    Lead/Engaged
    A contact who has taken action but isn't qualified yet.
    Downloaded a resource, attended a webinar, or engaged with medium/high intent content.
    Meets scoring criteria to become an MQL.
    MQL (Marketing Qualified Lead)
    A lead that meets marketing’s qualification criteria.
    Reaches a lead score threshold (builds up score through page visits, content engagement).
    Sales accepts and actively works the lead.
    SAL (Sales Accepted Lead)
    A lead that has been reviewed and accepted by sales but has not yet been fully qualified.
    Sales reviews the MQL and determines that it meets the basic criteria for further qualification.
    Moves to SQL if sales engages with the lead (ex: books a meeting) or disqualified if it does not meet further qualification.
    SQL (Sales Qualified Lead)
    A lead accepted by sales for direct outreach.
    Sales confirms interest, books a meeting, or qualifies the lead.
    Moves to an opportunity or is disqualified.
    Opportunity
    A contact in an active sales cycle.
    A deal is created in the CRM.
    Closes as won or lost.
    Customer
    A closed-won opportunity.
    Signed contract or payment received.
    Becomes an evangelist or at risk of churn.
    Evangelist
    A happy customer who refers others.
    Actively engaging and promoting the product.
    N/A

    Section 2: Benchmarks & Key Metrics

    Use these benchmarks to assess funnel health:
    • Lead to MQL: 25% to 35%
    • MQL to SQL: 13% to 26%
    • SQL to Opportunity: 50% to 62%
    • Opportunity to Close: 15% to 30%
    • Lifecycle Stage Velocity: How long does a lead stay in each stage? (Shorter is better, as long as they are converting!)
     

    Section 3: Self-Assessment Checklist

    Are all lifecycle stages clearly defined and used consistently?
    Is sales actively accepting and engaging with MQLs?
    Do you track lifecycle stage conversion rates in your CRM?
    Are leads getting stuck in any stage for too long?
    Is automation in place to move leads through stages?
    📌 If you answered "No" to any of these, it’s time to hone in on that (or those) area(s).
     

    🛠️ Section 4: Lifecycle Stage Action Plan

    • Problem Areas Identified: (Example: Where do leads drop off?)
    • Changes to Make: (Example: Refine MQL criteria, improve sales follow-up.)
    • Owners: (Example: Who will be responsible?)
    • Timeline for Fixes: (Example: By when will changes be implemented? In which order?)
     
     

    Related Guides

    🕵️‍♂️ The RevOps Guide to AI Agents

    🕵️‍♂️ Intent Data Use Case Template

    Coffee Kitty

    The Marketing Operations Strategist Newsletter

    Join 3,500+ operations professionals. Get actionable MOPs tips every month.