SAL (Sales Accepted Lead)

What is a SAL?

A Sales Accepted Lead (SAL) is a marketing-qualified lead that has been reviewed and accepted by the sales team for follow-up. It represents the critical handoff point between marketing and sales.

The SAL stage ensures that only qualified, relevant leads progress to sales engagement. When marketing delivers a lead, sales evaluates whether it meets their criteria for pursuit. If accepted, it becomes a SAL.

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Why SAL Matters

The SAL stage solves one of the biggest problems in B2B revenue: marketing-sales misalignment.

Without clear SAL criteria:

• Marketing generates leads that sales ignores
• Sales complains about lead quality
• No one knows where the funnel leaks

With proper SAL definition:

• Marketing knows exactly what to deliver
• Sales trusts and follows up on leads quickly
• Both teams share accountability for pipeline health

The MQL-to-SAL conversion rate is a key health metric. A 70-90% acceptance rate indicates strong alignment. Lower rates signal a disconnect between what marketing thinks is qualified and what sales will actually work.

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SAL vs MQL vs SQL

Understanding the lead qualification journey:

MQL (Marketing Qualified Lead):

• Meets marketing criteria based on behavior and demographics
• Downloaded a whitepaper, attended a webinar, fits firmographics
• Marketing's assessment: "This looks like our target buyer"

SAL (Sales Accepted Lead):

• Sales has reviewed and agreed to pursue
• Passed initial sales vetting (company size, role, timing check)
• Sales's assessment: "Worth a sales conversation"

SQL (Sales Qualified Lead):

• Sales has actively qualified the opportunity
• Confirmed budget, authority, need, timeline
• Sales's assessment: "Ready for active selling"

The SAL is the bridge that ensures smooth handoffs and wasted effort.

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Benchmarks

MQL to SAL Conversion Rate:

• 70-90% is healthy
• 90-95%+ indicates excellent alignment
• Below 70% signals definition misalignment

MQL to SQL Conversion Rate:

• 13-20% is good
• Top performers achieve 25%+

Lead Response Time:

• Best practice: Under 5 minutes
• Within 1 hour significantly increases conversion

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Best Practices

1. Define Clear Acceptance Criteria
- Document exactly what makes a lead sales-ready
- Include: company size, job title, geography, budget range, buying timeline
- Get both marketing and sales leadership sign-off

2. Create a Feedback Loop
- Sales should quickly accept or reject leads (within 24-48 hours)
- Require reasons for rejection so marketing can adjust
- Meet weekly to review SL quality and refine definitions

3. Use a Service Level Agreement (SLA)
- Marketing commits to delivering X leads per month
- Sales commits to contacting SALs within Y hours
- Both teams share pipeline goals

4. Track the Right Metrics
- MQL → SAL conversion rate (marketing quality)
- SAL → SQL conversion rate (sales effectiveness)
- Time from SAL creation to first contact

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Common Mistakes

• Vague criteria - "Good fit" means different things to different people
• No feedback - Sales silently rejects leads without explanation
• Gaming metrics - Marketing generates low-volume MQLs to keep acceptance rates high
• Political disputes - Sales blames marketing, marketing blames sales

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Key Takeaways

• A SAL is a lead that both marketing and sales agree is worth pursuing
• Clear SAL criteria prevents wasted time and finger-pointing
• Target 70-90% MQL-to-SAL acceptance rates
• Establish SLAs and feedback loops between teams
• Review and refine SAL definitions quarterly based on performance