PQL
Also known as: Product Qualified Lead
Product Qualified Lead: a user qualified by product usage as ready for a sales conversation, rather than by demographic or behavioral data outside the product.
A PQL (Product Qualified Lead) is a user who has demonstrated through in-product behavior that they are ready for a sales conversation. This is fundamentally different from an MQL, which is qualified on marketing behavior (whitepaper downloads, webinar attendance) and demographic fit. A PQL has touched the product, hit an aha moment, and shown behavior that correlates with willingness-to-pay.
Typical PQL criteria: activation reached, multiple sessions within 14 days, key features used, paywall encountered, teammates invited, or a usage threshold crossed that historically correlates with conversion. The exact definition is company-specific and must be derived by looking retrospectively at your best paying customers.
PQLs typically convert 3-5x higher than MQLs because product usage is a stronger buying signal than any form of marketing behavior. For PLG companies, the PQL pipeline is the most important sales pipeline.