A Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL) is a prospective customer who has shown a level of interest in a company's product or service through their interactions with marketing efforts.

An MQL is typically further up the sales funnel than a Sales Qualified Lead (SQL), which is a prospect who has been identified as having a higher likelihood of becoming a paying customer based on their engagement with a company's marketing and sales efforts.

To qualify as an MQL, a prospect must meet certain criteria, such as:

1. Demonstrating interest in the company's product or service by downloading a white paper, attending a webinar, or subscribing to a newsletter.
2. Having a specific need or pain point that the company's product or service can address.
3. Meeting certain demographic or firmographic criteria, such as job title, company size, or industry.

Once a prospect has been identified as an MQL, they are typically passed on to the marketing team for further nurturing through targeted campaigns, such as email marketing, social media advertising, or personalized content, to move them towards becoming an SQL and eventually a paying customer.