Definitions
What is the difference between an MQL and an SQL in financial services?
Last reviewed 22 April 2026 · Reviewed by Jake McQuillan
Quick answer
What is the difference between an MQL and an SQL in financial services?
An MQL has shown intent (form fill, webinar attend); an SQL has been qualified by a human on budget, timeline and suitability to progress to advice.
Want us to do this for your firm?
Get a compliant lead-gen plan tailored to your niche and compliance setup.
Staging
- Lead: contact captured
- MQL: engaged meaningfully (form + scoring threshold)
- SQL: phone-qualified on pot size, urgency and fit
- Opportunity: consultation booked
- Client: fee signed
UK specifics
Add suitability signals (FCA-style fact-find mini) as part of SQL gating - this raises adviser productivity 30-50%.
Was this useful?
Related questions
What is a fact-find in financial advice?
A fact find is the structured discovery meeting where an adviser collects detailed information on a client's finances, goals, risk tolerance and personal circu…
What is a lead magnet for financial advice?
A lead magnet for financial advice is a free resource — guide, calculator, audit, review — given in exchange for contact details, used to filter interested pro…
What is the difference between a lead and a prospect?
A lead has given contact details; a prospect has been qualified as having the right need, assets and timeline. Prospects convert at 3 5x the rate of raw leads.
What is customer lifetime value (LTV) for a financial adviser?
The average UK IFA client LTV is typically £8k £40k+, depending on fee model, AUM size and retention, driven mainly by ongoing advice charges on AUM over 7 15…
What is the difference between CPL and CAC?
CPL is the cost per raw lead (e.g., form fill); CAC is the total cost per acquired client. CAC is always higher than CPL and depends on lead to client conversi…