Use this template to define, measure, and optimize your lifecycle stages, ensuring a clean funnel and alignment between marketing and sales.
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 |
Use these benchmarks to assess funnel health: