How to Get Marketing Qualified Leads – 7 Strategies for B2B Brands

If you’re a Canadian B2B brand or small business wondering how to get marketing qualified leads (MQLs), you’re not alone! The constant need for high-quality leads that convert is why businesses contact experienced marketers for help. With the right strategy, you can attract, nurture, and pass along prospects who are eager and ready to buy… without the need to hire a marketing consultant for help.

In this guide, we’ll break down exactly what marketing qualified leads are, why they matter, and most importantly, how you can consistently generate them for your business:

MQLs are high-value prospects – These leads have shown buying signals (e.g., downloads, sign-ups, repeat site visits) and are more likely to convert than general leads.

Focusing on MQLs improves ROI – Prioritizing qualified leads boosts sales close rates, shortens sales cycles, and attracts ideal customers.

Define & nurture your ideal MQL – Create content and automation workflows specifically designed to educate and move prospects closer to a purchase decision.

Differentiate MQLs from SQLs – Understanding that MQLs need nurturing before becoming sales-qualified ensures smoother handoff and better conversion rates.

Align marketing and sales teams – Agree on lead definitions, follow-up SLAs, and use shared CRM tools to prevent lead leakage and maximize conversions.

Leverage the right tech stack – CRM, automation, user behavior tools, and ABM advertising platforms make MQL generation scalable and measurable.

Consistent execution matters – Strategy alone isn’t enough; success depends on continuous testing, refinement, and collaboration across teams.

A marketing qualified lead (MQL) is a prospect who has shown enough interest or engagement to be deemed more likely to become a customer compared to other leads. They’re typically identified through behaviors like:

The idea is simple: these leads aren’t totally “sales ready” yet, but they’ve shown clear buying signals. To help these leads convert, marketing teams will typically work with the sales team via software like Salesforce. Or talk via email and meetings to convert the MQLs into SQLs (sales-qualified leads). However, if your sales and marketing teams tend to compete rather than collaborate… There are tactics to convert without help from sales.

Not all leads are created equal. Chasing every name or email you collect is a fast way to burn your time and patience. Focusing on generating high-quality MQLs will help:

Improve close rates for your sales team, shorten the sales cycle, maximize your marketing ROI, and ensures your brand attracts the right clients.

For B2B companies where deals are larger and buying cycles are longer, generating more marketing-qualified leads can be the difference between missing and surpassing your revenue targets.

So, how do you start generating marketing qualified leads? Here’s a strategic approach:

Following this checklist is a great way to stay on track with your MQL goals and helps to improve your current marketing qualified lead strategy.

If you’re serious about growing your B2B business, remember: it’s not just about getting more leads, it’s about getting the right leads. By defining your ideal MQL, crafting targeted content, using smart automation, and continually optimizing, you’ll build a pipeline packed with prospects who are actually ready to buy.

MQLs (Marketing Qualified Leads) are interested, but not ready to talk to sales just yet. They need nurturing and education.

SQLs (Sales Qualified Leads) have taken steps like booking a demo or requesting pricing that signal buying intent. They’re ready to speak to sales.

Understanding the difference helps you tailor your content accordingly and improves your timing to ensure you’re not pushing leads too hard/too fast.

One of the biggest reasons MQLs don’t convert is a lack of alignment between marketing and sales. Here’s how to fix that:

Remember, MQLs are only valuable if the sales team knows what to do with them. Meet regularly to review quality of leads and close feedback loops.

The right tech stack can make your MQL strategy scalable and measurable. Here are some popular tools Maple Marketer has experience with:

For lead scoring and email nurturing – CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tools and email marketing software

For monitoring user behaviour and website optimization – site heatmaps and user behaviour monitoring tools

For B2B lead generation ads – campaign managers and ABM (Account-Based Marketing) tools

For creating interactive lead capture forms – ideal tools for landing pages and lead funnel creation

For B2B data enrichment and lead generation – tools that can analyze and improve lead data in real time

Bottom line:

Getting marketing qualified leads isn’t just about strategy. It’s about execution. That requires the right tools, team, and experts behind the scenes.