The percentage of discovery calls where the prospect is confirmed as a qualified sales opportunity.
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Qualification rate measures how many of your booked meetings result in a genuinely qualified opportunity. It is calculated by dividing qualified opportunities by completed discovery calls, then multiplying by 100.
A qualification rate of 60% means that for every 10 discovery calls, six are confirmed as real opportunities worth pursuing.
This metric is owned by sales but influenced by marketing. If marketing sends poorly qualified leads, qualification rate drops. If sales has unclear qualification criteria, the metric becomes meaningless.
Qualification happens during the discovery call using a framework like BANT (Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline) or MEDDIC. The prospect either meets your criteria or they do not. No maybes.
A low qualification rate means you are wasting sales time on calls that go nowhere. A high qualification rate means your funnel is sending the right people to sales.
Qualification rate separates real opportunities from dead ends. Not every meeting is a potential deal. Some prospects have no budget. Some have no authority. Some have no real problem to solve. Qualification rate tells you how many of your meetings are worth continuing.
This metric requires clear qualification criteria. Without them, qualification becomes subjective and the metric loses meaning.
Qualification rate directly impacts sales efficiency. If a salesperson does 20 calls per week with a 30% qualification rate, they generate 6 opportunities. At 60% qualification rate, they generate 12 opportunities from the same effort.
This metric also creates accountability between marketing and sales. If qualification rate drops, either marketing is sending worse leads or sales is qualifying too harshly. The data starts the conversation.
Low qualification rate is expensive. Every unqualified call costs time that could be spent on real opportunities. Improving qualification rate means more pipeline from the same sales capacity.
First, define your qualification criteria. Common frameworks:
Then calculate:
Qualification rate = (Qualified opportunities / Completed discovery calls) × 100
Track this weekly by:
To improve qualification rate:
A company has a 40% qualification rate. They add two qualifying questions to their demo request form: company size and current solution. Leads that do not fit are routed to self-serve content instead of sales. Qualification rate increases to 65%.
A B2B company finds that LinkedIn ads produce leads with a 55% qualification rate while Google Ads produce 30%. They shift budget toward LinkedIn and qualification rate increases across the board.
A sales team has inconsistent qualification. One rep qualifies at 70%, another at 35%. They standardise on a BANT checklist and require all four criteria to be confirmed. Team average qualification rate stabilises at 55%.
Your sales pipeline works exactly like a marketing funnel, you just need to know how to optimise it. Build the assets that help your team close: proposals that win, workflows that keep deals moving, and materials that answer objections before they kill opportunities.
Deals slip through cracks when your sales stack doesn't work together. These tools keep your pipeline visible, your follow-ups timely, and your process tight.
HubSpot is powerful when configured properly and a mess when it's not. Set up your instance correctly from the start so your data stays clean and your team trusts the system.
Sales reps waste hours on admin when HubSpot isn't set up for how they actually work. Configure your workspace so the CRM helps you sell instead of slowing you down.
A bad discovery call wastes everyone's time. A good one uncovers real needs, builds trust, and positions your solution as the obvious choice before you ever pitch.
The percentage of proposals sent that result in a signed contract.
Qualify leads systematically by assessing budget, authority, need, and timing to focus sales effort on high-potential opportunities.
The percentage of discovery calls where the prospect is confirmed as a qualified sales opportunity.
Flag leads who meet defined engagement or fit criteria, creating a qualified handoff between marketing and sales for efficient follow-up.
Sequence multiple touchpoints across channels and time to increase response rates through persistent but respectful follow-up that prospects don't perceive as harassment.
Identify prospects that sales has vetted as qualified opportunities, establishing the handoff from marketing to active deal pursuit.
Gradually collect information across multiple form submissions rather than overwhelming new leads with long forms that decrease conversion rates.
The percentage of qualified opportunities that receive a formal proposal or quote.
Require email addresses in exchange for valuable content to generate leads whilst ensuring the asset provides enough value to justify the friction.
Conduct exploratory conversations to understand prospect situations and qualify fit before investing time in demos or proposals that might waste both parties' time.
Prepare responses to common purchase concerns to address doubts confidently and move deals forward rather than being surprised by predictable pushback.
Identify individuals who've shown initial interest in your offering, separating them from cold prospects for targeted nurture.
Offer specific downloadable resources related to blog content to convert readers into leads by providing deeper value on topics they're already interested in.
Use specific tactics that ask for the sale and overcome final hesitation to convert qualified prospects who need a clear signal that it's time to commit.