Lifecycle Stage Definitions
Complete templates for lead lifecycle stages, MQL criteria by business type, SLAs, and rejection/recycling workflows.
Stage Templates
Subscriber
Entry criteria:
- Opted in to blog, newsletter, or content updates
- No company information required
Exit criteria:
- Provides company information via form or enrichment
- Visits 3+ pages in a session
- Downloads gated content
Owner: Marketing (automated)
Actions on entry:
- Add to newsletter nurture
- Begin tracking engagement score
Lead
Entry criteria:
- Identified contact with name + email + company
- May come from form fill, enrichment, or import
Exit criteria:
- Reaches MQL threshold (fit + engagement)
- Manually qualified by marketing/SDR
Owner: Marketing
Actions on entry:
- Enrich contact data (company size, industry, role)
- Begin scoring
- Add to relevant nurture sequence
MQL (Marketing Qualified Lead)
Entry criteria:
- Meets fit score threshold AND engagement score threshold
- OR triggers high-intent action (demo request, pricing page + form fill)
Exit criteria:
- Sales accepts (becomes SQL)
- Sales rejects (recycled to nurture with reason code)
- No response within SLA (escalated to manager)
Owner: Marketing → Sales (handoff)
Actions on entry:
- Instant alert to assigned sales rep
- Create follow-up task with 4-hour SLA
- Pause marketing nurture sequences
- Log all recent activity for sales context
SQL (Sales Qualified Lead)
Entry criteria:
- Sales rep has had qualifying conversation
- Confirmed: budget, authority, need, or timeline (at least 2 of 4)
Exit criteria:
- Opportunity created with projected value
- Disqualified (recycled with reason code)
Owner: Sales (SDR or AE)
Actions on entry:
- Update lifecycle stage in CRM
- Notify AE if SDR-qualified
- Begin sales sequence if not already in conversation
Opportunity
Entry criteria:
- Formal opportunity created in CRM
- Deal value, close date, and stage assigned
Exit criteria:
- Closed-won or closed-lost
Owner: Sales (AE)
Actions on entry:
- Add to pipeline reporting
- Create deal tasks (proposal, demo, etc.)
- Notify CS if deal is likely to close
Customer
Entry criteria:
- Closed-won deal
- Contract signed and payment terms set
Exit criteria:
- Churns, expands, or renews
Owner: Customer Success / Account Management
Actions on entry:
- Trigger onboarding sequence
- Assign CS manager
- Schedule kickoff call
- Remove from all sales sequences
Evangelist
Entry criteria:
- NPS score 9-10, or active referral behavior
- Agreed to case study, testimonial, or referral program
Exit criteria:
- Ongoing program participation
Owner: Customer Success + Marketing
Actions on entry:
- Add to advocacy program
- Request case study or testimonial
- Invite to referral program
- Feature in marketing campaigns (with permission)
MQL Criteria Templates by Business Type
PLG (Product-Led Growth)
Fit score (40% weight):
| Attribute | Points |
|---|---|
| Company size 10-500 | +15 |
| Company size 500-5000 | +20 |
| Target industry | +10 |
| Decision-maker role | +15 |
| Uses complementary tool | +10 |
Engagement score (60% weight) — weight product usage heavily:
| Signal | Points |
|---|---|
| Created free account | +15 |
| Completed onboarding | +20 |
| Used core feature 3+ times | +25 |
| Invited team member | +20 |
| Hit usage limit | +15 |
| Visited pricing page | +10 |
MQL threshold: 65 points
Sales-Led (Enterprise)
Fit score (60% weight) — weight fit heavily:
| Attribute | Points |
|---|---|
| Company size 500+ | +20 |
| Target industry | +15 |
| VP+ title | +20 |
| Budget authority confirmed | +15 |
| Uses competitor product | +10 |
Engagement score (40% weight):
| Signal | Points |
|---|---|
| Requested demo | +25 |
| Attended webinar | +10 |
| Downloaded whitepaper | +10 |
| Visited pricing page 2+ times | +15 |
| Engaged with sales email | +10 |
MQL threshold: 70 points
Mid-Market (Balanced)
Fit score (50% weight):
| Attribute | Points |
|---|---|
| Company size 50-1000 | +15 |
| Target industry | +10 |
| Manager+ title | +15 |
| Target geography | +10 |
Engagement score (50% weight):
| Signal | Points |
|---|---|
| Demo request | +25 |
| Free trial signup | +20 |
| Pricing page visit | +10 |
| Content download (2+) | +10 |
| Email click (3+) | +10 |
| Webinar attendance | +10 |
MQL threshold: 60 points
SLA Templates
MQL-to-SQL SLA
| Metric | Target | Escalation |
|---|---|---|
| First contact attempt | Within 4 business hours | Alert to sales manager at 4 hours |
| Qualification decision | Within 48 hours | Auto-escalate at 48 hours |
| Meeting scheduled (if qualified) | Within 5 business days | Weekly pipeline review flag |
SQL-to-Opportunity SLA
| Metric | Target | Escalation |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery call completed | Within 3 business days of SQL | Alert to AE manager |
| Opportunity created | Within 5 business days of SQL | Pipeline review flag |
Opportunity-to-Close SLA
| Metric | Target | Escalation |
|---|---|---|
| Proposal delivered | Within 5 business days of demo | AE manager alert |
| Deal stale in stage | 2x average days for that stage | Pipeline review flag |
| Close date pushed 2+ times | Immediate | Forecast review required |
Lead Rejection and Recycling
Rejection Reason Codes
| Code | Reason | Recycle Action |
|---|---|---|
| FIT-01 | Company too small | Nurture; re-score if company grows |
| FIT-02 | Wrong industry | Archive; do not recycle |
| FIT-03 | Wrong role / no authority | Nurture; monitor for org changes |
| ENG-01 | No response after 3 attempts | Recycle to nurture in 90 days |
| ENG-02 | Interested but bad timing | Recycle to nurture; re-engage in 60 days |
| QUAL-01 | No budget | Recycle to nurture in 90 days |
| QUAL-02 | Using competitor, locked in | Recycle; trigger before contract renewal |
| QUAL-03 | Not a real project | Archive; do not recycle |
Recycling Workflow
- Sales rejects MQL with reason code
- CRM updates lifecycle stage to "Recycled"
- Lead enters recycling nurture sequence (different from original nurture)
- Engagement score resets to baseline (keep fit score)
- If lead re-engages and crosses MQL threshold, re-route to sales with "Recycled MQL" flag
- Track recycled MQL conversion rate separately
Recycling Nurture Sequence
- Frequency: Bi-weekly or monthly (lower frequency than initial nurture)
- Content: Industry insights, case studies, product updates
- Duration: 6 months, then archive if no engagement
- Re-MQL trigger: High-intent action (demo request, pricing page revisit)