Definition
A sales-accepted lead (SAL) is a lead that sales agrees is worth working, often a checkpoint between MQL and SQL.
Example
An SDR reviews an MQL, confirms basic fit, and accepts it for follow-up as SAL.
How to use it
- Use SAL to align marketing and sales on quality expectations.
- Track SAL rate by channel to identify high-quality lead sources.
- Set a response-time SLA so accepted leads are worked quickly.
Common mistakes
- Accepting leads without a quick qualification pass.
- Letting SAL criteria vary by rep, which breaks reporting.
Why this matters
This term matters because small changes compound in SaaS metrics. Use consistent definitions by cohort and segment so you can diagnose retention, payback, and growth quality.
Practical checklist
- Write a 1-line definition for "SAL (Sales-accepted Lead)" that your team will use consistently.
- Keep the time window consistent (weekly/monthly/quarterly) when comparing trends.
- Segment results (channel/plan/cohort) before drawing big conclusions from blended averages.
- Sanity-check with a related calculator from the same category on MetricKit.
- Read the related guide (e.g., Sales ops metrics hub: quota, pipeline, win rate, and capacity planning) for context and common pitfalls.
Where to use this on MetricKit
Calculators
- PQL to Paid Conversion Calculator: Compute PQL-to-paid conversion rate and the number of paid customers implied by PQL volume.
- Gross Margin Impact Calculator: Quantify how gross margin changes affect gross profit LTV, payback, and LTV:CAC (before vs after).
- Pricing & Packaging Guardrails Calculator: Set guardrails for pricing changes by translating ARPA, margin, churn, and target payback into max discount and min price targets.
- CAC Calculator: Calculate Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) from total acquisition spend and new customers.
- Fully-loaded CAC Calculator: Calculate fully-loaded CAC by including paid spend plus sales & marketing costs (salaries, tools, and other acquisition costs).
Guides
- Sales ops metrics hub: quota, pipeline, win rate, and capacity planning: A practical hub for sales ops planning: quota attainment, pipeline coverage, required pipeline, sales capacity with ramp, and OTE math.