Sales lead qualification process flowchart

Lead qualification process flowchart

A worked example to adapt. Rename steps, add branches and owners to match how your team actually works.

flowchart TD
  s(["New inbound lead"])
  enr["Enrich company and role data"]
  d1{"Fits ideal customer profile?"}
  nur["Add to nurture sequence"]
  mql["Mark as marketing-qualified"]
  call["Sales discovery call"]
  d2{"Need, budget, authority, timing?"}
  dq(["Disqualify with reason"])
  opp["Create opportunity in CRM"]
  e(["Proposal stage"])
  s --> enr
  enr --> d1
  d1 -->|No| nur
  d1 -->|Yes| mql
  mql --> call
  call --> d2
  d2 -->|Yes| opp
  d2 -->|No fit| dq
  d2 -->|Not yet| nur
  opp --> e

About this lead qualification process flowchart

Lead qualification is the handoff between marketing and sales, and the place leads most often go quiet. A flowchart sets the rules both teams agree on: what counts as a fit, when sales calls, and what happens to leads that aren't ready.

This example uses a BANT-style check (budget, authority, need, timing). Swap in MEDDIC or your own criteria.

Step by step

1. Enrich. Add company size, industry and role so the lead can be scored.
2. Fit check. Leads outside your ideal customer profile go to nurture, not to sales.
3. MQL. Fitting leads are marked marketing-qualified and routed to a rep.
4. Discovery. A call checks need, budget, authority and timing.
5. Route. Qualified leads become opportunities; others are disqualified with a reason or nurtured.

How to make it in flow-chart.io

1. Start from the example. Edit the text in the generator box above so it names your own qualification criteria and CRM stages, then press Generate. The free preview needs no sign-up.
2. Add the branches. Add the decision points that matter for you, for example existing customer? or territory routing. Each decision becomes a diamond with labeled outcomes.
3. Assign owners. Save the diagram to the editor (free account) and rename steps to show who does what: marketing ops, SDR and account executive.
4. Share or export. Share a read-only view link: people with the link can view the diagram but not edit it. Downloads as PNG, SVG or PDF are part of Flow Pro (see pricing).

Tips

• Write the fit criteria on the decision diamond so both teams see the same rule.
• Always record a disqualification reason.
• Set a response-time target for MQLs.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between an MQL and an SQL?

A marketing-qualified lead fits your profile and showed interest; a sales-qualified lead has been confirmed by sales as a real buying opportunity.

What is BANT?

A qualification checklist: budget, authority, need and timing.

Can I generate my own qualification flow?

Yes. Edit the steps in the generator box and press Generate.

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