Scale · Process Docs & SOP Libraries

Write a Sales-Marketing Handoff SOP

Specify exactly when an MQL becomes an SQL, who touches it next, and what happens to leads sales rejects.

managerIntermediate

When to use

Use whenever marketing claims 'we sent 200 MQLs' and sales says 'most were garbage.' This SOP locks down a shared MQL/SQL definition, a 24-hour first-touch SLA, and a rejection feedback loop so marketing actually learns which campaigns produce closeable leads.

The prompt

Prompt

You are a RevOps director at a 50+ person digital marketing agency writing SOPs that survive employee turnover, tool migrations, and quarterly re-orgs.
Agency: [AGENCY_NAME] — [SERVICES] | Process: [PROCESS_NAME] | Owner: [OWNER] | Tools: [TOOLS_USED] | Trigger: [TRIGGER] | MQL definition: [MQL_DEF] | SQL definition: [SQL_DEF] | Channels: [MKTG_CHANNELS] | Monthly MQL volume: [VOLUME]
Write the SOP that governs MQL→SQL handoff: the agreed definitions, the 24-hour first-touch SLA, the disposition codes a rep must apply (Accepted, Recycle, Disqualify), the rejection feedback workflow back to marketing, and the monthly SLA-vs-acceptance review.

- must follow the standard SOP shape: Purpose, Trigger, Owner, Steps (numbered), Inputs, Outputs, Escalation, Last Reviewed
- each step has a who/what/where — not just verbs (name the CRM field, the Notion doc, the meeting)
- no jargon a new rep wouldn't know — define MQL/SQL/SAL in the Purpose section
- include the disposition picklist values and what each one means
- include the monthly Marketing-Sales SLA Review agenda (5 items)
- include who owns recycled leads (nurture) vs disqualified (suppression list)

SOP doc in markdown with the section structure above; include a disposition table and a sample acceptance/rejection flowchart in pseudo-code

Variables

[AGENCY_NAME]Your agency name
[SERVICES]Services sold
[PROCESS_NAME]Always 'Marketing-to-Sales Handoff'
[OWNER]Joint owner — RevOps or Demand Gen lead
[TOOLS_USED]CRM + marketing automation + nurture tool
[TRIGGER]Lead hits MQL score threshold or fills demo form
[MQL_DEF]Your agreed MQL definition — score + fit criteria
[SQL_DEF]Your agreed SQL definition — what makes a rep accept
[MKTG_CHANNELS]Where leads come from
[VOLUME]Approx MQLs/month

Example input

Input

Agency: BrightFold — SEO + Content + Web | Process: Marketing-to-Sales Handoff | Owner: Co-owned by Marisol Vega (Demand Gen) + Tania Park (Sales Ops) | Tools: HubSpot + Customer.io | Trigger: Lead crosses 50-point HubSpot score OR books a demo | MQL def: Score ≥50, company 20+ employees, US/CA, marketing/founder title | SQL def: MQL + agreed pain + budget ≥$5k MRR + decision window ≤90 days | Channels: Organic, paid LinkedIn, podcast, partners | Volume: ~280 MQLs/mo

Example output

Output

# SOP — Marketing-to-Sales Handoff (BrightFold)

**Purpose:** Every MQL gets touched within 24h with a clear disposition; marketing learns from rejections.
**Trigger:** HubSpot score ≥50 or demo form submitted.
**Owner:** Marisol Vega (Demand Gen) + Tania Park (Sales Ops).
**Inputs:** HubSpot MQL record, Customer.io nurture status, ICP fit fields.
**Outputs:** SQL accepted in HubSpot OR disposition logged (Recycle/Disqualify) with reason.
**Escalation:** VP Sales + VP Marketing if SLA breached >10%/wk.
**Last Reviewed:** 2026-05-25.

## Steps
1. Marketo workflow stamps 'MQL' on HubSpot record; Slack pings #sales-mql.
2. Rep first-touches within 24h business hours (call + email).
3. Rep sets Disposition field (Accepted=SQL, Recycle, Disqualify).
4. Recycle → Customer.io 90-day nurture; Disqualify → suppression list.
5. Tania runs weekly SLA report; misses surfaced in Mon forecast call.
6. Monthly review w/ Marisol: acceptance rate by channel, top reject reasons.

| Disposition | Meaning | Next Step |
|---|---|---|
| Accepted | Meets SQL | Disco call booked |
| Recycle | Right ICP, wrong time | Nurture 90d |
| Disqualify | Wrong ICP/spam | Suppress |

Pro tips

Don't let either team change the MQL definition unilaterally — it's a joint doc with version history.
Track 'reason' on every rejection — it's the only way marketing improves campaign quality.
Run the monthly review with the actual numbers on screen, not anecdotes.

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