Sales says marketing leads are poor quality. How would you handle this?
What the interviewer wants to hear
- Listens and gets specific data
- Agrees MQL and SQL definitions together
- Uses CRM feedback loop and lead scoring
- Adjusts targeting and forms
- Shares common metrics such as pipeline
Model answer
I would not get defensive. I would ask sales for specific examples and pull CRM data on how leads from each campaign progress to meetings and deals. Usually the issue is that we never agreed what a good lead is, so I would run a session to define the ideal customer profile and clear MQL and SQL criteria. Then I would set up a feedback loop where sales mark leads as accepted or rejected with a reason in the CRM. With that data I can adjust targeting, exclude poor segments, add qualifying questions to forms and build a simple lead score so sales focus on the best leads first. Finally, I would report on shared metrics such as sales-accepted leads and pipeline value, so both teams are working toward the same number.
Can you answer it under time pressure?
Take a timed medium round and get scored on every answer.
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