Service Level Agreement (SLA) Template: Sales & Marketing

Company: [Company Name]

Effective Date: [Date]

Review Date: [Date - Six months from Effective Date] (Review annually or biannually)

I. Introduction

This Service Level Agreement (SLA) outlines the agreed-upon expectations and responsibilities between the Sales and Marketing departments to ensure a seamless lead generation and conversion process. This agreement aims to foster collaboration, improve lead quality, and accelerate sales success.

II. Definitions

• Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL): A lead generated by marketing activities who demonstrates initial interest in the product/service based on pre-defined criteria (demographics, firmographics, website behavior).

• Sales Qualified Lead (SQL): An MQL who has further demonstrated purchase intent through additional actions or third-party intent signals.

• Lead Score: A numerical value assigned to a lead based on their engagement with marketing activities and website behavior.

• Third-Party Intent Signals: Data from external sources indicating a company's active research or interest in solutions similar to yours (e.g., website visit data, social media mentions, industry reports).

III. Lead Qualification

A. Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL) Criteria:

• Meets pre-defined demographic and firmographic criteria (industry, company size, location, etc.)

• Demonstrates website behavior indicative of interest (e.g., visits specific product pages, downloads white papers, engages with pricing information).

• Achieves a minimum lead score based on activity and engagement.

B. Sales Qualified Lead (SQL) Criteria:

• Meets MQL criteria.

• Demonstrates additional purchase intent through one or more of the following: Requests a demo or consultation. Engages with sales emails or phone calls. Exhibits high intent based on third-party signals (e.g., website visit data suggesting in-depth product research or social media mentions of specific needs).

IV. Lead Generation & Handoff Process

A. Marketing Responsibilities:

• Develop and execute marketing campaigns to generate leads aligned with buyer personas and sales goals.

• Implement lead scoring system to identify and prioritize MQLs.

• Nurture MQLs with targeted content and campaigns to move them further down the sales funnel.

• Provide sales with regular reports on lead generation activities and performance metrics.

B. Sales Responsibilities:

• Clearly communicate to marketing the ideal customer profile and desired lead characteristics.

• Participate in the development of MQL criteria and lead scoring models.

• Promptly follow up (within [X days]) on qualified leads received from marketing.

• Provide feedback to marketing on lead quality and suggest improvements to lead nurturing strategies.

V. Communication & Collaboration

• Weekly or bi-weekly meetings will be held to discuss lead generation progress, campaign performance, and lead quality.

• An open communication channel will be established (e.g., shared CRM, collaboration platform) to facilitate information sharing and feedback exchange.

• Both teams will participate in joint training sessions to gain a deeper understanding of each other's processes and challenges.

VI. Measurement & Review

A. Metrics:

• Number of leads generated by marketing.

• MQL to SQL conversion rate.

• Sales cycle length.

• Customer acquisition cost (CAC).

B. Review Process:

• This SLA will be reviewed and updated every [X months] based on performance data and feedback from both teams.

• Adjustments might be made to lead qualification criteria, lead scoring models, or handoff processes to optimize lead generation and sales effectiveness.

VII. Third-Party Intent Signals

• Marketing and sales will integrate third-party intent data to further refine lead qualification.

• Intent signals like website visit data, social media activity, and industry research reports will be used to identify leads with high purchase intent.

• Leads demonstrating high intent will be prioritized for immediate sales follow-up.

VIII. Success Criteria

• Increased generation of qualified leads.

• Improved MQL to SQL conversion rate.

• Shorter sales cycle length.

• Reduced customer acquisition cost.

• Enhanced collaboration and communication between Sales and Marketing.

IX. Signatures

• This SLA is a commitment to collaboration between Sales and Marketing. By signing below, both teams acknowledge their roles and responsibilities in achieving shared goals.

Sales Team Representative: [Name & Title]

Marketing Team Representative: [Name & Title]