Move beyond MQLs by measuring impact across the full lifecycle. Measure 1) Preference: Did buyers engage before an opportunity was created? 2) Acceleration: Did marketing's presence improve win rates on existing opportunities? 3) Creation: Did marketing source demand that wouldn't have otherwise existed?

Jon Miller, who helped popularize the MQL, now compares its linear funnel to the geocentric model of the solar system. He argues it was a once-useful simplification that no longer reflects the complex, nonlinear reality of B2B buying, as it ignores the most important, untrackable parts of the journey.

Top-performing companies are abandoning traditional metrics like MQLs. They now focus on understanding the entire prospecting process—from lead creation to BDR/SDR engagement—to generate stronger pipeline, higher win rates, and more revenue with less wasted effort.

Executives are indifferent to the philosophical nuances of new measurement models. To convince them to abandon legacy metrics like MQLs, frame the change around what they care about: cost of growth, CAC payback, EBITDA, and overall business risk, not just better marketing data.

The inertia behind outdated metrics is a quantifiable problem. A poll of senior marketing leaders found their biggest issue is that leadership is "obsessed with MQLs and they don't know anything different." This suggests the primary battle for modern measurement is often fought in the boardroom, not the marketing department.

In B2B sales with multiple decision-makers, tracking individual MQLs is a "lazy metric" that misrepresents buying intent. Success depends on identifying and engaging the entire buying group. Marketing's goal should be to qualify the group, not just a single lead.

Instead of asking who the decision-makers are for the current deal, inquire about how they've made similar purchasing decisions in the past. This question, asked early when prospects are more relaxed, makes them more forthcoming about committees and internal processes, revealing the true path to a sale.

To counter a CFO's "gumball machine" view of marketing ROI, Jon Miller suggests asking them to detail their own recent B2B purchase journey. This personal reflection often reveals a complex, non-linear process driven by word-of-mouth, making them more open to funding hard-to-measure brand initiatives.

A poll of marketing leaders revealed their top challenge with MQLs is that "leadership is obsessed with them." The primary barrier to evolving marketing measurement isn't a lack of better metrics, but the deeply embedded cultural and executive buy-in for a flawed, volume-based system.