Lead Handoff SLAs That Actually Work: From Marketing to Sales Without the Drop
Marketing generates the lead. Sales is supposed to work it. In between, leads die. Not because they were bad leads. Not because sales is lazy. Because the handoff has no defined criteria, no response time requirement, no feedback loop, and no accountability.
The four components of a working SLA
1. Handoff criteria
What qualifies a lead for handoff from marketing to sales? This must be specific and measurable, tied to the MQL definition you have aligned on. If the criteria are vague, the SLA is unenforceable.
2. Response time
How quickly must sales respond? For inbound leads, 5 minutes during business hours is the standard. For campaign-generated MQLs, 4 hours is common. The response time should be defined, tracked, and reported weekly.
3. Disposition requirements
Every lead should be dispositioned with a status: qualified and converted, disqualified with a specific reason, or returned to marketing for nurturing with an explanation. "No response" should not be an acceptable disposition.
4. Feedback loop
When sales disqualifies or returns a lead, that feedback should flow back to marketing with a reason. This closes the loop: marketing learns which leads are actually converting and adjusts targeting accordingly.
Measuring SLA compliance
Track three metrics weekly: SLA response time compliance (percentage contacted within the window), disposition rate (percentage with a valid disposition within 48 hours), and conversion rate (percentage that become opportunities). If response time compliance drops below 80%, escalate.
Lead handoff SLAs are one of the scoring criteria in the Process Standardization dimension of the AI-Ready RevOps Framework. When handoffs are undocumented and unmeasured, AI routing and scoring tools cannot optimize what is not tracked.
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Frequently asked questions
What is a lead handoff SLA?
A lead handoff SLA is a documented agreement between marketing and sales that specifies: what qualifies a lead for handoff, how quickly sales must respond, what constitutes a valid disposition, and what happens when the SLA is not met.
What is a good lead response time SLA?
Research consistently shows that responding within 5 minutes produces significantly higher contact and qualification rates. For inbound leads, a 5-minute response SLA during business hours is the standard.
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