Case studyPLG SaaS · DevTools$7M ARR9 weeks
3.2× MQL→SQL conversion
How a Series A PLG SaaS rebuilt PQL definitions and lifecycle automation — tripling MQL→SQL conversion in 9 weeks.
6.8% → 21.7%
MQL→SQL conversion
+18%
SQL→Closed-Won
−72%
AE rejection rate
5h → 11min
Time to first SDR touch
Engagement
Implementation Sprint — Foundation ($18K) + Integration ($14K)
Duration
9 weeks
Vertical
PLG SaaS · DevTools
The problem
MQL→SQL conversion sat at 6.8% — well below benchmark. Sales was rejecting marketing leads as unqualified. Marketing was claiming the leads were great. Both sides were right and both sides were wrong.
Layer 1
- Built Segment ↔ HubSpot identity resolution
- Connected product DB for usage signals (PostgreSQL)
Layer 2
- Defined PQL with engineering, sales, and marketing in one room
- Lifecycle stages re-anchored to product behavior, not form fills
Layer 3
- Lead scoring rebuilt around 7 product events, not 14 marketing events
- Routing now uses real-time PQL state, not nightly batch
Layer 4
- Funnel dashboards for both teams agreeing on the same numbers
“We thought we had a lead-quality problem. SonaMation showed us we had a lifecycle-definition problem. Different fix entirely.”
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