Hi @Luna2,
This mostly depends on your definitions and tasks-to-be-done for each lifecycle stage (lead, MQL, SQL etc).
For example, there are companies handraisers are considered SQLs, and establishing the first touchpoint (making a call) qualifies them as an opportunity. Leaving aside how much sense that makes, in that scenario I would not use the lead object as it would indeed just complicate things.
If however there steps associated to qualifying a MQL or SQL, then I would indeed recommend working with the lead object:
- It allows there to be multiple leads per company which could turn into one eventual deal.
- It allows you to track disqualification of early-stage contacts without polluting your deal pipeline.
- It allows you to do effective forecasting on your deal pipeline.
There are more nuances to this, but they really depend on your step-by-step sales process and lifecycle stage definitions.
Best regards