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Work a lead through the pipeline

Move a lead from New to Won using the status buttons — and know which action is allowed at each step.

Who: Owner, Manager, or SalesPlan: All plans

Every lead moves through a set status flow. Each stage unlocks a few buttons — they're the only moves allowed from where the lead is right now. This keeps your pipeline honest and your reports accurate.

The stages

A lead is always in one of these statuses:

  1. New — just captured, no contact yet.
  2. Contacted — you reached out.
  3. Engaged — they replied / a real conversation is going.
  4. Appointment set — a visit is booked.
  5. Showed — they came in.
  6. Negotiating — you're working numbers.
  7. Won — they bought (final stage).
  8. Lost — dead deal.
  9. Dormant — gone quiet; parked for now.

Move a lead forward

  1. Go to Leads and click a lead to open it.
  2. Find the Actions card, under Status transitions.
  3. Click the button for your next move. Only the valid buttons for the current stage are shown.
  4. The page refreshes and the status badge at the top reflects the new stage.

Here is exactly which buttons appear at each stage:

  • New → Mark contacted, Mark lost, Mark dormant
  • Contacted → Mark engaged, Mark lost, Mark dormant
  • Engaged → Set appointment, Mark contacted (step back), Mark lost, Mark dormant
  • Appointment set → Mark showed, No-show, Mark lost, Mark dormant
  • Showed → Start negotiation, Mark engaged (step back), Mark lost
  • Negotiating → Mark won, Mark lost, Mark engaged (step back)
  • Lost or Dormant → Revive

Every status change is written to the audit log (lead_status_transition), recording who moved the lead, the before and after status, and when — so you always have a record.

Bring a cold lead back

A Lost or Dormant lead isn't gone. Open it and click Revive — it returns to Contacted so you can start working it again.

Handle a no-show

If a booked lead doesn't show:

  1. Open the lead (it's in Appointment set).
  2. Click No-show.
  3. It drops back to Engaged — rebook by clicking Set appointment again.

Set appointment only appears when the lead is in Engaged. If you don't see it, mark the lead Engaged first. Note this is just the status — booking an actual calendar appointment is the separate Schedule appointment button at the top of the lead. Scheduling one does not automatically change the lead's status; click Set appointment yourself.

Turn a won lead into a sale

Once you reach Won (or any time you're ready), convert the lead into a customer so you can start a deal:

  1. On the lead, click Convert to customer (in the Actions card under Convert, or from the ⋯ menu on the leads list).
  2. You land on the new customer record. If a customer with the same email already exists, it links to that one instead of creating a duplicate. (A lead with no email always creates a fresh customer.)
  3. Go back to the lead — the Actions card now shows a Deal section with Start deal. Click it to open a new deal; the deal stays linked to this lead so it shows up in lead-source reporting.

Won is the final stage — it has no buttons, by design. You don't undo a won lead; you work the deal it created. Convert and start the deal before (or right when) you mark it Won so nothing falls through the cracks.

FAQ

Why can't I see the button I need?

The buttons are filtered to the moves that are valid from the lead's current stage. For example, you can't jump straight from New to Negotiating — walk it through Contacted → Engaged first. Step-back buttons (like Mark engaged from Showed) let you correct an over-eager click.

I clicked a button and got "This lead was changed by someone else just now — reload and retry."

A teammate moved the same lead at the same moment, so your move was not applied. Reload the page and try again from the lead's new status.

Can I skip stages?

No — the flow only allows the moves listed above. You can move backward one step where a step-back button is shown, and you can mark a lead Lost or Dormant from most stages, but you can't leapfrog forward.

Does converting to a customer change the lead's status?

No. Converting creates (or links) a customer record and lets you start a deal. The lead keeps its own status — keep moving it toward Won separately.

Who can move a lead?

Any signed-in team member can run these status transitions and convert a lead. The only role-gated action is reassigning a lead that's already assigned to someone else — that's limited to Owners and Managers. (Sales can still claim an unassigned lead for themselves.)