Converting & Disqualifying Leads

The ultimate goal of lead management is to determine which leads deserve further investment. Qualified leads are converted into full CRM records, while unqualified leads are disqualified with documented reasons.

When to Convert a Lead

Convert a lead when:

• The prospect meets your qualification criteria (budget, authority, need, timeline)
• You are ready to move from prospecting to active deal management
• You have enough information to create a meaningful contact, account, and opportunity record

info

Conversion is typically done from the "Qualified" stage, but your organization may have different criteria. Follow your team's guidelines on when leads are ready for conversion.

Conversion Check (Duplicate Detection)

Before creating new records, the conversion process checks for existing duplicates:

1. The system searches for contacts with the same email address.
2. It searches for accounts with a matching company name.
3. If matches are found, you are notified and can choose to:
   • Link to existing records — associate the lead with the existing contact/account instead of creating duplicates
   • Create new records anyway — proceed with creating fresh records (use with caution)

tip

Always review duplicate matches carefully. Linking to existing records keeps your CRM clean and ensures all history is consolidated on one record instead of being split across duplicates.

Conversion Process

To convert a lead:

1. Open the lead detail page.
2. Click the Convert button.
3. The conversion dialog opens with three sections:

Contact Creation

• First name, last name, email, and phone are pre-filled from the lead
• Review and edit as needed
• Or select an existing contact if a duplicate was detected

Account Creation

• Company name is pre-filled from the lead
• Add industry, website, and other account details
• Or select an existing account if a duplicate was detected

Opportunity Creation

• Opportunity name is pre-filled (usually based on the lead name)
• Set the value/amount, expected close date, and pipeline stage
• Select the pipeline for the new opportunity

4. Review all three sections.
5. Click Convert to complete the process.

What Happens After Conversion

When a lead is successfully converted:

1. A new Contact is created (or the existing one is linked).
2. A new Account is created (or the existing one is linked).
3. A new Opportunity is created and linked to the contact and account.
4. The lead is marked as Converted and its stage changes to the final converted state.
5. The lead record becomes read-only — no further edits are allowed.
6. All notes, activities, and history from the lead are preserved.
7. You are redirected to the new opportunity detail page.

note

The original lead record is retained for historical tracking and reporting. It is not deleted — it simply moves to a "Converted" status.

Disqualifying Leads

When a lead does not meet your criteria, disqualify it rather than deleting it. Disqualification preserves the record for reporting and prevents the same lead from being re-entered.

To disqualify a lead:

1. Open the lead detail page.
2. Click the Disqualify button.
3. A modal dialog appears with:
   • Reason dropdown — select the primary disqualification reason
   • Notes text area — add additional context about why the lead was disqualified
4. Select a reason and optionally add notes.
5. Click Disqualify to confirm.

Disqualification Reasons

Common disqualification reasons (configured by your administrator):

• No Budget — the prospect cannot afford the product/service
• No Authority — the contact does not have decision-making power
• No Need — the prospect does not have a genuine need
• Bad Timing — timing is not right; may revisit later
• Competitor Chosen — the prospect chose a competing solution
• Duplicate — this lead already exists as another record
• Invalid/Spam — fake or irrelevant submission
• No Response — unable to reach the prospect after multiple attempts

warning

Disqualification is reversible — administrators can reopen disqualified leads if circumstances change. However, treat disqualification as a final decision in your normal workflow.