A lead is the lightest CRM record: capture it fast, qualify it, then convert it to spin up the full sales trail.
Before you start
- Choose the company you are working in, so the lead is created at the right scope.
- Have the enquirer’s name or company to hand — a lead needs at least one of them.
- If you already have the account, contact or campaign in CRM, note them so you can link the lead.
Steps
- Open CRM → Leads and select New Lead.
- Set the Scope level (required) — organisation, entity, branch, department or position. Deeper scopes require the parent to be chosen too (an entity scope needs an entity, a branch scope needs entity and branch, and so on).
- Enter the person’s details, all optional: First name, Last name (each up to 120 characters), Company name (up to 180), Email, Phone, and Title. You must supply at least a first name or a company name.
- Optionally record where it came from in Source (up to 120 characters) and link a Campaign.
- Optionally set the Owner and link an existing Account or Contact already in this company.
[screenshot: New Lead form with scope and contact fields]
- Save. The lead opens at status New — status is set by the system, not typed on the form.
- As you work the lead, use the status control to move it to Contacted, Qualified, Lost or Junk.
[screenshot: Lead status selector]
- When it is ready, select Convert lead. On the convert panel, enter the Account name (required unless you are reusing an existing account), the Opportunity name (required) and the Quote title (required). Optionally add contact first/last name and email, an Amount, and a three-letter Currency code.
[screenshot: Convert lead panel]
- Confirm the conversion.
Result
The lead is marked Converted and a linked account, contact, opportunity and quote are created in a single step, ready to progress through the pipeline. A converted lead can no longer change status.