Lead Statuses Guide

Lead statuses help you track where leads are in your sales pipeline. This guide explains how to use and customize lead statuses.

What are Lead Statuses?

A lead status indicates the current stage of a lead in your sales process. For example:

• New - Just captured, haven't contacted yet
• Contacted - Reached out, waiting for response
• Qualified - Confirmed they're a good fit
• Proposal - Sent quote or proposal
• Won - Converted to customer
• Lost - Didn't convert

Default Statuses

Every new LeadMachine company starts with these statuses:

Viewing Lead Statuses

To see your current statuses:

• Navigate to Settings → Company
• Scroll to Lead Statuses section
• View the list of statuses in pipeline order

Each status shows:

• Name
• Color (used in UI)
• Order in pipeline

Creating Custom Statuses

Customize your pipeline to match your sales process.

Adding a Status

• Navigate to Settings → Company → Lead Statuses
• Click + Add Status
• Enter status details:
- Name (e.g., "Demo Scheduled") - Color (choose from color picker)
• Click Create Status

The new status appears at the bottom of your pipeline.

Status Naming Tips

Good status names are:

• Action-oriented: "Demo Scheduled" not "Demoing"
• Clear: Everyone should understand what it means
• Specific: "Proposal Sent" not "In Process"
• Consistent: Use similar verb tenses

Examples of good statuses:

• "First Contact Made"
• "Needs Analysis Completed"
• "Demo Scheduled"
• "Negotiating Terms"
• "Contract Sent"

Examples of poor statuses:

• "Working It" (too vague)
• "Maybe?" (unprofessional)
• "Following Up" (when? how many times?)

Reordering Statuses

Statuses should be in the order leads typically flow through them.

How to Reorder

• Navigate to Settings → Company → Lead Statuses
• Drag and drop statuses using the handle (≡) icon
• Arrange them in your typical sales flow
• Changes save automatically

Example Flow

New
Contacted
Qualified
Demo Scheduled
Demo Completed
Proposal Sent
Negotiating
Won
Lost

Editing Statuses

Change status name or color:

• Navigate to Settings → Company → Lead Statuses
• Click the Edit icon next to a status
• Update name or color
• Click Save Changes

Note: Editing a status updates it for all leads with that status. Historical data is preserved.

Deleting Statuses

Remove statuses you no longer need.

How to Delete

• Navigate to Settings → Company → Lead Statuses
• Click the Delete icon next to a status
• Choose what happens to leads with this status:
- Move to different status (recommended) - Delete leads (careful!)
• Confirm deletion

Warning: Deleting a status affects all leads currently in that status. Always move them to another status first.

Using Statuses Effectively

Update Regularly

Change lead status after every significant interaction:

• After first contact → "Contacted"
• After qualification call → "Qualified"
• After sending proposal → "Proposal Sent"
• After winning/losing → "Won" or "Lost"

Status Change Notes

When changing status, add a note:

• Open lead detail page
• Change status in dropdown
• A note field appears
• Add quick note: "Had great call, scheduling demo for next Tuesday"
• Save

This creates an audit trail of the lead's journey.

Don't Let Leads Stagnate

Monitor how long leads stay in each status:

Status	Description	Typical Use
--------	-------------	-------------
New	Fresh, uncontacted leads	Initial capture point
Contacted	Initial outreach completed	After first call/email
Qualified	Meets your criteria	After qualification call
Proposal	Quote/proposal sent	Awaiting their decision
Won	Successfully converted	They became a customer
Lost	Did not convert	They said no or went cold
Status	Normal Duration	Too Long
--------	----------------	----------
New	< 1 hour	> 24 hours
Contacted	1-3 days	> 1 week
Qualified	1-5 days	> 2 weeks
Proposal	3-7 days	> 2 weeks

If leads sit too long:

• Follow up immediately
• Or move to "Lost" if they're cold

Status Reports

Track your pipeline health:

• Navigate to Reports → Pipeline
• View lead count by status
• Identify bottlenecks:
- Too many in "Contacted"? Speed up follow-up - Too many in "Proposal"? Improve closing process - Too many "Lost"? Improve qualification

Best Practices

Keep It Simple

Start with 5-7 statuses. You can always add more later.

Too many statuses (10+) creates:

• Confusion about which status to use
• Inconsistent status updates
• Unclear pipeline view

Match Your Process

Your statuses should reflect your actual sales process:

• Complex B2B sales might need: New → Qualified → Discovery Call → Demo → Technical Review → Proposal → Negotiation → Won/Lost
• Simple B2C sales might need: New → Contacted → Quote Sent → Won/Lost
• Service business might need: New → Consult Scheduled → Consult Complete → Proposal → Won/Lost

Color Coding

Use colors strategically:

• Blue/Cyan - Early stages (New, Contacted)
• Yellow/Orange - Middle stages (Qualified, Proposal)
• Green - Won
• Red/Gray - Lost

This creates visual clarity when viewing your pipeline.

Terminal Statuses

Every pipeline needs clear end states:

• Won - The happy ending
• Lost - Didn't convert

Some companies add:

• Lost - Price (lost on price)
• Lost - Timing (lost on timing)
• Lost - Competition (lost to competitor)
• Lost - No Response (ghosted)

This helps you understand why you're losing deals.

Required Statuses

At minimum, every pipeline needs:

Common Pipeline Examples

B2B SaaS

New → Qualified → Demo Scheduled → Demo Complete →
Trial Started → Proposal Sent → Won / Lost

Consulting Services

New → Consult Requested → Consult Scheduled →
Consult Complete → Proposal Sent → Won / Lost

E-commerce

New → First Contact → Abandoned Cart →
Recovery Email Sent → Won / Lost

Real Estate

New → Pre-Qualified → Showing Scheduled →
Offer Made → Under Contract → Won / Lost

Troubleshooting

Too Many Statuses

Problem: You have 15+ statuses and team is confused

Solution:

Inconsistent Usage

Problem: Different team members use statuses differently

Solution:

Leads Stuck in One Status

Problem: 50 leads in "Contacted" status not moving

Solution:

Last Updated: October 2025