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:
| Status | Category | Typical Use |
| -------- | ---------- | ------------- |
| New | Open | Fresh, uncontacted leads |
| In Progress | Open | Actively being worked |
| Qualified | Open | Meets your criteria |
| Closed Won | Closed | Became a customer |
| Closed Lost | Closed | Pursued but didn't convert |
| Disqualified | Closed | Not a real prospect (spam, wrong fit, a vendor pitching you) |
| Nurture | Closed | Long-term hold — still eligible for drip campaigns |
Status Categories: Open vs Closed
Every status — including any you create — belongs to a category that tells LeadMachine how to treat the lead. Day to day, the only thing that matters is whether that category is Open or Closed:
- Open (New, In Progress, Qualified): the lead is still being worked. Open leads appear in Focus Mode and are included in lead scoring.
- Closed (Closed Won, Closed Lost, Disqualified, Nurture): the lead is finished for now. Closed leads are hidden from Focus Mode and are not scored, so they stop cluttering your day. Move a lead back to an open status and it returns to Focus and scoring automatically.
Why this matters: if a lead keeps showing up in Focus after you're done with it, set it to a Closed status — Disqualified for a bad-fit lead or an unsolicited vendor, or Nurture for "not now, maybe later." The lead stays on record for reference (nothing is deleted); it just stops nudging you.
When you create a custom status, you pick its category in the same dialog (each choice is labelled open or closed), so your own labels behave correctly too.
Automatic advancement
When a lead in a New status becomes actively worked — you add it to a deal, or book a meeting with it — LeadMachine automatically moves it to your first In Progress (Open) status and logs a note. No more prospects sitting in "New" forever.
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")
- Category — Open or Closed (see the Status Categories section above). This controls whether leads with the status appear in Focus Mode and get scored.
- 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 | 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:
- Entry status (New)
- At least one middle status (Contacted, Qualified)
- Won status
- Lost status
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:
- Identify rarely-used statuses
- Combine similar statuses (e.g., "Demo Scheduled" + "Demo Complete" = "Demo")
- Delete or merge to get down to 7-9 statuses
Inconsistent Usage
Problem: Different team members use statuses differently
Solution:
- Document what each status means
- Include criteria: "Qualified = budget confirmed + decision maker identified + timeline < 90 days"
- Train team on status definitions
- Review pipeline weekly as a team
Leads Stuck in One Status
Problem: 50 leads in "Contacted" status not moving
Solution:
- Review each lead individually
- Either follow up or move to "Lost"
- Set up automations to remind you to follow up
- Create rule: No lead stays in one status > 2 weeks
Last Updated: October 2025