Documentation
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 | 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:
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