Convert a lead into a deal

Converting is not just a status change. It creates the records the rest of the sales process runs on, linked together, with the lead's history attached.

The judgement is when to do it, not how.

Who this is for

Reps working leads, and managers defining when a lead is ready.

Before you start

• Permission to convert leads.
• A pipeline for the deal to land on.
• A team agreement on what qualifies — otherwise conversion means different things to different people.

Convert when there is a real opportunity, not when you are optimistic
Converting too early fills your pipeline with deals that were never opportunities, which corrupts the forecast and the conversion rate at the same time. The test is whether there is a genuine, identified opportunity with a plausible path to a close — not whether the person seemed interested.

Convert a lead

1. Qualify it first
   Score and grade give you a signal, but the decision is human. Is there a real need, and is this person connected to it?
2. Check for existing records
   The person or their company may already exist. Converting without checking is a common source of duplicates.
3. Convert
   The contact, the company and the deal are created together and linked, so nothing is retyped.
4. Set the deal up properly
   Value, expected close date, and the right stage. A converted deal dropped into the first stage with no value is a placeholder, not an opportunity.
5. Check the reference back to the lead
   The deal keeps a reference to the lead it came from, which is what lets you analyse which sources convert.
6. Move the lifecycle stage honestly
   Lead, MQL and SQL have enforced transitions, so the hand-off from marketing to sales is an explicit state rather than an assumption.

What you get

• Contact, company and deal created together and linked.
• The lead's history carried onto the new records.
• A reference back to the originating lead for source analysis.
• An explicit marketing-to-sales hand-off.

Frequently asked questions

When should I convert a lead?

When there is a genuine identified opportunity with a plausible path to a close. Converting on optimism inflates the pipeline and distorts your conversion rate.

What gets created when I convert?

A contact, a company and a deal, linked together, with the lead's history attached and a reference back to the lead.

What if the contact already exists?

Check before converting. Conversion without checking is a common source of duplicate contacts and companies.

Can I see which sources produce converted deals?

Yes — the deal keeps a reference to the lead, and the lead carries its source. That link is what makes source-to-revenue analysis possible.