Understanding Lead Statuses

Learn what each lead status means and when to use them

5 minutes
Beginner

Understanding Lead Statuses

Lead statuses help you track where each lead is in your sales process. This guide explains each status and when to use them.

How Lead Statuses Work

In LeadsFollow, leads use the same status system as trips. The lead's status comes from its working trip (the trip you're currently focusing on). If a lead doesn't have a working trip yet, it uses the lead's own status value.

This unified system means you can track leads through the complete lifecycle from initial contact to completed trips.

Available Statuses

LeadsFollow uses ten statuses to track your sales pipeline:

NEW

Meaning: A new lead that just came in

When to use:

  • Lead was just created or captured
  • No initial contact made yet
  • Needs qualification

Next steps:

  • Make initial contact (call or email)
  • Qualify the lead
  • Move to QUALIFIED once you've confirmed interest

QUALIFIED

Meaning: Lead has been contacted and is qualified for planning

When to use:

  • You've made initial contact
  • Lead confirmed interest in your services
  • Ready to start planning a trip

Next steps:

  • Gather trip details
  • Create a trip record
  • Move to PLANNING when actively planning

PLANNING

Meaning: Actively planning a trip for this lead

When to use:

  • Trip record has been created
  • Gathering requirements and preferences
  • Researching destinations and options
  • Preparing quotes

Next steps:

  • Continue gathering information
  • Move to QUOTED when you send a quote

QUOTED

Meaning: A quote or proposal has been sent

When to use:

  • You've sent a quote or proposal
  • Waiting for the lead's response
  • Quote is under review

Next steps:

  • Follow up on the quote
  • Answer questions
  • Move to FOLLOWING_UP for active follow-ups

FOLLOWING_UP

Meaning: Actively following up with the lead

When to use:

  • Having ongoing conversations
  • Negotiating details
  • Addressing questions or concerns
  • Closing the sale

Next steps:

  • Continue follow-up communications
  • Set tasks for next steps
  • Move to BOOKED when trip is confirmed

BOOKED

Meaning: Trip has been booked!

When to use:

  • Lead confirmed booking
  • Deposit paid
  • Trip is confirmed
  • Congratulations!

Next steps:

  • Finalize trip details
  • Move to IN_PROGRESS when travel begins
  • Manage trip execution

IN_PROGRESS

Meaning: Trip is currently happening

When to use:

  • Travel dates have arrived
  • Clients are traveling
  • Trip is underway
  • During active travel

Next steps:

  • Provide support if needed
  • Monitor trip progress
  • Move to COMPLETED when trip ends

COMPLETED

Meaning: Trip has finished successfully

When to use:

  • Travelers have returned
  • Trip is over
  • Post-trip follow-up
  • Collecting feedback

Next steps:

  • Gather testimonials
  • Plan future trips
  • Maintain relationship

Note: Don't delete completed leads - they're valuable for history and future bookings

CANCELLED

Meaning: Trip was cancelled

When to use:

  • Client cancelled the trip
  • Booking fell through
  • Trip didn't proceed
  • No longer happening

Note: Keep cancelled leads for records and analytics

DEAD

Meaning: Lead is no longer active

When to use:

  • Lead declined or went elsewhere
  • No longer interested
  • Unresponsive after multiple attempts
  • Not a good fit

Note: Don't delete dead leads - they're valuable for analytics and might come back later.

Using Statuses Effectively

Best Practices

  1. Update statuses regularly - Keep them current as leads progress
  2. Be consistent - Use the same statuses the same way across your team
  3. Review weekly - Go through leads and update statuses
  4. Use for filtering - Filter your pipeline by status to focus efforts

Visual Pipeline

You can see all your statuses at once using the Pipeline view:

  1. Go to Pipeline in the sidebar
  2. See leads organized by status in columns
  3. Drag and drop to change statuses

Status-Based Actions

Different statuses suggest different actions:

  • NEW → Make first contact
  • QUALIFIED → Create trip and start planning
  • PLANNING → Gather details and prepare quote
  • QUOTED → Follow up on quote
  • FOLLOWING_UP → Close the sale
  • BOOKED → Finalize details and prepare for travel
  • IN_PROGRESS → Provide support during travel
  • COMPLETED → Follow up and plan future trips
  • CANCELLED → Process cancellation and learn
  • DEAD → Archive and analyze

Changing Lead Status

There are several ways to change a lead's status:

Method 1: From Lead Detail Page

  1. Open the lead
  2. Click the status badge
  3. Select new status
  4. Status updates immediately

Method 2: From Pipeline View

  1. Go to Pipeline
  2. Drag the lead card to a different column
  3. Status updates automatically

Method 3: From Leads List

  1. In the leads list, click on the status badge
  2. Select new status
  3. Quick update without opening the lead

Status Workflow Example

Here's a typical workflow:

  1. NEW - Lead comes in from website form
  2. QUALIFIED - After initial call, confirmed interest
  3. PLANNING - Created trip, gathering Italy trip details
  4. QUOTED - Sent quote for Italy trip
  5. FOLLOWING_UP - Lead has questions, negotiating dates
  6. BOOKED - Deposit received, trip confirmed!
  7. IN_PROGRESS - Clients are traveling in Italy
  8. COMPLETED - Clients returned, trip finished

Related Guides

Next: Learn about the visual pipeline and kanban board →

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