Managing Leads
Capture, qualify, and convert sales leads in Coherence
Leads: 1 pages
The Leads module helps you capture potential customers, track them through qualification, and convert the ones that fit into People records.
The Leads Module
The built-in Leads module comes with these fields:
| Field | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Lead ID | Autonumber | Assigned automatically |
| Status | Select | Required. Defaults to New |
| First Name | Text | Required |
| Last Name | Text | Required |
| Required | ||
| Job Title | Text | The lead's role |
| Lead Source | Select | Required. Defaults to Website |
| Lead Source Detail | Text | Extra context about the source |
| Preferred Contact Method | Select | Defaults to Email |
| Follow-up Date | Date | When to follow up next |
| Assigned To | Reference (Users) | Defaults to the person creating the lead |
| Account | Reference (Accounts) | The lead's company |
| Phone | Phone | |
| Address | Address | |
| Notes | Rich Text | Context and conversation history |
Add fields such as a lead score, campaign, or industry to match your sales process. See Configuring Fields.
Lead vs. Person
| Use Leads For | Use People For |
|---|---|
| Unqualified prospects | Qualified contacts |
| Initial inquiries | Established relationships |
| Marketing responses | Customers and vendors |
Workflow: Lead → Qualify → Convert to Contact (creates a Person)
Lead Statuses
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| New | Just received, not yet contacted |
| Contacted | Initial outreach made |
| Qualified | A fit, ready to convert |
| Unqualified | Not a fit |
| Converted | Set automatically when you use Convert to Contact |
New → Contacted → Qualified → Converted
↓
Unqualified
Lead Sources
Track where leads come from with Lead Source and Lead Source Detail. The built-in Lead Source options are:
| Source | Example |
|---|---|
| Website | Website visits and form fills |
| Referral | Introduced by an existing customer |
| Social Media | LinkedIn, X, and similar |
| Event | Trade shows, webinars |
| Cold Outreach | Prospecting |
| Advertisement | Paid campaigns |
Use Lead Source Detail for specifics:
- Event → "SaaS Connect 2026"
- Referral → "Jane Smith at Acme Corp"
- Advertisement → "LinkedIn Campaign Q1"
Custom Sources
- Click Modules in the sidebar to open the Module catalog, then open Leads
- On the Fields tab, click the edit (pencil) button on the Lead Source field
- Add sources specific to your business, then click Save changes
Contact Method & Follow-up
Preferred Contact Method
The Preferred Contact Method options are Email, Phone, LinkedIn, and Other.
Follow-up Date
Set the Follow-up Date when you make contact. The built-in Follow-up Due view lists leads by follow-up date, with Due Today and Overdue filters (Overdue is the default).
Built-in Views
| View | What it shows |
|---|---|
| All Leads | Every lead, newest first. Filters: New Leads, Qualified, Active (default: New, Contacted, or Qualified) |
| Pipeline | A board with one column per Status, plus a grid layout |
| My Leads | Leads where Assigned To is you, sorted by Follow-up Date |
| Follow-up Due | Leads sorted by Follow-up Date, with Due Today and Overdue filters |
Creating Leads
From the Leads Module
- Open Leads
- Click New record
- Fill in First Name, Last Name, Email, and Lead Source (all required)
- Save
From Email
When the sender of an email is not yet saved in Coherence:
- Open the email in Mail
- In the sender card, click the dropdown next to Save as Person
- Choose Save as Lead
The lead is created with the sender's name split into First Name and Last Name, their email address, and Lead Source Detail set to "Inbound email". Lead Source gets the module's default (Website unless you've changed it). If the sender has only a one-word name, the last name is taken from their email address — edit it on the lead afterwards.
From Web Forms
- Click Forms in the sidebar
- Click New form and choose Leads as the Target module
- Map the form's fields to lead fields, then use Embed code to add the form to your website
Each submission creates a lead.
From Import
- Open Leads
- Click Import in the toolbar
- Upload a CSV or Excel file, map columns to fields, and review before importing
See Importing People for the import steps, which work the same way for leads.
Lead Qualification
Decide what makes a lead qualified before you start. A common framework is BANT:
- Budget: Can they afford your solution?
- Authority: Are they the decision maker?
- Need: Do they have a problem you solve?
- Timeline: When do they need a solution?
To score leads, add a Number field (for example "Lead Score") to the Leads module and sort or filter by it.
Working with Leads
Each lead's record page has Timeline and Calendar tabs for the communication linked to that lead. Update Status and Follow-up Date as you work the lead, and keep context in Notes.
Converting Leads
When a lead qualifies:
- Open the lead
- Click Convert to Contact
Convert to Contact is available to owners, admins, and managers, and is hidden once a lead's status is Converted. You can also run it on several selected leads at once.
Conversion:
- Creates a new record in People with Type set to Contact
- Copies the lead's First Name, Last Name, Email, Phone, and Account
- Sets the new person's Converted From Lead field to the original lead
- Sets the lead's Status to Converted
The lead record is kept. Conversion does not create an account or any other record.
Best Practices
- Respond quickly. Contact new leads within minutes, not days.
- Qualify early. Use clear criteria and be honest about fit.
- Always record the source. Lead Source is required for a reason: it tells you which channels work.
- Keep it clean. Mark leads Unqualified instead of leaving them open, and update stale information.
- Convert promptly. Don't let qualified leads linger.
Related: Managing People | Managing Accounts | Automation