Lead status and stages
How to design lead stages in TatvaCRM. The standard 6-stage lead funnel, picking stages that match your business, and the difference between lead status and deal stage.
Lead stages tell you where each lead sits in your qualification process. Get them right and your team knows exactly what to do next on every lead. Get them wrong and the leads list becomes a soup of indistinguishable records.
The default 6-stage lead funnel
TatvaCRM ships with these defaults. They work for most B2B sales teams:
| Stage | Meaning | What the rep does next |
|---|---|---|
| Untouched | Lead just entered the system. No contact yet. | Make first contact within 24 hours. |
| Contacted | First conversation done. Brief intro. | Schedule a qualifying call. |
| Qualified | Confirmed: real interest, decision authority, budget, timeline. | Convert to Contact + Deal. |
| Unresponsive | Tried 3+ times, no response. | Park for 30 days, then mark dormant if still silent. |
| Dormant | Cooling for an extended period. | Periodic re-engagement campaigns; otherwise leave alone. |
| Converted | Became a Contact + Deal. | Lead is closed; work continues on the Deal. |
| Lost / Disqualified | Not a fit, or actively said no. | Mark with a lost reason. Done. |
Customising stages
Configure stages via Settings → Picklists → Lead status. Add, rename, reorder, or remove. Each stage should represent a real change in lead readiness — not a process milestone.
Rajiv at Pragati Capital uses these stages
- Untouched — fresh referral, scoping call not done yet
- Scoping — first conversation; understanding the funding need
- Qualified — confirmed real need, decision authority, expected timeline within 90 days
- Proposal Sent — Pragati’s mandate letter is out
- Negotiating — terms being discussed
- Mandate Signed → Convert
- Lost — referral didn’t convert, with reason
Lead status vs Deal stage — what’s the difference?
Lead status tracks pre-conversion qualification. Deal stage tracks post-conversion sales execution. The two are separate. A lead with status “Qualified” converts into a Contact + Deal, and the Deal then has its own stage (e.g. “Discovery,” “Demo,” “Proposal”). The original Lead is marked Converted and steps out of the active list.
Rules for moving stages
- Every lead must progress, convert, or close. Nothing stays in Untouched for two weeks.
- Stage moves should reflect what the lead did, not what you did. “Contacted” means they replied — not “I sent an email.”
- Don’t skip stages. A jump from Untouched to Converted means you skipped qualification — you’ll regret it later when the lead falls out of the deal phase.
Handling dormancy
Set a workspace-wide rule: leads with no activity in 60 days move to Dormant automatically. Configure under Settings → Workflow rules. Dormant leads don’t pollute your active list but stay searchable for re-engagement.
Common questions
“How many stages is too many?”
Above 8 stages, your team starts getting them wrong. 5-6 is the sweet spot for most B2B businesses. If you find yourself wanting 10 stages, you probably need sub-statuses (custom field) rather than more stages.
“Can I add a stage later without breaking things?”
Yes. Existing leads stay in their current stage. New leads can use the new stage going forward. Decide whether to bulk-move historical leads or leave them where they are.