The recommended Leads workflow

[Guido1982]

We've never really touched leads that much, but did make a piece of code that converts quote inquiries from the website to leads. Now we'd like to use them more intensively, but what is the recommended workflow? How is the module intended to be used, what are known shortcomings, etc.?

[joebordes]

As per definition in SFA, a lead is some contact information you have of which you don't know if they are interested in your offer or not. So you are supposed to prospect them to find out which ones are interested in your services and convert them into a potential sale or mark them as not interested.

http://axelera.io/tiki-index.php?page=Le...ser+Manual

So, a person that goes to your website and asks for a quote is not a Lead, they are a potential (contact).

That said it is just another module like all the others with the special functionality of being able to convert a record from there directly to an Account/Contact+Potential so you are free to use it as best fits the need of your business.

[Guido1982]

Well the reason I asked was mostly to know what kind of script were already in place to convert leads. But as you pointed out, we're really using the wrong module for what we're trying to do. Are there any conversion scripts or automations that are available for prospects that are not for leads? I see spike doesn't handle the potentials topic and I have no experience with the module as well.

[joebordes]

From the manual:

"In the sales process, sales opportunities are the logical successors to leads. Therefore, you
may create a sales opportunity from a lead and transfer all information available for the lead
to the new sales opportunity. In addition, you may create a sales opportunity directly. In
essence, a sales opportunity is an immediate opportunity to do business with a potential or
existing customer. The sales department would expect that an offer could be made for this
potential customer in the near future."

In other words: a potential a sales opportunity, a chance to sell something to a client.

[Guido1982]

I understand the basic principles of leads vs potentials. I know that leads has a special 'conversion' script. Is that documented somewhere? Does potentials have something similar?

[joebordes]

https://corebos.com/documentation/doku.p...conversion which is probably copied from the manual

Potentials can be converted to quotes and invoices

[Guido1982]

The problem I'm facing is that we have a lot of mandatory fields on accounts so now the lead conversion script is not working, since it misses a lot of mandatory fields. Wouldn't it just be better to skip the hardcoded lead conversion script and stick to the regular businessmapping way? I see we have a LeadConversion businessmap, but that ignores the conversion to accounts, so that still doesn't solve my issue.

[joebordes]

You have a native business mapping for lead conversion, use that one: go to settings, module manager, leads, mapping and set a value for all your mandatory fields.

[joebordes]

LeadConversion business map has another purpose (creating records in other modules)

[Guido1982]

yes, I saw that. Kind of a two-step rocket to be implemented after the normal 'convert-to' module are created, which is probably why they're excluded? I am going to stick with creating regular related lists and business mappings to get around the mandatory fields.

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You have a native business mapping for lead conversion, use that one: go to settings, module manager, leads, mapping and set a value for all your mandatory fields.

I can't set default values for fields in accounts there. I can only select a source field and map that to a destination field, but not all the mandatory fields have a source-equivalent in leads.