Why this matters
Most small firms keep leads wherever they landed: an inbox, a notebook, a shared sheet. Leads go cold because nobody knows whose turn it is.
Zoho CRM puts every lead in one list with where it came from and where it stands, and turns the real ones into deals you can follow stage by stage. The Free edition covers it.
Practice
Do every step yourself in a practice copy of the real tool. It checks your work, and “Do it for me” finishes any step you get stuck on.
What you’ll build
You help Priya Raman, the sales manager at Kestrel Ridge Consulting, a made-up consulting firm with 46 leads split between email inboxes and a notebook.
You add a lead with its Lead Source and Lead Status, add a note, log the call, convert the lead into an account, a contact and a deal with a name, closing date and stage, and find the deal in the Deals Kanban view. The Zoho screens are screenshots from Zoho's own help center, credited and linked under each one.
What you need
- Nothing to start the practiceThe lesson uses Zoho's own help-center screenshots. Kestrel Ridge Consulting and every number are made up.
- A Zoho CRM account, to do it for realZoho's edition comparison lists Leads, Contacts, Accounts, Deals and notes in the Free edition, free for up to 3 users. Check zoho.com/crm for current plans.
- One real leadA name, a company, an email or phone, and where they came from.
- Your list of statusesAgree with the team what Pre-Qualified means, so everyone sets Lead Status the same way.
Concepts
Lead Source and Lead Status
Lead Source says where a lead came from, such as External Referral. Lead Status says where it stands, such as Pre-Qualified.
Fill both on every lead, including imported ones, so you can see who nobody has called and which sources bring work.
Converting a lead
Convert turns a lead into an account (the company) and a contact (the person). Tick Create a new Deal for this Account. to create a deal at the same time.
You set Deal Name, Closing Date and Stage while converting. Lead Status does not carry over, and a converted lead cannot be reverted.
The Deals Kanban view
Each stage is a column of deal cards. Drag a card to the next column and its stage changes. Zoho's Kanban FAQ says the Deals Kanban view is in all editions.
Do it for real
Now repeat it in your own account. Tick each step as you go.
Quick check
3 questions to check you’ve got it.
1. Which field tells your team where a lead stands right now?
- Lead Source
- Lead Status
- Lead Owner
Show the answer
Lead Status. Lead Status says where the lead stands. Lead Source says where it came from, and Lead Owner says who it belongs to.
2. You convert a lead with no Company filled in. What do you get?
- An account and a contact
- A contact, but no account
- Nothing, conversion fails
Show the answer
A contact, but no account. Zoho's docs say an account is created on conversion only if the lead has a company name.
3. Where does the lead's note go after you convert it with a new deal?
- It is deleted
- It moves to the deal
- It stays on the old lead only
Show the answer
It moves to the deal. Zoho's help screenshot shows notes added during lead nurturing moved to the deal created on conversion, so the history comes with it.
You reached the end of AI Apps Worth Knowing
You set up a lead-to-deal flow in Zoho CRM. Review the apps you have met in this course and pick one to try on your own work.
Pick your next course →