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Leads, deals and follow-up work

A local organization enquires about renting the school hall. The office records the lead, assigns follow-up work and opens a deal once there is a concrete opportunity. A won deal describes a commercial outcome; it does not create an invoice or record cash received.

On this pagePrepare the pipelineCreate a lead for a real enquiryRecord contact and qualification separatelyManage a dealRecord activities and follow-upsReview pipeline reports

Prepare the pipeline

Open CRM → CRM settings to review Pipelines and Lead sources. Use clear stages that match actual work, such as reviewing an enquiry or preparing a proposal.

Confirm the people responsible for follow-up and how contact details will be used. Avoid entering duplicate leads when the same person contacts the school through another channel.

Create a lead for a real enquiry

For CSV intake, use Import leads and review field mapping and row validation before creating records. An uploaded file is not proof every row imported.

  1. Open CRM → Leads, search for the enquiry, then choose New lead if it is new.
  2. Enter Lead name. The demonstration uses Kamau family admission enquiry. Review Priority and Source.
  3. Expand Contact, Details and Note for the information actually supplied; avoid guessing missing contact details.
  4. Choose Create lead and open the generated lead number to check its saved status.
Kamau family admission enquiry entered in the real CRM lead form before creation.1 Describe the actual enquiry2 Track source separately from priority3 Add contact details without creating an invoice

Record contact and qualification separately

  1. Open the saved lead number. The example is LEAD-00000008 with New status.
  2. Use Log activity to retain the actual call, meeting or follow-up. Check Lead team and Next step for responsibility and timing.
  3. Choose Mark contacted or Qualify only when the corresponding work or decision has occurred. Qualification does not enrol a learner or issue an invoice.
The saved enquiry has lead number LEAD-00000008 and New status; follow-up and qualification remain separate actions.1 Saved lead identity2 Record the actual next contact3 Qualification is a separate decision

Manage a deal

  1. Open CRM → Deals and choose New deal for the intended opportunity.
  2. Select its pipeline and relevant contact or lead context, then enter the expected value and other required details.
  3. Use All deals or Board to review current stage and ownership.
  4. Record Won or Lost only when the outcome is known, retaining the explanation and related commercial records.
The deal form records a forecast amount, stage, owner and close date; these are not posted income or receipts.1 Expected opportunity value, not posted revenue2 Choose the current pipeline stage3 Forecast close date

Record activities and follow-ups

Open CRM → Activities to schedule or review the work required for leads and deals. Set a clear purpose, owner and due date using the available fields.

Mark work complete after it occurs. A note saying “payment discussed” is not a receipt, and scheduling a follow-up is not proof the customer was contacted.

Review pipeline reports

  1. Open CRM → Reports and review the available pipeline metrics.
  2. Check stages, status and date context before interpreting a total.
  3. Open representative leads and deals to understand unusual values.
  4. Compare commercial pipeline figures separately from financial income and collections.
Quotations and sellingSales invoicesReporting destinations