Set up leads

Before you begin managing your leads in the prospecting workspace, users with an assigned Sales Hub seat and Edit property settings permissions can configure the leads settings for your account.

To navigate to leads settings: 

• In your HubSpot account, click the settings settings icon in the top navigation bar.
• In the left sidebar menu, navigate to Objects > Leads

Manage lead properties

To manage lead properties:

• In your HubSpot account, click the settings settings icon in the top navigation bar.
• In the left sidebar menu, navigate to Objects > Leads.
• Click Manage lead properties to add and edit lead properties. Learn more about how to create and edit lead properties.

Configure lead ownership

To configure lead ownership:

• In your HubSpot account, click the settings settings icon in the top navigation bar.
• In the left sidebar menu, navigate to Objects > Leads.
• Users with super admin permissions can automatically set the lead owner to the same owner as the contact or company. To do this, click to toggle the Sync lead owner with contact and company owner toggle on.

• Users with super admin permissions can automatically sync lead activities with lead owners. To do this, click to toggle the Sync lead activities with lead owner toggle on.

• To turn off either setting, click to toggle the toggle off.

Please note: if a lead owner changes after a lead is set to Closed, it won't be updated automatically.

Customize the create lead form

• In your HubSpot account, click the settings settings icon in the top navigation bar.
• In the left sidebar menu, navigate to Objects > Leads.
• Click Customize the 'Create lead' form, and follow the instructions to customize the create record.

Configure lead stages

To configure lead stages:

• In your HubSpot account, click the settings settings icon in the top navigation bar.
• In the left sidebar menu, navigate to Objects > Leads.
• Click the Pipeline tab.

• To rename a lead stage name, click the name.
• To add a lead stage, click + Add stage.
• To delete lead stage, hover over the click lead stage and click delete next to the name.

• Click Save.

Configure qualification settings

When a user qualifies a lead, you can configure the settings so a deal is automatically created.

• To require a deal to be created when a lead is qualified, click to toggle the Require a deal to be created toggle on.

• To edit the properties that are required when a lead is moved to qualified, hover over the stage and click Edit properties.
• In the pop-up box, in the Lead Information section, select the checkbox next to the property you want to show when a lead is disqualified. In the SELECTED PROPERTIES section, select the checkbox next to the property you want to require.
• To rename a lead stage name, click the name.
• To add a lead stage, click + Add stage.
• To delete lead stage, hover over the click lead stage and click delete next to the name.
• Click Save.

Configure disqualification settings

When a user disqualifies a lead, they can set a disqualification reason.

• To edit the properties that are required when a lead is moved to disqualified, hover over the stage and click Edit properties.

• In the pop-up box, in the Lead Information section, select the checkbox next to the property you want to show when a lead is disqualified. In the SELECTED PROPERTIES section, select the checkbox next to the property you want to require.
• To rename a lead stage name, click the name.
• To add a lead stage, click + Add stage.
• To delete lead stage, hover over the click lead stage and click delete next to the name.
• Click Save.

If you want to change the content of your properties, learn how to manage lead properties.

Configure automation settings

Lead stage automation will only progress leads in the default pipeline. There are two lead stage progressions that are set by default and can't be modified: 

• Move lead to attempting: when a user completes outreach to a lead by sending an email or LinkedIn message, making a call, or scheduling a meeting. 
• Move lead to connected: when a lead connects with the user by replying to an email, booking a meeting, or if the user logs a call outcome as Connected.

Please note: if you manually move a lead to a previous stage, it won't automatically be updated in the future. For example, if the automation moves a lead to Connected, and then you manually move the lead back to New, logging a subsequent Connected call will not automatically move the lead back to the Connected stage.

When configuring your automation settings, you can automatically create new leads when a contact or company moves to a lifecycle stage, create a lead for follow-up, or create simple workflows to trigger actions when a lead moves to a new stage.

• In your HubSpot account, click the settings settings icon in the top navigation bar.
• In the left sidebar menu, navigate to Objects > Leads.
• Click the Pipeline tab. Then, navigate to the Automate tab.

• Toggle the Create a new lead switch on.
• To edit which lifecycle stages you want to create a lead, click the edit Edit icon. Then, in the right panel, in the Select lifecycle stages section, select the lifecycle stage you want to trigger the creation of a lead.

• Click Save.

Please note: this automation won't create leads for when a contact's lifecycle stage changes as a result of company lifecycle stage syncing.

To automatically create a lead for follow-up after a lead has been disqualified: 

• Toggle the Create a lead for follow-up switch on.
• To edit the details of the lead that will be created, click the edit Edit icon. Then, in the right panel, click the Select lead type dropdown menu and select the lead type you'd like to be created. Then click the Select disqualification reasons dropdown menu and select all the disqualification reasons you want to trigger the creation of a new lead.
• Click Save.

To trigger actions when a lead reaches a new stage:

• In the Create workflows from scratch section, click + Create workflow in a stage.

• In the left panel, select and configure your workflow actions. Learn more about workflow actions.
• In the top left, click Save.
• To add additional actions, click the + plus icon. 

Configure pipeline rules (BETA)

Users with super admin permissions can configure pipeline rules. With pipeline rules, you can set and manage rules for your lead pipeline, so you can protect the integrity of your data and ensure accurate reporting. Pipeline rules don't apply to super admins or users with permission to edit property settings.

• In your HubSpot account, click the settings settings icon in the top navigation bar.
• In the left sidebar menu, navigate to Objects > Leads.
• Click the Pipeline tab.
• Click the Pipeline rules tab. There are four pipeline rules: 
  • Limit lead creation to a single stage: users can only create a new lead in the selected stage.
  • Restrict leads from skipping stages: users can only move a lead to the stage following its current stage.

    Please note: regardless of this toggle, users can always move a lead to a closed stage (qualified or unqualified).

  • Restrict leads from moving backwards: users can only move a lead forward in a pipeline.
  • Control lead editing access: if a lead is qualified, a user must create a deal.
• Click to toggle the toggle on. For the Limit lead creation to a sing stage toggle, in the right side panel, click the Select stage dropdown to select a stage. Then click Save.
• To turn off pipeline rules, click to switch the toggle off.

Create lead pipelines (BETA)

Please note: leads in a custom pipeline aren't eligible for default lead stage automation.

Users with super admin permissions can create additional lead pipelines:

• In your HubSpot account, click the settings settings icon in the top navigation bar.
• In the left sidebar menu, navigate to Objects > Leads.
• Click the Pipeline tab.
• Click the Select a pipeline dropdown menu, then select Create pipeline.
• In the dialog box, enter a Pipeline name and click Create.

Learn how to manage leads in the prospecting workspace.