{"id":4017,"date":"2026-05-29T19:39:24","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T19:39:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aaxonix.com\/resources\/?post_type=glossary&#038;p=4017"},"modified":"2026-05-29T19:39:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T19:39:24","slug":"lead","status":"publish","type":"glossary","link":"https:\/\/aaxonix.com\/resources\/glossary\/lead\/","title":{"rendered":"Lead"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>\n.gt-body { font-family:'Poppins',sans-serif; color:#111; line-height:1.75; }\n.gt-def { border-left:4px solid #E8650A; padding:16px 20px; background:#fff8f4; border-radius:0 8px 8px 0; margin:0 0 32px; font-size:1.05rem; }\n.gt-section { margin:0 0 36px; }\n.gt-section h2 { font-family:'Fraunces',serif; color:#0A1628; font-size:1.5rem; margin:0 0 12px; }\n.gt-section p { margin:0 0 12px; }\n.gt-example-box { background:#f0f4ff; border-radius:10px; padding:20px 24px; margin:0 0 32px; }\n.gt-example-box strong { color:#2563EB; }\n.gt-related-pills { display:flex; flex-wrap:wrap; gap:10px; margin:0 0 32px; }\n.gt-related-pill { background:#f7f4ef; border:1px solid #ddd8cf; border-radius:20px; padding:6px 16px; font-size:0.875rem; color:#0A1628; text-decoration:none; transition:all .2s; }\n.gt-related-pill:hover { background:#0A1628; color:#fff; border-color:#0A1628; }\n.gt-faq-item { border:1px solid #ddd8cf; border-radius:10px; padding:16px 20px; margin:0 0 12px; }\n.gt-faq-item h3 { font-size:1rem; color:#0A1628; margin:0 0 8px; }\n.gt-faq-item p { margin:0; font-size:0.9rem; color:#444; }\n<\/style>\n<div class=\"gt-body\">\n<div class=\"gt-def\">A Lead in Zoho CRM is an unqualified individual or organisation that has shown interest in your product or service. Leads are typically the starting point of the sales process and represent potential customers who have not yet been vetted for fit, budget, or intent.<\/div>\n<div class=\"gt-section\">\n<h2>Lead vs Contact in Zoho CRM<\/h2>\n<p>A <strong>Lead<\/strong> is a single record that holds the person and company information together before qualification. When a Lead is qualified and you want to start a formal sales process, you convert it. The <a href=\"https:\/\/aaxonix.com\/resources\/glossary\/lead-conversion\/\" class=\"sp-content-link\">Lead Conversion<\/a> process splits the Lead into three separate records: a <a href=\"https:\/\/aaxonix.com\/resources\/glossary\/contact\/\" class=\"sp-content-link\">Contact<\/a> (the person), an <a href=\"https:\/\/aaxonix.com\/resources\/glossary\/account\/\" class=\"sp-content-link\">Account<\/a> (the company), and a <a href=\"https:\/\/aaxonix.com\/resources\/glossary\/deal-opportunity\/\" class=\"sp-content-link\">Deal<\/a> (the opportunity). This separation enables a more structured B2B sales process where one company can have multiple contacts and multiple deals.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"gt-section\">\n<h2>Lead Sources and Scoring<\/h2>\n<p>Leads typically have a <a href=\"https:\/\/aaxonix.com\/resources\/glossary\/lead-source\/\" class=\"sp-content-link\">Lead Source<\/a> field tracking where they came from (website form, trade show, cold call, referral) and a <a href=\"https:\/\/aaxonix.com\/resources\/glossary\/lead-status\/\" class=\"sp-content-link\">Lead Status<\/a> field indicating their current stage in the qualification process. <a href=\"https:\/\/aaxonix.com\/resources\/glossary\/scoring-rule\/\" class=\"sp-content-link\">Scoring Rules<\/a> can automatically score leads based on their attributes, helping sales teams prioritise which leads to contact first.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"gt-section\">\n<h2>Industry Example<\/h2>\n<div class=\"gt-example-box\"><strong>ERP Implementation:<\/strong> A Zoho implementation partner receives leads from three sources: website enquiry forms, LinkedIn ads, and referrals from existing clients. Each source is captured in the Lead Source field. Leads from referrals automatically get +30 points from a Scoring Rule. Those above 50 points are assigned to a senior consultant via an Assignment Rule, while lower-scoring leads are enrolled in a nurture Cadence.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"gt-section\">\n<h2>Related Terms<\/h2>\n<div class=\"gt-related-pills\"><a href=\"https:\/\/aaxonix.com\/resources\/glossary\/contact\/\" class=\"sp-content-link gt-related-pill\">Contact<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/aaxonix.com\/resources\/glossary\/account\/\" class=\"sp-content-link gt-related-pill\">Account<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/aaxonix.com\/resources\/glossary\/deal-opportunity\/\" class=\"sp-content-link gt-related-pill\">Deal (Opportunity)<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/aaxonix.com\/resources\/glossary\/lead-conversion\/\" class=\"sp-content-link gt-related-pill\">Lead Conversion<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/aaxonix.com\/resources\/glossary\/lead-source\/\" class=\"sp-content-link gt-related-pill\">Lead Source<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/aaxonix.com\/resources\/glossary\/lead-status\/\" class=\"sp-content-link gt-related-pill\">Lead Status<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/aaxonix.com\/resources\/glossary\/scoring-rule\/\" class=\"sp-content-link gt-related-pill\">Scoring Rule<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/aaxonix.com\/resources\/glossary\/assignment-rule\/\" class=\"sp-content-link gt-related-pill\">Assignment Rule<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/aaxonix.com\/resources\/glossary\/cadence\/\" class=\"sp-content-link gt-related-pill\">Cadence<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/aaxonix.com\/resources\/glossary\/zia-lead-score\/\" class=\"sp-content-link gt-related-pill\">Zia Lead Score<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"gt-section\">\n<h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n<div class=\"gt-faq-item\">\n<h3>What is a Lead in Zoho CRM?<\/h3>\n<p>A Lead is an unqualified prospect record in Zoho CRM that holds contact and company details for someone who has expressed interest but has not yet been vetted. Once qualified, a Lead is converted into a Contact, Account, and Deal.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"gt-faq-item\">\n<h3>What happens to a Lead after conversion in Zoho CRM?<\/h3>\n<p>When a Lead is converted, Zoho CRM creates three new records: a Contact (for the person), an Account (for their company), and optionally a Deal (for the sales opportunity). The original Lead record is moved to a converted status and is no longer active in the Lead pipeline.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Lead in Zoho CRM is an unqualified individual or organisation that has shown interest in your product or service. Leads are\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","meta":{"seo_title":"Lead | Zoho Glossary","seo_description":"A Lead in Zoho CRM is an unqualified individual or organisation that has shown interest in your product or service. 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The original Lead record is moved to a converted status and is no longer active in the Lead pipeline.\"}]","term_type":"Business","glossary_related":"","glossary_links":""},"glossary_category":[1238],"class_list":["post-4017","glossary","type-glossary","status-publish","hentry","glossary_category-zoho-crm"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aaxonix.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/glossary\/4017","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aaxonix.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/glossary"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aaxonix.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/glossary"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aaxonix.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4017"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"glossary_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aaxonix.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/glossary_category?post=4017"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}