How to Create a New Lead Status in HubSpot

Effective lead management is the backbone of any successful sales and marketing strategy. Organising leads ensures that teams can prioritise high-value opportunities, maintain consistent follow-ups, and streamline workflows.

In a CRM like HubSpot, segmenting leads with clear statuses can significantly enhance performance by aligning your sales and marketing efforts.

HubSpot offers users the flexibility to customise lead statuses, enabling businesses to adapt the CRM to their unique processes. Whether you're looking to move a contact to a lead or adjust their marketing status, these customisations help track and nurture prospects effectively.

This blog will guide you through a step-by-step process of creating a new lead status in HubSpot and demonstrate how to maximise its impact on your sales and marketing strategies.

Why Is It Important?

Customising lead statuses allows you to create a workflow tailored to your organisation’s specific sales process. For example, you may want to add statuses like "Follow-Up Required" or "Needs Assessment" to reflect your unique stages. This personalisation helps to improve communication, prioritisation, and conversion rates.

Aligning Marketing and Sales

Customised lead statuses bridge the gap between sales and marketing teams. By integrating status updates into automated workflows, such as using HubSpot to change a contact to a lead, your teams can work cohesively to nurture prospects more effectively.

Customizing lead statuses in HubSpot can significantly enhance your sales and marketing alignment. However, to fully leverage these features, partnering with an experienced HubSpot agency in the UK can be invaluable. These agencies offer tailored solutions to optimize your CRM setup, ensuring it aligns seamlessly with your business processes. Explore our comprehensive list of the best HubSpot partner agencies in the UK to find the right expertise for your organization.

Understanding HubSpot Lead Status

What Is Lead Status?

HubSpot Lead Status is a detailed property designed to track the specific stage a lead is in within the sales process. It provides a granular view of the engagement journey and ensures that sales and marketing teams are aligned in their understanding of how to interact with a lead.

Unlike lifecycle stages, which define the overarching relationship a contact has with your organisation—such as "Lead," "Opportunity," or "Customer"—lead status focuses on the precise actions and progress of a lead. For example, while a contact may have a lifecycle stage of "Lead," their lead status could reflect specific nuances like:

• New: A lead that has been identified but not yet engaged.
• Contacted: A lead who has been reached out to but has not yet responded.
• In Progress: Indicates ongoing conversations or nurturing activities.
• Follow-Up Required: Highlights the need for further engagement to move the lead forward.
• Qualified: A lead who meets your criteria for sales readiness and is primed for conversion.

How Does Lead Status Differ from Lifecycle Stages?

While both lifecycle stages and lead status aim to organise and track contacts, they serve distinct purposes:

• Lifecycle Stages: Provide a high-level overview of a contact’s journey, useful for general segmentation and reporting. For example, moving a contact from "Lead" to "Customer" reflects their overall progression.
  
  
• Lead Status: Offers a deeper dive into a lead’s current state within the sales cycle, helping teams pinpoint specific next steps. For instance, a "Follow-Up Required" lead within the "Lead" lifecycle stage signals immediate action, whereas a "Qualified" lead might be ready to transition to the "Opportunity" stage.

By combining lifecycle stages and HubSpot lead status, teams can create a comprehensive framework that supports both strategic decision-making and tactical execution.

Why Lead Status Matters for Your Sales Team

In any successful sales process, tracking and managing leads efficiently is crucial. This is where Lead Status in HubSpot plays a key role. By assigning the right status option to each lead, your sales team can prioritize outreach, track progress, and close deals more effectively.

1. Enhances Lead Management in Your Sales Process

A well-defined Lead Status helps your sales reps categorize leads based on their engagement level. Whether a lead is a Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL) or a Sales Qualified Lead (SQL), having a structured approach ensures no potential customer slips through the cracks.

2. Aligns Your Sales Team and Marketing Team

For seamless collaboration, both the marketing team and sales team need a shared understanding of a lead’s journey. Using lifecycle stages and lead status, teams can determine when a lead is ready for direct sales outreach versus when further nurturing is needed.

3. Helps in Prioritizing Leads with an Open Deal

A lead with an open deal requires a different approach than one marked as bad timing. With clear lead status property settings in HubSpot, your sales reps can focus on high-priority prospects rather than spending time on unqualified leads.

4. Improves CRM Efficiency with Auto-Suggest Features

HubSpot's auto-suggest helps you quickly narrow down your search results by suggesting possible matches as you type. This enables your sales team to swiftly locate leads and update their lead status accordingly, ensuring that no opportunity is overlooked.

5. Streamlines Follow-Ups with Better Lead Status Organization

By using the right lead status in HubSpot, your team can track follow-ups more effectively. For example, if a lead is categorized as "Please mark it as a solution", it indicates that the lead has received relevant information but may need further engagement.

6. Enables Data-Driven Decisions with Better Reporting

With a well-structured lead status property, you can generate reports showing how leads move through the pipeline. This allows your sales team to identify bottlenecks and refine their approach to increase conversion rates.

Benefits of Customising Lead Status in HubSpot

Customising lead statuses allows organisations to tailor HubSpot CRM to fit their unique sales processes. Here’s how:

1. Better Alignment with Unique Sales Processes: Every organisation operates differently. Custom lead statuses ensure that your CRM mirrors your specific workflows, making it easier for teams to track progress and collaborate effectively.

2. Improved Lead Segmentation for Targeted Marketing: With detailed statuses, you can segment leads based on their engagement stage and target them with personalised campaigns, boosting the chances of conversion.

3. Enhanced Collaboration Between Sales and Marketing: Custom lead statuses provide a shared language for teams, reducing miscommunication and ensuring that everyone understands the lead’s status and next steps.

4. Greater Efficiency: By clearly defining where a lead is in the sales cycle, teams can prioritise efforts, allocate resources wisely, and avoid wasting time on unqualified leads.

In essence, lead status in HubSpot is not just a tracking tool; it’s a strategic asset that empowers organisations to manage their sales pipelines with precision, ensuring every lead is nurtured appropriately and efficiently.

How to Customize Lead Status in HubSpot

Managing leads effectively requires a structured lead status system that aligns with your sales processes.

In HubSpot, you can customize the lead status property to fit your sales team’s workflow. This allows your sales reps to track lead engagement, prioritize follow-ups, and streamline their outreach efforts.

Customizing lead status ensures that your marketing team and sales team are on the same page, improving overall efficiency and conversion rates.

Understanding Lead Status in HubSpot

Before customizing, it's important to understand the role of lead status in HubSpot. Unlike lifecycle stages, which define a contact’s overall position in the buyer’s journey (such as Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL) or Sales Qualified Lead (SQL)), lead status helps categorize leads based on their engagement level with your business. For example, leads can be marked as "New," "Contacted," "Connected," or "Bad Timing."

This classification enables sales reps to manage their pipelines effectively and focus on leads that are more likely to convert.

How to Access and Customize Lead Status in HubSpot

To customize lead status in HubSpot, navigate to the settings within your HubSpot CRM. First, click on the settings gear icon in the main dashboard. From there, go to the Properties section and search for lead status. Once located, select the lead status property and click on "Edit." Here, you can modify existing statuses or add new ones to reflect your unique sales process.

When customizing lead status, consider the different stages a lead might go through before becoming an open deal. Common status options include "Attempted to Contact," "Connected," "In Progress," and "Please Mark It as a Solution." Adding relevant options ensures that your sales reps can easily identify where a lead stands and take appropriate action.

Aligning Lead Status with Your Sales Team’s Workflow

Customizing lead status should align with how your sales team approaches lead nurturing and conversions. For instance, if your business frequently deals with leads that show initial interest but aren't ready to commit, adding a status like "Bad Timing" helps sales reps know when to re-engage later. Similarly, if leads express strong interest, marking them as "Sales Qualified Lead (SQL)" can help streamline the transition into an open deal.

Additionally, utilizing HubSpot’s auto-suggest feature can help your team find relevant leads quickly. Auto-suggest helps you quickly narrow down your search results by suggesting possible matches as you type, making it easier to filter contacts by their lead status and determine the next steps.

Improving CRM Efficiency with Customized Lead Status

Customizing lead status not only helps with lead tracking but also enhances CRM efficiency. By structuring your lead status property logically, your team can generate reports that provide insights into lead conversion trends, bottlenecks in the sales process, and areas for improvement. This data-driven approach ensures that your sales team focuses on high-priority leads and refines their strategies for better results.

Preparing to Create a New Lead Status

Before diving into creating a new lead status in HubSpot, it's essential to prepare by reviewing your existing configurations, defining your custom requirements, and ensuring you have the proper permissions.

Thorough preparation not only streamlines the setup process but also ensures your lead management system aligns with your organisation's specific needs.

Review Existing Lead Statuses

HubSpot comes with default lead statuses designed to suit common sales workflows. Reviewing these helps you understand the current framework and identify areas that may require customisation.

Steps to Check Default Lead Statuses:

1. Navigate to the CRM Settings: Log in to your HubSpot account and click on the Settings icon in the main navigation bar.
2. Access Property Settings: Go to Properties under the Data Management section.
3. Search for HubSpot Lead Status Property: In the search bar, type "Lead Status" to locate the property.
4. View Existing Options: Click on the property to view the predefined statuses and their descriptions.

Common Default Lead Statuses in HubSpot:

• New: A lead that has been identified but not yet engaged by the sales team.
• Contacted: Indicates that the lead has been reached out to, whether via email, call, or other methods.
• Qualified: A lead that has been vetted and meets the criteria for sales readiness.
• Unqualified: A lead that does not align with your product or service offering.

Understanding the default options allows you to decide whether they meet your needs or require customisation to better reflect your sales process.

Define Your Custom Lead Statuses

Custom lead statuses are critical for organisations with unique sales workflows or specific milestones that aren't covered by the default options.

Questions to Ask When Defining Custom Lead Statuses:

1. What Stages Do Your Leads Typically Go Through?
   Consider the journey of a lead from the first point of contact to conversion. Break this journey into identifiable stages that are actionable for your team.

2. Are There Unique Milestones Specific to Your Sales Process?
   Some organisations may require statuses such as "Demo Scheduled" or "Awaiting Contract Signature" that are not typically included in default setups.

Examples of Custom Lead Statuses:

• Awaiting Response: For leads who have been contacted but have not yet replied.
• Demo Scheduled: Indicates that a product demo or meeting has been arranged.
• Contract Sent: For leads who have received a proposal or contract but have not yet signed.
• Nurture Further: For leads that need more time or information before making a decision.
• Lost Opportunity: For leads that no longer show interest or fit the target profile.

Clearly defined custom statuses not only help in organising leads but also ensure that sales and marketing teams understand the exact state of engagement.

Permissions Required

Creating or modifying lead statuses requires specific user permissions in HubSpot. Ensuring you have the correct access rights is essential to avoid delays during the setup process.

Overview of Permissions Needed:

1. Edit Property Permissions: Only users with the appropriate access level can edit or create properties in HubSpot. These permissions are typically assigned to admin users or specific roles.
   
   
2. Access to CRM Settings: You must have access to the Data Management section within HubSpot to view and edit lead status properties.

How to Check Your Access Level:

1. Navigate to User Settings: In your HubSpot account, click on your profile picture in the top-right corner and select Profile & Preferences.
   
   
2. View Permissions: Under the Permissions tab, check your access level for property management and CRM customisations.
   
   
3. Request Access if Needed: If you lack the required permissions, contact your HubSpot administrator to grant you access.

By reviewing the existing lead statuses, clearly defining your custom needs, and ensuring proper permissions, you set the foundation for a seamless and effective customisation process in HubSpot.

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a New Lead Status in HubSpot

Creating a new lead status in HubSpot is a straightforward process that allows you to tailor your CRM to fit your sales and marketing workflows. This customisation ensures your team can track leads effectively and prioritise opportunities. Below is a detailed step-by-step guide to help you create and implement a new lead status.

1. Navigate to Property Settings

Begin by accessing HubSpot’s property settings, where all CRM properties are managed.

1. Log In: Use your HubSpot credentials to access your account. Ensure you have the necessary user permissions to modify properties (usually available to Admin users).
   
   
2. Open Settings: Once logged in, locate the gear icon in the top-right corner of the HubSpot dashboard and click it. This takes you to the settings menu, where all CRM customisations are managed.
   
   
3. Select Properties: In the left-hand sidebar of the settings page, scroll to the Data Management section and select Properties. This is the central hub for managing contact, deal, and company properties.

Tip: Bookmark this page for quick access in the future, as you may return to modify properties or add new ones.

2. Locate the Lead Status Property

The Lead Status property is where you’ll add or edit options to reflect your custom sales stages.

1. Search for Lead Status: Use the search bar at the top of the properties page and type "Lead Status." This helps you quickly locate the property without scrolling through the list.

1. Default Location: The Lead Status property is categorised under Contact Properties, as it relates directly to managing and segmenting contacts in your database.
   
   
2. Review Existing Options: Once you click on the Lead Status property, review the default options provided by HubSpot (e.g., "New," "Contacted," "Qualified"). This helps you understand the current configuration and identify gaps where new statuses may be needed.

3. Edit the Lead Status Property

To customise your Lead Status property, you need to enter edit mode.

1. Open the Property Details: Click on the Lead Status property name from the list to view its settings.
   
   
2. Enter Edit Mode: Look for the Edit button, usually located near the dropdown list of existing lead statuses. Click this to begin making changes.
   
   
3. Understand the Structure: The Lead Status property uses a dropdown menu format, where each status represents a specific stage in your lead management process.

4. Add a New Lead Status

Custom lead statuses allow your team to track unique sales or engagement milestones.

1. Click on "+ Add Option": Within the dropdown editor, click the + Add Option button to create a new status.
   
   
2. Enter a Name: Provide a clear and concise name for your new lead status. Examples might include "Follow-Up Scheduled," "Awaiting Feedback," or "Proposal Sent."
   
   
3. Provide a Description: Add a brief description of the new status. This ensures your team understands its purpose and when to use it. For example, “Follow-Up Scheduled: The lead has been contacted, and a follow-up call is scheduled within the next three days.”
   
   
4. Add Multiple Options: Repeat the process to add all the lead statuses relevant to your workflow. Each status should represent a distinct stage in your lead’s journey.

Tip: Use consistent naming conventions to avoid confusion, and ensure the statuses align with your sales and marketing strategies.

5. Save Changes

Once you’ve added your custom statuses, it’s time to save your work and make the changes live.

1. Review the Changes: Double-check the new options you’ve added for accuracy and completeness.
   
   
2. Click Save: Once satisfied, click the Save button at the bottom of the property editor. This ensures your new lead statuses are applied across your HubSpot CRM.
   
   
3. Verify Updates: Check a few contact records to confirm the new lead statuses are available in the dropdown menu. This is essential to ensure seamless integration into your workflows.

Why This Matters

Adding a new lead status in HubSpot ensures your CRM is aligned with your specific sales and marketing processes.

It enables better tracking of leads, clearer communication among team members, and improved prioritisation of opportunities.

Updating Lead Status for Existing Contacts

Effectively managing your contacts involves keeping their lead statuses up to date. Whether you need to update the status of a single contact or multiple records, HubSpot offers straightforward tools to make the process efficient. Keeping lead statuses accurate not only reflects the current position of leads in your pipeline but also ensures your team can focus on the right priorities. Here's how you can update lead statuses for existing contacts, step by step.

Manually Change Lead Status

If you need to update the lead status for an individual contact, HubSpot provides an intuitive process directly within the contact record.

1. Open the Contact Record:

   • Log in to your HubSpot account and navigate to your Contacts tab.
   • Search for the specific contact whose lead status you want to update using the search bar or by browsing through the contact list.
   • Click on the contact’s name to open their detailed record.
     
     

2. Locate the "Lead Status" Property:

   • Within the contact record, find the Lead Status property, typically located in the left-hand panel under the "About this Contact" section.
   • If the property isn’t visible, use the "View all properties" option to display it or customise the panel to include the property for easier access in the future.
     
     

3. Select the New Status:

   • Click on the dropdown menu next to Lead Status.
   • Choose the appropriate new status that reflects the current stage of the lead in your sales process (e.g., "Contacted," "Demo Scheduled").
   • Once selected, the update is automatically saved and reflected across the CRM.

Pro Tip: Add notes or use other properties to document why the status was updated for better context and tracking.

Bulk Update Lead Status

For larger updates, such as changing the lead status of multiple contacts at once, HubSpot provides bulk editing functionality to save time and maintain consistency.

1. Navigate to the Contact List:

   • Go to the Contacts tab in your HubSpot account.
   • Use filters or views to display the specific group of contacts whose lead statuses need updating (e.g., all contacts in a specific lifecycle stage).
     
     

2. Select the Desired Contacts:

   • Check the boxes next to the names of the contacts you want to update.
   • If you want to select all contacts in the current view, click the "Select All" checkbox at the top of the list.
     
     

3. Use the "Edit" Feature:

   • After selecting the contacts, click on the Edit button at the top of the list.
   • In the bulk edit menu, search for and select the Lead Status property.
     
     

4. Update the Status:

   • Choose the new lead status from the dropdown menu.
   • Click Update to apply the change to all selected contacts.
   • HubSpot will process the updates, and you’ll see the changes reflected in the contact list once completed.

Pro Tip: Use bulk editing cautiously to avoid accidental updates. Double-check your selection to ensure only the intended contacts are included in the edit.

Why Keeping Lead Statuses Updated Matters

Accurate lead statuses are essential for:

• Prioritising Efforts: Your sales team can focus on high-priority leads and avoid wasting time on outdated or unqualified prospects.
  
  
• Streamlined Communication: Marketing and sales teams can collaborate more effectively with clear visibility into each lead's status.
  
  
• Better Reporting: Updated statuses provide reliable data for analysing your pipeline’s health and identifying bottlenecks.

Whether you're working on individual contacts or updating statuses for a large group, HubSpot's tools make the process seamless and efficient. Keeping lead statuses current ensures your CRM remains a powerful asset for driving sales and marketing success.

Practical Applications of Lead Status

Using lead statuses effectively can significantly enhance the alignment between your marketing and sales teams, improve visibility into your sales pipeline, and provide actionable insights through detailed reporting. Below is an exploration of how lead statuses can be leveraged to optimise these areas.

Aligning Marketing and Sales Efforts

Lead statuses serve as a critical bridge between marketing and sales, ensuring that both teams are on the same page when identifying and nurturing prospects.

1. Identifying Qualified Leads:

   • Marketing teams can use lead statuses to track which leads are ready to be handed off to sales.

1. • For instance, leads that progress from "New" to "Qualified" can be flagged for sales teams to prioritise.

1. • This clear demarcation ensures marketing’s efforts focus on nurturing unqualified leads while sales targets those closer to conversion.
     
     

2. Syncing Lead Statuses with Email Campaigns and Workflows:

   • Automating workflows based on lead statuses is a powerful way to personalise outreach.

1. • Example: When a lead's status changes to "Awaiting Response," an automated follow-up email sequence can be triggered to re-engage them.

1. • Similarly, segmenting email campaigns by lead status ensures that communications are tailored to the recipient’s stage in the funnel, increasing the likelihood of engagement.

Result: A seamless handoff between marketing and sales leads to higher conversion rates and better resource allocation.

Improving Sales Pipeline Visibility

Tracking leads through their statuses gives your sales team a clear view of where each prospect stands in the pipeline, enabling more strategic decision-making.

1. Tracking Lead Progress:

   • Lead statuses provide a granular view of the journey each lead takes through your sales funnel.
   • Sales representatives can monitor where leads are in real-time, whether they're in the "Contacted," "Qualified," or "Demo Scheduled" stage.
     
     

2. Prioritising Follow-Ups:

   • By categorising leads into specific statuses, sales teams can focus their efforts where it matters most.
   • For instance, a "Follow-Up Required" status can signal urgency, ensuring these leads receive prompt attention.
   • Conversely, leads marked as "Not Interested" can be deprioritised, saving valuable time.

Result: Enhanced pipeline visibility allows sales teams to work more efficiently and close deals faster.

Integration with Reporting

Lead statuses provide valuable data points that can be incorporated into reports, offering insights into your pipeline’s performance and helping identify areas for improvement.

1. Creating Reports Based on Lead Status:

   • HubSpot’s reporting tools can segment and analyse leads by their statuses, providing a detailed view of your funnel.
   • Example: A report showing the number of leads stuck in the "Contacted" status can help identify potential roadblocks in your outreach strategy.
     
     

2. Tracking Pipeline Performance:

   • By monitoring the progression of leads, you can pinpoint which statuses are most effective and which require adjustments.
   • Example: If many leads remain in the "Awaiting Response" status for an extended period, it may indicate a need for a stronger follow-up strategy or improved messaging.

Result: Data-driven decisions based on lead status analytics enhance your ability to optimise the sales process and forecast revenue more accurately.

Why Practical Application Matters

Incorporating lead statuses into your workflows doesn’t just streamline operations—it creates a cohesive system where marketing and sales efforts work in harmony.

By using lead statuses to improve pipeline visibility and reporting, you gain a competitive edge that directly impacts your bottom line. HubSpot’s robust features ensure that these practical applications are easy to implement and customise, making lead statuses an invaluable asset for any organisation.

Advanced Tips for Managing Lead Statuses

Once you’ve set up lead statuses in HubSpot, leveraging advanced strategies can help maximise their efficiency and effectiveness. By automating updates, using them to create custom views, and integrating them with third-party tools, you can further streamline your sales and marketing processes.

Automate Lead Status Updates

Manually updating lead statuses can be time-consuming, especially for large teams managing hundreds of leads. Automation helps reduce errors and ensures consistency across your CRM.

1. Setting Up Workflows for Automatic Updates:

   • HubSpot allows you to create workflows that automatically update lead statuses based on specific triggers.
   • Examples of Triggers and Corresponding Statuses:
     • Form Submissions: If a lead fills out a demo request form, their status can automatically update to "Demo Scheduled."
     • Email Opens or Clicks: When a lead opens an email or clicks on a link, their status could change to "Engaged."
     • Deal Creation: When a deal is created for a lead, their status could update to "In Negotiation."
   • This automation ensures that the right status is applied at the right time without manual intervention, keeping the sales pipeline accurate.
     
     

2. Benefits of Automating Lead Status Updates:

   • Saves time for sales and marketing teams.
   • Eliminates the risk of leads being misclassified.
   • Keeps your pipeline up to date, ensuring accurate reporting and analysis.

Use Lead Status in Filters and Views

Custom views in HubSpot can help teams stay organised and focus on the leads that matter most. Lead statuses play a critical role in creating these views.

1. Creating Custom Views with Lead Statuses:

   • HubSpot allows you to filter contacts based on their lead status and save these filters as custom views.
   • Example:
     • Create a view that shows all leads with the status "Demo Scheduled," so the sales team can easily see who they need to prepare for next.
     • Set up another view for leads in the "Awaiting Response" status to ensure no follow-ups are missed.

1. Using Lead Status Filters to Prioritise Leads:

   • By segmenting leads into specific views, teams can focus their efforts on high-priority groups.
   • Example: A manager can create a view for "Qualified" leads to assign them to the right sales representatives.
     
     

2. Shared Views for Collaboration:

   • These custom views can be shared across teams, ensuring marketing and sales have access to the same up-to-date information.

Integrate Lead Status with Third-Party Tools

For organisations using multiple platforms, syncing lead statuses across tools ensures data consistency and enhances operational efficiency.

1. How Lead Status Syncs with Other Platforms:

   • HubSpot integrates seamlessly with platforms like Salesforce, enabling two-way data syncs.
   • Example: When a lead’s status changes in HubSpot to "Deal Won," it automatically reflects in Salesforce, ensuring both platforms are aligned.
     
     

2. Integration with Email Marketing Tools:

   • Lead statuses can be used to segment contacts in email marketing platforms like Mailchimp or Constant Contact.
   • Example: Leads with the status "Contacted" can be added to a specific email nurture campaign, while those marked "Not Interested" are excluded.
     
     

3. Ensuring Consistency Across Systems:

   • To avoid discrepancies, regular audits and proper mapping of lead statuses during integration are crucial.
   • HubSpot’s integration settings make it easy to configure and test these mappings.

Why Advanced Lead Status Management Matters

Using advanced tips like automation, custom views, and integration with third-party tools takes your CRM management to the next level. By minimising manual work and ensuring seamless data flow, these strategies allow your teams to focus more on nurturing leads and closing deals.

HubSpot’s flexibility and robust feature set make it easy to implement these advanced practices, giving your organisation a significant edge in managing its sales funnel effectively.

Common Challenges and Troubleshooting

While HubSpot is a powerful CRM for managing and organising leads, users may encounter some common challenges related to lead statuses. Understanding these issues and knowing how to resolve them ensures that your lead management remains smooth and efficient. Below are two key challenges with lead statuses and the steps you can take to troubleshoot them.

Issues with Permissions

One of the most common issues that users face when trying to edit or customise lead status is related to permissions. Permissions in HubSpot control what each user can see and do within the CRM, and if you do not have the necessary permissions, you may find yourself unable to make changes to the lead status property.

1. What to Do if You Can’t Edit the Lead Status Property:

   • Check Your User Permissions: If you're unable to modify the lead status, it is likely because your user role does not have the appropriate permissions. Permissions are typically set by admins, and some users may only have read-only access to certain properties.
     
     
   • Steps to Check Permissions:
     • Log in to HubSpot as an administrator or contact your HubSpot admin to review your permissions.
     • Navigate to Settings > Users & Teams, and then select your user profile to verify your access levels.
     • Ensure that you have the correct permissions to view and edit properties, specifically the "Lead Status" property.
       
       
   • Request Permission Adjustment: If you do not have the necessary permissions, request that your HubSpot administrator update your access. Admins can adjust roles and permissions to allow you to edit lead status properties.
     
     

2. If You're an Admin and Still Encounter Issues:

   • Ensure that no workflows or other automation settings are blocking access to the lead status property. Sometimes, workflow settings or other customisations can inadvertently lock certain fields, preventing updates.
     
     
   • Check whether the “Lead Status” property is being controlled by a workflow that restricts its changes. If this is the case, you may need to adjust the workflow settings.

Lead Status Not Updating Properly

Another issue that often arises is when the lead status does not update as expected. This can occur due to a variety of reasons such as workflow errors, manual overrides, or sync issues with integrated tools. It’s essential to identify the root cause and address it promptly.

1. Possible Causes for Lead Status Not Updating Properly:
   • Workflow Errors: If a workflow is responsible for updating the lead status automatically, errors within the workflow can prevent the status from changing. These errors may include missing or incorrect triggers, conditions, or actions within the workflow.
     
     
   • Manual Overrides: Users may manually override the lead status, which can interfere with automated updates. For instance, if a user changes the status of a lead manually, it may prevent the workflow from updating it automatically later.
     
     
   • Sync Issues with Integrated Tools: If HubSpot is integrated with other tools, such as email marketing platforms or Salesforce, syncing issues between these systems could cause discrepancies in lead status.

Lead Status Reporting: How to Analyze Your Sales Pipeline

Tracking Lead Status in HubSpot is essential for understanding how leads progress through your sales pipeline. By analyzing lead status reports, your sales team can identify trends, optimize follow-ups, and improve conversion rates.

To start, use HubSpot’s reporting tools to segment leads based on their lead status property. This allows you to see how many leads are in each stage—New, Contacted, Connected, Qualified, or Bad Timing—and track their movement over time. A high number of leads stuck in Bad Timing may indicate a need for better nurturing, while too many in Contacted without progression could signal ineffective outreach strategies.

Next, compare lead status with open deals to assess how effectively leads are transitioning into opportunities. If many Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) fail to become Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs), your sales and marketing teams may need to realign their criteria.

Regularly reviewing lead status reports helps your sales reps focus on high-priority leads, refine engagement strategies, and ensure no potential customer is overlooked. By optimizing your lead status in HubSpot, you create a more efficient and data-driven sales process.

How to Use HubSpot Lead Status to Prioritize Follow-Ups

Effectively managing follow-ups is crucial for converting leads, and HubSpot Lead Status helps your sales team stay organized and focused on high-priority prospects. By categorizing leads based on their engagement level, sales reps can determine which contacts need immediate attention and which require long-term nurturing.

To prioritize follow-ups, use lead status property stages such as New, Contacted, Connected, Qualified, and Bad Timing. Leads marked as Connected or Qualified should be prioritized for immediate follow-up, while those under Bad Timing may require a scheduled check-in later. Integrating lead status in HubSpot with automation can further streamline this process by triggering reminders or automated emails based on status changes.

Additionally, leveraging lead status reports allows your sales team to track trends and identify bottlenecks in the sales process. If too many leads remain in the Contacted stage without progression, it may indicate a need to refine outreach strategies. By continuously monitoring and optimizing lead status, your team can ensure timely follow-ups, increase engagement, and improve conversion rates.

FAQs

In this section, we’ll answer some of the frequently asked questions related to lead status in HubSpot CRM. These answers will help you gain a better understanding of how to manage and optimise your lead statuses effectively.

How to Align Lead Status with Your Sales Processes

A well-structured lead status system in HubSpot is crucial for ensuring a smooth sales process. When properly aligned, it helps your sales team track, manage, and nurture leads effectively, increasing the chances of closing more deals. By customizing the lead status property, your sales reps can categorize leads based on their engagement level and readiness to convert. This ensures that your marketing team and sales team work together seamlessly to move leads through the pipeline.

Understanding the Role of Lead Status in Your Sales Process

Before aligning lead status with your sales processes, it’s important to understand its function. Unlike lifecycle stages, which define a lead’s overall journey (such as Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL) or Sales Qualified Lead (SQL)), lead status is a more granular categorization used to track where a lead stands in the sales pipeline. For example, leads can be classified as "New," "Contacted," "Connected," "Bad Timing," or "Open Deal," depending on their interaction with your sales team.

When properly set up, lead status in HubSpot helps your team prioritize outreach, follow up with the right leads at the right time, and improve efficiency. Without a structured lead status property, your sales reps may waste time chasing unqualified leads or miss opportunities to engage with high-priority prospects.

Steps to Align Lead Status with Your Sales Team’s Workflow

1. Define Clear Lead Status Stages

Start by mapping out the key touchpoints in your sales process and creating lead status categories that reflect each stage. Common lead status options include:

• New – A fresh lead that has just entered your CRM.
• Attempted to Contact – A lead that has been reached out to but hasn’t responded yet.
• Connected – A lead that has engaged with your sales team but hasn’t progressed further.
• Qualified – A lead that meets the criteria for further sales discussions.
• Bad Timing – A lead that showed interest but isn’t ready to buy yet.
• Open Deal – A lead that has moved into the deal stage and is actively being worked on.

By defining these stages clearly, you ensure that your sales reps know exactly where each lead stands and how to proceed.

2. Customize Your Lead Status Property in HubSpot

Once you’ve defined your lead status categories, customize them in HubSpot:

• Navigate to Settings and select Properties.
• Search for Lead Status and click on Edit.
• Add, modify, or delete status options based on your sales processes.
• Save the changes and ensure your team is trained on the updated statuses.

A well-organized lead status property makes it easier to track progress, segment leads, and automate follow-ups based on their current stage.

3. Automate Lead Qualification with Lifecycle Stages and Lead Status

To streamline workflows, use HubSpot’s automation tools to transition leads between lead status stages. For example:

• If a marketing qualified lead (MQL) downloads a case study, automatically update their lead status to “Connected.”
• If a lead has been unresponsive for 30 days, change their lead status to "Bad Timing" and schedule a follow-up in the future.
• When a lead expresses buying intent, update their lead status to "Open Deal" and notify the sales rep.

By automating these updates, you reduce manual work and ensure consistency in lead management.

4. Improve CRM Efficiency with Auto-Suggest and Search Features

HubSpot’s auto-suggest helps you quickly narrow down your search results by suggesting possible matches as you type. This makes it easier for sales reps to locate leads, update their lead status, and take action faster.

Additionally, encourage your team to search CRM for solutions when handling complex lead scenarios. By leveraging past interactions and CRM data, your sales team can refine their approach and improve engagement rates.

5. Monitor and Optimize Lead Status Performance

Regularly analyze how leads progress through different lead status stages. Generate reports to see:

• Which lead status categories have the highest conversion rates.
• How long leads stay in each lead status before progressing.
• Where drop-offs occur in the sales process.

By reviewing this data, you can optimize your lead status workflow, adjust follow-up strategies, and refine qualification criteria to improve sales efficiency.

Can I Delete a Lead Status I No Longer Need?

Yes, you can delete lead statuses that are no longer relevant to your sales process. However, it’s important to note that deleting a lead status may impact your existing records. If a contact’s lead status is set to a value you plan to delete, you’ll need to assign a new status before proceeding.

Steps to Delete a Lead Status:

• Go to Settings > Properties.
• In the Contact Properties section, search for Lead Status.
• Select the lead status you want to delete.
• Click Edit to modify the options and remove the outdated lead status.

Note: Deleting a lead status may cause issues with existing data if not managed correctly, so it's always a good idea to ensure any contacts with that status are updated beforehand.

How Many Lead Statuses Can I Create?

HubSpot allows users to create multiple lead statuses to accommodate various stages of the sales funnel. There is no strict limit on the number of lead statuses you can create, but it’s essential to keep them organised and aligned with your sales process to avoid confusion.

Best Practice: Keep your lead statuses manageable by only creating those that are truly necessary. Too many lead statuses could complicate the tracking and prioritisation process.

What’s the Difference Between Lead Status and Lifecycle Stage?

The Lead Status property tracks the current stage of a contact within your sales process, whereas the Lifecycle Stage refers to the broader stage in the buyer’s journey.

Lead Status: Customisable based on your internal sales processes, helping to track a lead's progress (e.g., "Qualified," "Demo Scheduled," "Contract Sent").

Lifecycle Stage: A predefined set of stages (e.g., Subscriber, Lead, Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL), Sales Qualified Lead (SQL), Opportunity, Customer) that reflects the contact's relationship with your organisation.

While Lead Status offers more granular control over the sales pipeline, Lifecycle Stage offers a high-level overview of the contact's journey from initial awareness to becoming a customer.

Can I Use Lead Status in HubSpot’s Free CRM Version?

Yes, you can use Lead Status in HubSpot’s free CRM version. While the free version may have some limitations compared to the paid plans, such as fewer reporting features and customisations, you still have access to essential tools for managing leads, including the ability to customise lead statuses.

The free version of HubSpot CRM allows you to manage your leads and track them through your sales funnel without any cost, which is especially valuable for small businesses or nonprofits looking to optimise their lead management without a large investment.

Lead Status vs. Open Deal: What’s the Difference? 

Lead Status and Open Deal in HubSpot serve different roles in the sales process. Lead Status categorizes leads based on their engagement level, helping sales reps track interactions and determine the next steps. Common statuses include New, Contacted, Connected, Qualified, and Bad Timing, ensuring leads are nurtured effectively before they enter the sales pipeline.

An Open Deal, on the other hand, signifies that a lead has progressed beyond qualification and is now actively being pursued for a sale. This means the sales team has identified a clear opportunity, and the focus shifts from nurturing to closing. Simply put, Lead Status helps manage prospects before they become opportunities, while an Open Deal indicates an active sales pursuit. Aligning both ensures an efficient and structured approach to lead conversion.

Conclusion

Customising lead statuses in HubSpot CRM plays a crucial role in streamlining your sales and marketing efforts.

By tailoring your lead statuses to match your unique sales processes, you can gain better visibility of your sales pipeline and prioritise follow-ups more effectively.

At Pixcell, a HubSpot Gold Certified Agency Partner, we’re here to help you make the most of HubSpot’s powerful tools. Whether you’re managing lead statuses or exploring advanced functionalities, we provide expert guidance to maximise your CRM's potential.

those new to the platform, our Beginner’s Guide to HubSpot CRM offers a comprehensive overview to get started.

To further enhance your sales strategy, consider reading our blog on Lead Scoring in HubSpot, which delves into qualifying and prioritising leads effectively.

Start refining your lead statuses today to optimise your sales process and ensure that every lead gets the attention it deserves!