What are Leads in Zoho CRM? 3 basic actions you should know

1. What are leads?

“Leads” is simply the plural form of “lead.” In Zoho CRM, this term refers to potential customers—individuals or organizations interested in or in need of the products/services offered by a business.

Leads are the first module in Zoho CRM’s menu. This module helps you manage all relevant information, such as name, age, phone number, and contact details.

This information can be gathered from various sources, such as registration forms, online marketing campaigns, trade shows, seminars, advertisements, or by importing data from Excel files or other platforms.

Each organization has its own approach to acquiring and managing leads, but the basic process and actions in Zoho CRM remain the same.

2. Three basic actions with leads in Zoho CRM

Creating a lead

Generating and tracking leads is a crucial step in using Zoho CRM. Follow these steps to create a lead:

Click on Leads in the top menu of Zoho CRM → Select Create Lead to continue.

When entering lead information in Zoho CRM, make sure to fill in all required fields. The three most important fields typically include:

• Lead Owner: The person responsible for managing the lead. This field is automatically assigned to the creator but can be reassigned to other team members.
• Company: The name of the company the lead works for or represents. This helps link the lead to a specific organization for better business management.
• Last Name: The surname of the lead (contact person). This is essential for identifying the lead’s personal information.

Note: If the required fields are not filled, you will not be able to save the lead in Zoho CRM.

In addition to these fields, you can add extra information such as email, phone number, address, and website. You can even upload an avatar in the settings to optimize lead management and customer engagement.

Once all information is entered, click Save (top right) to store the lead's details.

• Click Save and New to create another lead.
• Click Cancel if you want to discard the entry.

Editing lead information

You can edit lead details at any time. To do so, follow these steps:

Click on Leads in the top menu of Zoho CRM. This will display a list of all managed leads.

Each lead has a corresponding row of information. Hover over the lead you want to edit.

Click on the three-dot icon that appears on the left side.

Select Edit to modify the lead’s information.

After making changes, click Save to update the details.

Converting a lead

When a lead meets the necessary conditions, it can be moved to the next stage of the sales process. This means the lead can be converted into a contact, account, and deal.

To convert a lead, follow these steps:

1. Click on Leads → Select the lead you want to convert.
2. Hover over the three-dot icon and choose Convert instead of Edit.

Zoho CRM will automatically process the information and create:

• An account, based on the lead’s company name.
• A new contact, based on the lead’s name.

If you want to create a new deal based on the lead, select Create a new deal before finalizing the conversion.

Finally, click Convert to complete the process.

Note: Once a lead is converted, the action cannot be undone, so proceed carefully.

Hopefully, this guide has helped you understand what leads are and how to perform three basic actions with leads in Zoho CRM.