# What is a lead status?

> A lead status shows where a lead stands right now, such as New, Contacted, Qualified or Won. Common stages, example sets by business and the mistakes to avoid.
- **Author**: Marxx
- **Published**: 2026-11-06
- **Category**: Lead generation
- **URL**: https://marxx.ai/library-glossary/lead-status

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A lead status is a label that says where a lead stands right now, such as New, Contacted, Qualified or Won. Your whole team reads the same label, so nobody calls a lead that has already booked or forgets one that is still new.

## Stages and statuses

Teams use the two words loosely. A useful split:

- **Stage** is a step forward in the sale. New, Contacted, Qualified, Won. A lead moves through stages in order.
- **Status detail** is a note about the current stage. "No answer, try again at 18:00" or "Wants a call after Diwali". It does not move the lead forward.

Keep stages few and clear. Put the rest in notes.

## A common set of stages

| Stage | Means | Who moves it |
|---|---|---|
| New | Arrived, nobody has reached out yet | Set automatically |
| Contacted | A person called or messaged | The caller |
| Qualified | Real need, budget and timeline fit | The caller |
| Proposal or visit | A quote sent, a site visit or demo booked | Sales |
| Won | Paid, booked or signed | Sales |
| Lost | Will not buy, with a reason | Anyone, with a reason |

"Lost" needs a reason list, such as wrong number, no budget, bought elsewhere or not interested. Without reasons, you cannot tell bad ads from slow follow-up.

## Examples by business

| Business | Stages after New and Contacted |
|---|---|
| Real estate | Qualified, Site visit booked, Site visit done, Booking |
| Education | Counselling done, Application started, Fee paid |
| Travel | Itinerary sent, Advance paid, Trip booked |
| B2B software | Demo booked, Demo done, Trial, Signed |

## Why stages matter for ads

Stages turn a pile of leads into numbers. Say 212 leads came in last week. 150 reached Contacted, 64 reached Qualified, 9 reached Won. Now you can see that the drop from 212 to 150 is a follow-up problem and the drop from 150 to 64 is a lead quality question.

Stages can also go back to Meta. With the [Conversions API](/glossary/conversions-api), you send "Qualified" or "Won" as events so Meta learns which people become buyers. The [Conversions API setup guide](/guides/how-to-set-up-meta-conversions-api) covers it. We make Marxx. Its Mark contacted button in Slack moves a Meta lead from New to Contacted, and can send that stage to Meta. See [Marxx leads](/features/leads).

## FAQ

### How many lead stages should I have?

Most teams manage with five to seven. If two stages always happen together, merge them.

### Can a lead move backwards?

It can, but log why in a note. A lead that goes from Qualified back to Contacted usually means the first call missed something.

### Who should change a lead's status?

The person who did the work, at the moment they did it. Updating stages at the end of the day loses the times you need for response time.

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