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How do I convert leads to customers in Salesforce?

Published in Salesforce Lead Management 4 mins read

Converting leads to customers in Salesforce is a fundamental process that transforms a qualified prospect into an Account, Contact, and optionally an Opportunity, marking their progression through the sales funnel. This crucial step signifies that a lead has shown sufficient interest and meets the criteria to become a potential customer.

Understanding Lead Conversion

Lead conversion in Salesforce is more than just a status change; it's the creation of new records that are essential for managing customer relationships and tracking sales progress. When you convert a lead, Salesforce automatically takes the information from the lead record and uses it to create new records or associate with existing ones.

Step-by-Step Lead Conversion in Salesforce Classic

The process of converting a lead in Salesforce Classic is straightforward and ensures that all relevant information is transitioned effectively for continued engagement.

Here’s how to convert a lead:

  1. Navigate to the Leads Tab: Begin by clicking on the Leads tab located in your Salesforce navigation bar. This will display a list of all lead records in your system.
  2. Open the Lead Record: Locate and open the specific lead record that you have qualified and wish to convert into a customer. Click on the lead's name to view its detailed page.
  3. Initiate Conversion: On the lead record detail page, find and click the Convert button. This action will open the Lead Conversion interface, where you'll define how the lead's information will be used to create or update other Salesforce records.
  4. Define Account and Contact Creation: In the conversion interface, you'll be prompted to specify how the lead's company and personal details should be handled:
    • Account Name: For the Account Name field, you have two primary options:
      • Attach to Existing Account: If the lead's company is already present in your Salesforce system as an Account (for example, "Big cars Account"), select this option and search for the existing account to link the new contact to it. This helps maintain data integrity and avoids duplicate records.
      • Create New Account: If the lead's company is new and not yet in your Salesforce accounts, choose to create a new account record.
    • Contact Name: Similarly, you can choose to create a new contact record or attach the lead's contact information to an existing contact if applicable.
  5. Manage Opportunity Creation (Optional): During conversion, you have the option to create a new Opportunity record. An opportunity represents a potential sale and allows you to track the deal's progress, stages, and forecast revenue. If the lead is ready to move into a sales cycle, it's recommended to create an opportunity.
  6. Complete Remaining Details: Review and complete any other required fields on the conversion page as per your organization's specific requirements. This might include assigning ownership of the new Account, Contact, and Opportunity records to the appropriate sales team members.
  7. Finalize Conversion: Once all details are accurately entered and confirmed, click the Convert button. Salesforce will then perform the conversion, creating the new records and archiving the original lead record as read-only.

What Happens After Conversion?

Upon successful conversion, the following records are generated or updated:

  • Lead Record: The original lead record is marked as converted and becomes read-only. You can still view its history, but no further edits can be made directly to the lead record itself.
  • Account Record: A new Account record is created for the lead's company, or the converted lead is associated with an existing Account you selected.
  • Contact Record: A new Contact record is created, linked to the associated Account. This contact represents the individual from the qualified lead.
  • Opportunity Record (Optional): If you chose to create an opportunity during conversion, a new Opportunity record is generated, linked to both the new Account and Contact.

Converting leads effectively ensures a smooth transition from initial interest to active sales engagement, providing a comprehensive view of your customer interactions within Salesforce.