Default Stages
Subscriber, Lead, MQL, SQL, Opportunity, Customer, Evangelist, Other. Represents the buyer journey from awareness to advocacy.
Can You Customize?
On Enterprise, yes. Other tiers, stages are fixed. Even on Enterprise, think hard before changing — reports and integrations reference the defaults.
Automation
Workflows advance lifecycle stage based on behavior (score threshold, form fill, deal creation). Keep automation transparent so marketing/sales don’t argue about mislabeling.
Reporting
Conversion reports between stages. Identify leaks (lots of MQLs that don’t convert to SQL) and build programs to close them.
Handoff Rules
Clear definition of when a lead becomes MQL, SQL. Document it. Enforce via workflow. Without clear rules, marketing and sales blame each other.