Understanding Contact Lifecycle Stages

Why Lifecycle Stages Matter

Lifecycle Stages are used throughout HubSpot and SunRaise to:

• Keep every department aligned on where a customer is in the buying journey.
• Trigger automations and workflows at the appropriate time.
• Measure marketing and sales conversion rates.
• Improve forecasting and pipeline reporting.
• Ensure contacts are only worked by the appropriate team at the right time.

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Lifecycle Journey

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Stage Definitions

Description

Every newly created contact begins with a blank Lifecycle Stage unless they immediately qualify for another stage.

This prevents contacts from being incorrectly classified before enough information is known.

Examples

• Contact created by an integration
• Contact manually added
• Contact imported without qualification

Primary Owner

System

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Description

A Lead is an unqualified prospect that has not yet demonstrated buying intent.

Most Leads originate from:

• Purchased lead lists
• Data providers
• Cold prospect imports
• Other outbound marketing sources

These contacts generally have not provided direct consent to be solicited, so they should first receive marketing designed to encourage them to engage voluntarily.

Goal

Marketing should nurture Leads through:

• Email campaigns
• Educational content
• Landing pages
• Lead magnets
• Website forms
• Other calls-to-action

Exit Criteria

The contact completes a qualifying marketing conversion.

➡ Lifecycle Stage automatically updates to Marketing Qualified Lead.

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Description

A Marketing Qualified Lead has demonstrated genuine interest by engaging with your marketing.

Examples include:

• Completing a lead form
• Requesting a consultation
• Downloading gated content
• Completing another qualifying call-to-action

Goal

The Setter begins active outreach to:

• Call the prospect
• Qualify interest
• Schedule a sales appointment

Exit Criteria

A sales appointment is successfully booked.

Automation will:

• Create a HubSpot Deal.
• Create a matching SunRaise Project.
• Begin synchronization between both records.

➡ Lifecycle Stage automatically updates to Sales Qualified Lead.

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Description

A Sales Qualified Lead has committed to meeting with Sales and now has an active sales process.

At this stage:

• A HubSpot Deal exists.
• A SunRaise Project exists.
• Both records remain synchronized throughout fulfillment.

Goal

Sales performs discovery, consultation, and prepares a proposal.

Exit Criteria

A proposal has been generated and shared with the customer.

➡ Lifecycle Stage automatically updates to Opportunity.

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Description

An Opportunity exists once pricing has been presented to the customer.

At this point:

• The customer understands the proposed solution.
• Pricing has been shared.
• There is an active revenue opportunity.

Goal

Guide the customer toward signing the agreement.

Exit Criteria

The agreement is signed.

➡ Lifecycle Stage automatically updates to Signed.

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Description

The customer has executed the agreement and the sale has officially been won.

Sales transitions the customer to Operations for project fulfillment.

Goal

Successfully complete the installation.

Exit Criteria

Installation has been completed.

➡ Lifecycle Stage automatically updates to Customer.

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Description

The project has been successfully installed and fulfilled.

The customer now moves into the long-term relationship phase.

Typical activities include:

• Customer support
• Referral requests
• Online reviews
• Cross-sell opportunities
• Additional services
• Future projects
  
  

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Department Responsibilities

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Automation Summary

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Key Principles

Lifecycle Stages only move forward.
Contacts should not move backward unless there is a documented administrative correction.

Lifecycle Stages represent milestones not activities.
Making a phone call or sending an email does not change the Lifecycle Stage. Significant customer milestones do.

Automation manages Lifecycle Stages whenever possible.
Users should avoid manually updating Lifecycle Stages unless specifically instructed.

 

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Quick Reference