> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.automatebusiness.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Leads

> Capture, qualify, and manage sales deals through pipelines and stages.

Leads represent prospective deals and business opportunities in your sales funnel. Automate CRM lets you organize leads by sales pipeline, track their progression through deal stages, and assign team owners.

![CRM lead pipeline board displaying deal stages, lead cards, and pipeline metrics](https://mintcdn.com/automatebusiness/OFwTsewf58VxBW78/images/automate-crm/crm-lead-pipeline.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=OFwTsewf58VxBW78\&q=85\&s=3047fae3513fa0cbce96832cb2fc55b1)

## Key concepts

* **Pipelines and stages**: A pipeline consists of ordered stages (such as "New Lead", "Contacted", "Proposal Sent", and "Won").
* **Stage assignment nuance**:
  * When **creating** a lead via the API, you specify the target stage name using the `stage_name` parameter (for example, `"stage_name": "New Lead"`).
  * When **updating** an existing lead to transition it to another stage, you must specify the stage identifier using `stage_id`.
* **Assignment**: Leads can be assigned to specific team members using their user identifier (`assigned_to`).
* **Marketing attribution**: Each lead record can store Meta and web campaign attribution (`utm_source`, `utm_medium`, `utm_campaign`).
* **Tags and custom fields**: Enrich leads with searchable tags and structured custom field values defined for your workspace.

## Supported workflows

1. **Inbound lead capture**: Create leads automatically from web forms, landing pages, or external marketing systems.
2. **Pipeline progression**: Move deals across stages as sales conversations advance.
3. **Owner reassignment**: Distribute leads dynamically among sales representatives.

## Related API operations

* [List leads](https://docs.automatebusiness.com/automate-crm/api-reference/leads/list-leads.md): Paginate and search leads.
* [Create lead](https://docs.automatebusiness.com/automate-crm/api-reference/leads/create-lead.md): Add a new deal with `stage_name`.
* [Update lead](https://docs.automatebusiness.com/automate-crm/api-reference/leads/update-lead.md): Modify lead attributes or update stage using `stage_id`.
* [Lead custom fields](https://docs.automatebusiness.com/automate-crm/api-reference/custom-fields/list-lead-custom-fields.md): Define custom fields specific to leads.
* [Lead follow-ups](https://docs.automatebusiness.com/automate-crm/api-reference/follow-ups/list-lead-followups.md): Schedule reminder tasks for leads.


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