Lead sources, stages and qualification: reference work
Three fields determine the story of each lead: the source (where the lead came from), the stage (how hot) and the status (where in your pipeline). This article is your reference, the explanation per field, the rules, and how to combine them in reports.
When is this relevant?
Section titled “When is this relevant?”- You are reporting which marketing channels are worth the money
- Your team uses stage and status interchangeably, time for clarity
- You are preparing an import from another CRM with different source labels
Lead Sources: the 14 options
Section titled “Lead Sources: the 14 options”Mandatory field, default By Person. How do you know which one to choose? Here is the table.
| Source | When |
|---|---|
| Cold Calling | You proactively called |
| Incoming Call | Lead called your office |
| Referral | Referred by client, contact or partner |
| Website | Via your own office site |
| Social Media | Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc. |
| Email Campaign | Response to newsletter or email campaign |
| Incoming Mail | Letter or physical mail |
| By Person | Met in person or walk-in |
| Portals | Request via a real estate portal, requires Source MLS |
| Networking Events | Trade show, conference, networking event |
| Print Advertising | Newspaper, magazine, flyer |
| Collaborative Partners | Referred by partner office |
| Outdoor Advertising | Billboard or outdoor advertising |
| Radio/TV Advertising | Response to radio or TV ad |
Source MLS: when Source = Portals
Section titled “Source MLS: when Source = Portals”When Portals is selected, an extra dropdown appears to choose the exact portal:
| Portal | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Fotocasa | Spanish portal |
| Kyero | International (Spain/Portugal) |
| Idealista | Largest Spanish platform |
| Think Spain | English-language, Spain |
| A Place in the Sun | British platform for overseas property |
| Luxury Estate | International luxury portal |
| Green Acres | French/international |
| Idomia | Portal |
| Spain Property Portal | English-language, Spain |
| Resales Online | Costa del Sol MLS network |
| Picos | Portal |
| Company XML | Your own XML feed (labels itself with your company name) |
| CRM UI | Manually created in CRM |
Source mapping during CSV import
Section titled “Source mapping during CSV import”Migrating from another CRM? Tesoro automatically recognizes common labels:
| Imported value | Maps to |
|---|---|
| Walk-in, In person, Direct contact, Offline | By Person |
| Online, Web, Site | Website |
| Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Social | Social Media |
| Email, Newsletter, E-mail | Email Campaign |
| Referred, Recommendation | Referral |
| Cold call, Outbound call | Cold Calling |
| Phone call, Inbound call, Call | Incoming Call |
| Portal, Property portal, Listing site | Portals |
| Event, Networking | Networking Events |
| Print, Print ad | Print Advertising |
| Billboard, Outdoor, Outdoor ad | Outdoor Advertising |
| Radio, TV, Television, Broadcast | Radio/TV Advertising |
| Partner, Partners, Collaboration | Collaborative Partners |
| Mail, Postal, Direct mail | Incoming Mail |
Lead Stages: Hot, Neutral, Cold
Section titled “Lead Stages: Hot, Neutral, Cold”Mandatory field, default Hot. Indicates urgency, independent of status.
| Stage | When | Recommended action |
|---|---|---|
| Hot | Ready to decide quickly. Clear purchase intent, realistic timeline. | Follow up within 24 hours. |
| Neutral | Interested, no rush. Long browsing phase. | Regular updates. Keep warm with relevant properties. |
| Cold | Little direct interest, long term, or no longer responsive. | Place on nurture list. Brief periodic contact. |
Change via the edit form or bulk edit on the list page.
Lead Status: six options
Section titled “Lead Status: six options”| Status | Default | Visual | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| New | ✓ | Normal step | Just arrived, no contact made |
| Contacted | Normal step | Contacted once (phone, email, etc.) | |
| Qualified | Normal step | Serious prospect. Goes towards conversion. | |
| Unqualified | Warning | Does not meet your criteria | |
| Lost | Warning | Went to competitor, gone, or unreachable | |
| Converted | Success | Converted to contact. End status. |
Rules and exceptions
Section titled “Rules and exceptions”- Converted only from Qualified. Trying to jump from New or Contacted? The system refuses it (“Lead not qualified”).
- Price fields become mandatory at Qualified+. Price Min and Price Max must be filled in to change the status.
- Status changes are logged. Each change is recorded in the Activities timeline + team members receive a notification.
Qualification: when what?
Section titled “Qualification: when what?”Criteria
Section titled “Criteria”No automatic scoring. However, these fields are enforced or are manual assessments:
| Criterion | Explanation | Required? |
|---|---|---|
| Budget (Price Min/Max) | Realistic price range | Yes, at Qualified |
| Property type | At least 1 selection | Yes, at creation |
| Contact details | Email + phone, valid format | Yes, at creation |
| Interest/intention | Genuinely wanting to buy/sell | Manual assessment |
| Timeline (Looking To, Timeline) | Realistic deadline | Optional but recommended |
| Responsiveness | Responds to contact | Manual assessment |
Unqualified vs Lost: subtle but important
Section titled “Unqualified vs Lost: subtle but important”| Status | When |
|---|---|
| Unqualified | Lead was never a real match, budget far too low, outside your area, not a serious request |
| Lost | Lead was a prospect but dropped out, went to competitor, interest gone, no longer reachable |
Important for reporting: Unqualified says something about your incoming quality, Lost about your closing effectiveness.
Conversion: what the system does automatically
Section titled “Conversion: what the system does automatically”When you click Converted in the progress bar and confirm:
- Record type changes from lead to contact.
- Role becomes Buyer (default).
- Lead status → Converted.
- (Optional) create a deal with:
- Name according to template (default: “New deal with [First Name] [Last Name]”, adjustable in Settings)
- Stage Knowing Property
- Deal type = Looking To value of the lead (Buy/Rent/etc.)
- Property search criteria transferred
- Assigned agent transferred
- Activity log: change recorded on timeline.
- Notification to relevant team members.
Revert to lead: what then?
Section titled “Revert to lead: what then?”Only Admin can revert to lead, and only contacts with role Buyer or Seller:
- Status back to
lead - Lead status reset to New
- Original Lead Source and Stage preserved
- Contact is disconnected from all deals
Filtering and reporting
Section titled “Filtering and reporting”All 15 filters on the Leads overview page:
| Filter | Type |
|---|---|
| Lead Status | Dropdown, 6 statuses |
| Assigned Agent | Dropdown |
| Lead Source | Dropdown, 14 sources |
| Lead Stage | Dropdown, Hot/Neutral/Cold |
| Lead Type | Buyer / Seller |
| Language | Dropdown |
| Salutation | Mrs./Mr./Ms./Dr. |
| Created At | Date range |
| Last Activity | Date range |
| Way of Selling | Exclusive / Not Exclusive / With Collaboration (seller) |
| Market Price | Numeric (seller) |
| Commission | Numeric (seller) |
| Relation | Linked company |
| Tag | Hashtag |
| Portal User | Yes / No |
Useful filter combinations
Section titled “Useful filter combinations”- Source = Portals + Status = Qualified → which portals deliver quality leads?
- Source = Website + Stage = Hot → how many urgent website requests do you have right now?
- Source = Referral + Status = Converted → effectiveness of referrals
- Stage = Cold + Last Activity > 30 days → cold leads without follow-up
Default columns in the lead overview
Section titled “Default columns in the lead overview”First Name, Last Name, Email, Phone, Lead Status, Lead Source, Assigned Agent, Tag, Created At. Adjustable via column settings.
Summary: the lead journey
Section titled “Summary: the lead journey”- Arrival with Source (e.g., Idealista), Stage (Hot), Status (New).
- First contact: status to Contacted.
- Assessment: adjust stage based on urgency.
- Qualification or rejection: fill in price range, set to Qualified or Unqualified/Lost.
- Conversion: Click Converted creates a contact + (optional) deal.
Next steps
Section titled “Next steps”Working with leadsSteps for creating, editing, importing and converting.
Dynamic filtersSave, combine and share filters, your custom lists.
Deals & pipelineHow converted leads go through your pipeline as deals.