Attach the commercial detail to the lead
An enquiry for 1,200 pieces of a polo across four colours is only actionable if the styles, quantities and quoted rates are on the record. Then any person in the office can pick up the follow-up without rebuilding the context.
- Styles and indicative quantities on the enquiry itself
- Quotation history with the rates actually offered
- Stage movement from enquiry through negotiation to won
A won lead should become a customer, not a re-entry
When a lead converts, the enquiry history, agreed rates and contact details carry across into the customer record. Nothing is retyped, and the first order references the conversation that created it.
Lost reasons are worth as much as won ones
Rate, lead time, minimum quantity — recording why enquiries are lost turns a pipeline into a pricing and capacity signal over a season.
Takeaway
Store the deal, not just the contact. Conversion should carry history forward automatically.