Customer Journey: set converted Leads as Potential Accounts

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1

Hi i’d like to share a little best practise of ours about the procedure for managing the Customer Journey. It’s a simple and no-code approach.

  1. Add the “Potential” value to the account_type dropdown field

    • Go to Studio → Accounts → Fields → account_type.

    • In the dropdown list (usually account_type_dom), add a new entry:

    • Key: Potential

    • Label: Potential

  2. Set “Potential” as the default value

    • Still in the account_type field configuration, set “Potential” as the Default Value.

    • Save the changes and perform a Quick Repair and Rebuild.

  3. Test Lead → Account conversion

    • Convert a Lead into a new Account (without selecting an existing one).

    • The newly created Account will automatically have the field Account Type = Potential.

:puzzle_piece: Result

  • Every Account created through Lead conversion will be automatically classified as Potential.

  • When the customer relationship matures (e.g., after signing a contract), you can change the field to Customer, Partner, Supplier, etc.

  • Reports and workflows can then easily distinguish between potential and actual customers.

:brain: Best Practice: Automatically Set “Potential” Account Type When Converting Leads

:light_bulb: Context

By default, SuiteCRM creates (or links) an Account, Contact, and optionally an Opportunity when you convert a Lead.
However, all newly created Accounts are treated as standard customers — there’s no clear distinction between potential and actual clients.

To make your sales process clearer and reporting more accurate, you can automatically assign the type “Potential” to Accounts created during Lead conversion.

:wrench: Recommended Procedure

  1. Add “Potential” to the account_type dropdown

    • Go to Admin → Studio → Accounts → Fields → account_type

    • Edit the dropdown list (usually named account_type_dom)

    • Add a new entry:

    • Key: Potential

    • Label: Potential

  2. Set “Potential” as the default value

    • In the same field configuration, set “Potential” as the Default Value

    • Save and perform a Quick Repair and Rebuild from Admin → Repair

  3. Test the Lead → Account conversion

    • Convert a Lead into a new Account (not linking to an existing one)

    • The new Account will automatically have Account Type = Potential

:white_check_mark: Result

  • Every new Account created during Lead conversion will be automatically labeled as Potential

  • As the relationship evolves, users can manually change the type to Customer, Partner, etc.

  • Reports and workflows can easily separate potential vs actual clients

:gear: Why This Is a Good Practice

  • :check_mark: No code changes — 100% upgrade-safe

  • :check_mark: Simple setup — done via Studio in a few clicks

  • :check_mark: Strategic value — improves visibility of your customer journey

Contributed by: Lion Solution – SuiteCRM Partner Italy :italy:
Providing CRM consulting, customization, and AI integrations based on SuiteCRM.

2 Likes
2

Interesting approach. I handle it a little different. Instead of marking them as “potential” on conversion, I just convert them, no logic needed. Then I have a checkbox in the account “Is Customer?” this gets checked when the first opportunity is marked “won”. Different approach but deals with the same problem of weeding out customers vs accounts.

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3

Even your approach is pretty good. It mostly depends on the sales team & management that how they want to handle it.

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