# Prospects

See[ Prospects ⛭](https://helpwith.salesorder.com/setup/configuration/prospects)

{% hint style="info" %}
You can attach and link documents, images, etc to this record. See [Attachments and Links](https://helpwith.salesorder.com/organizer/attachments-and-linking).

You can customize and add fields, see [Customization](https://helpwith.salesorder.com/customization).
{% endhint %}

### Common actions

A common set of actions are present on most Salesorder Documents.

See [Common Actions](https://helpwith.salesorder.com/common-actions).

### Need to know

Prospects are qualified Leads.

You can create the following records from a Prospect.

* Contacts
* Sales Quote
* Sales Opportunity

<table><thead><tr><th>Field</th><th>Notes</th><th data-hidden></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Prospect name</td><td>The unique name of the Prospect's company</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Ref # </td><td>A reference number auto-assigned.</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Owner </td><td><p>Drop down field where the worker can be selected.</p><ul><li>The owner of a prospect is usually the Worker who created the Prospect.</li><li>The ownership can be re-assigned at any time.</li><li>The drop down Owner field is a list of Workers that have login permission.</li></ul></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Balance</td><td>This field cannot be edited. </td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Currency</td><td>Once set, the currency cannot be changed and the transactions will only be in the selected currency. </td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Credit Limit</td><td>Enter a Credit Limit for your Prospect to indicate the maximum amount of credit that you will extend to that client.</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Status</td><td><p>The Prospect Status reflects the various stages a Prospect can be in depending on the process. Default values include:</p><ul><li>Open - Usually when it is a new prospect.</li><li>Pre-Qualification - Prior to the prospect going through qualification processes.</li><li>Being Qualified - In the process of initial discovery.</li><li>Qualified - Passed through qualification processes and approved.</li><li>Convert to Customer - Converting the prospect to a customer.</li><li>Converted - Process is finished.</li><li>Dormant - No activity.</li><li>Discard - Disqualified or withdrawn.</li></ul><p> </p><p>These fields can be customized to suit your requirements.</p></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Rating</td><td><p>Rating gives an indication how close the prospect is to conversion. Default rating values:</p><ul><li>None</li><li>New</li><li>Cold</li><li>Warm</li><li>Hot</li><li>Dead</li></ul><p>These fields can be customized to suit your requirements.</p></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Rating Score</td><td><p>A numerical score related to the Rating to formalize categorization of leads.</p><p>Three-digit value, where for example 10 = cold, 50 = warm &#x26; 100 = hot (very interested).</p></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Date</td><td>The date the Prospect was received.</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Source</td><td><p>From where the Lead originated.</p><p>For example, Word of mouth, Conference, Newspaper, etc.</p><p>It is a Text field, simply type in the source.</p></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Campaign</td><td><p>Identifies the marketing campaign associated with this Prospect. For example ‘Black Friday’.</p><p>It is a Text field, simply type in the campaign name.</p></td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>

Prospects are *potential* Customers. You can attach Contacts, Quotes, Estimates, etc. to a prospect. To invoice a Prospect, you first must convert the Prospect to a Customer.

### How to create a new Prospect

1. To create a new Prospect from the Explorer click <mark style="color:orange;">Sales>Prospects</mark> and click 'Create New'&#x20;
2. Or from an existing lead:
   1. From Leads, select the lead that must be converted.
   2. Click the dropdown ‘Actions’.
   3. Select 'Create Prospect’.

### Prospect Key Facts&#x20;

* The Prospect name must be entered, but it does not have to be unique.
* The Ref # is a unique identifier/number associated with the Prospect.&#x20;
* Once set, the Currency cannot be changed and transactions will only be in the selected currency.
* If the Prospect is VAT registered and a member of the EU:
  * Check the tickbox ‘Prospect is Vat Registered’ on the Profile tab.
  * Add the VAT no. in the new field.
  * Check the tickbox ‘Is from other EC member state’.
  * This ensures VAT returns are calculated correctly.

#### Importing Prospects&#x20;

To import prospects, go to <mark style="color:orange;">Setup > Import Data > Prospects > Download Template</mark>

\*If a user tries to import prospects through uploading a spreadsheet and gets an error message, it may be due to links in the file exceeding the limit of characters in the corresponding column.&#x20;

To troubleshoot: must increase the size of the custom fields on the prospect’s page (this action must be done by admin or super user).&#x20;

<mark style="color:orange;">Prospect > Customize > select field with pencil icon > edit ‘Maximum Size’ to 200 > click Ok > Save</mark>