Inbound inquiry vs lead vs opportunity
How an inquiry becomes a lead, and a lead becomes an opportunity.
Reviewed OperatorVertiqa 1.54+
Vertiqa separates the lifecycle of an inbound contact into three records so each stage can be measured and worked independently.
| Stage | What it is | Who owns it |
|---|---|---|
| Inbound inquiry | The raw inbound message — email, page submission, or voice transcript. | Receiving channel |
| Lead | A decision that the inquiry is worth pursuing. | Operator or qualifier |
| Opportunity | A real, scoped deal with a value, stage, and close date. | Sales owner |
When to promote
- Promote an inquiry → lead when the contact looks legitimate and within scope, even if you do not yet know the deal size.
- Promote a lead → opportunity when there is a defined ask you are preparing a proposal, RFQ, or quote for.
What sticks around
- The original inbound inquiry is never deleted, even if the lead is later disqualified. It remains as the audit trail of who reached out and when.
- A single inquiry can produce multiple leads if more than one opportunity is hidden inside it.
Related: Inbound inquiry vs lead, Create a formal RFQ from an inquiry.