What is the HubSpot Lead Object?

A Lead is a way to keep track of prospecting actions that your team takes. 
So a contact in your CRM (That's HubSpot!) could have an SDR who is reaching out to them about one opportunity, while an AE is reaching out about something else. 

In this case there would be two separate lead objects associated with the contact.

Think of a lead in HubSpot like a pre-deal task.

If your'e familiar with how tasks work inside of HubSpot then you'll know that multiple tasks may be added to multiple contacts, companies, etc..

With Leads you're basically doing the same thing, but with a more structure, tools, and optimizations.

Core functions and features of Leads in HubSpot:

1/ Leads work differently from other systems like Salesforce or Microsoft Dynamics. HubSpot's lead object is built for simplicity. Leads are like a pre-deal task that has its own stages for tracking how a prospect is being engaged for a potential opportunity. You can have many leads for one contact and/or company, just like you can have many deals for each.

2/ Leads have OOB lifecycle stages integration. You can set leads to automatically create when contacts or companies hit key lifecycle stages. 

3/ Leads will automatically progress through the lead stages based on actions taken by the lead owner. For example, if a meeting has been completed, then the stage will automatically become "Connected". 

4/ Whenver a Lead is qualified, it prompts the lead owner for Deal creation. 
It automatically associates the Lead so your sales reps have everything they need.

5/ The prospecting tab is super organized, prompts you for next actions, and even allows you to work directly inside of the contact and company records associated with a lead. There's just a lot less clicking around to use your CRM.

6/ Leads has its own strong OOB reporting. If you enforce event outcomes and lead source then you can really set up your teams for success when it comes to coaching and determing what channels are providing the most lucrative leads.

7/ Most of the automations can be turned off, though it is not recommended. Additionally, you can add a ton of custom Lead automation with OpsHub.

Should I use it?

If you have sales rep that need to engage with prospects and do not already have a sales process in place, then yes!

If you already have a process in place, then I'd recommend running a pilot to see if it can help. The most common benefits are cutting costs by keeping everything in HubSpot and also by giving your reps a prospecting workspace that is clean and organized - keeping them focused on what they're best at.

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