# Track leads on the board

> Add a lead when an enquiry lands, drag it through the stages, and win it into a client.

Category: Discover & leads
Web version: https://www.monodesk.com/help/discover-leads/track-leads-on-the-board
Last updated: October 23, 2026

**Leads** (under Win Work) is a board for potential new projects, from first enquiry to won. Add a lead the moment someone asks, before they're a client.

## Add a lead

- Click **Add lead** at the bottom of any column, type a name and press Enter. The lead opens so you can fill in the rest.
- On an empty board, click **Add Your First Lead**.
- Already keep leads in a spreadsheet? **Bring an existing export** brings them in. See [Import your existing work](https://www.monodesk.com/help/getting-started/import-your-existing-work).

## The stages

The board has six columns: **New**, **Contacted**, **Qualified**, **Proposal sent**, **Won** and **Lost**. Drag a card between columns as the conversation moves. Each column shows how many leads it holds and, once leads have an estimated value, what they're worth.

Two moves ask for something first:

- **Won** needs a client, so dragging a lead there opens **Mark as won** unless it already has one
- **Lost** asks why, so dragging a lead there opens **Mark as lost**

The toolbar shows your pipeline total. Use the filter to narrow the board by stage or by when leads were added, and the switch beside it to swap between the board and a list.

## Rename the columns

Admins can rename **New**, **Contacted**, **Qualified** and **Proposal sent**: click a column's name and type. **Won** and **Lost** keep their names.

Renaming changes how the board works. Once any column has a custom name, leads stop moving to **Proposal sent** on their own, and you move them yourself. MonoDesk warns you before the first rename. To turn the automatic moves back on, open the **⋮** menu and choose **Reset column names**.

## Lead details

Click a card to open the lead. Everything saves as you type, with a small tick to show it's saved.

- **Initial Enquiry:** what they asked for, in their words or yours
- **Details:** the contact's name, role, email, phone and website
- **Files** and **Activity**
- On the right: **Status**, **Estimated value**, **Source**, **Sizing**, and links to a **Proposal** or **Research**

The **Actions** list has **Mark as won**, **Mark as lost**, **Create proposal**, **Run research** (if your workspace has Research), **Add to planner** and **Archive**.

## Suggested next steps

Above the Co-Worker box on each lead are two **Suggested next steps**, picked for the lead's stage. A new lead might suggest emailing them to set up a chat; a qualified one might suggest outlining a proposal scope. Click one and it goes straight to your [Co-Worker](https://www.monodesk.com/help/co-worker/what-your-co-worker-can-do), with the lead attached. Or type your own question in the box.

## When a proposal goes out

Click **Create proposal** on a card or in the lead to start one with the lead's details filled in. The proposal is linked to the lead, and the card shows **Draft proposal** while it's still a draft.

The lead moves to **Proposal sent** only when the linked proposal is marked as sent. Choose **Mark as Sent** from the proposal's status in **Proposals**, or from its actions menu. Copying the link or saving a PDF doesn't count. Linking a proposal you've already sent moves the lead too.

This only moves leads that are still in **New**, **Contacted** or **Qualified**, and only while the columns have their original names. See [Create & send a proposal](https://www.monodesk.com/help/proposals-invoices/create-and-send-a-proposal).

## Won

A lead can only be won once it has a client. If it's already linked to one, **Mark as won** moves it straight to **Won**. If not, **Mark as won** turns the lead into a client. Choose **New client**, which takes the name and website from the lead and makes the lead's contact the client's primary contact, or **Existing client**, which links the lead and leaves that client's contacts as they are. Switch on **Also start a project** to create a blank project under the client at the same time.

Once it's done, open the client, open the project, or stay on the board. Nothing is retyped.

## Lost

**Mark as lost** asks **Why did it fall through?** Pick a reason, like *Budget too high* or *Went quiet*, add a note if it's worth remembering next time, and click **Mark as Lost**. The reason shows under the lead's status.

## Archive a lead

**Archive** takes a lead off the board. A message appears with **Undo**, and a link to **Archived leads**. You can also find archived leads later from the **⋮** menu on the board, where you can open, unarchive or permanently delete them.

## Find a lead

Press **Cmd+K** (Ctrl+K on Windows) and type a lead's name to open it on the board. For the full list, choose the **Search** option there: the results page has its own **Leads** section, matching on name, website, source, or the contact's name or email. Won and lost leads are included.
