Lifecycle stages - Block skipping stages?

[Smanstey]

We are using Lifecycle stages across Marketing and Sales and all automated Lifecycle stages are set up. There are manual Lifecycle stages required:

MQL > SAL > SQL and back to from SAL > Subscriber

Is there a way to block the skipping of stages, the same way we can block the skipping of deal stages? This is wreaking havoc with my funnel reports and conversions from MQL to SAL and SAL to SQL.

[AOBrien8]

Any advice on blocking them from skipping directly to creating an opportunity from an MQL? We use salesforce and unfortunately, I'm seeing many MQLs get created and then instantly converted into Opps without being forced through the required stages which means... no funnel reporting.

[Smanstey]

Thank you @karstenkoehler 🙂 I have since implemented a property to set lifecycle stages and made lifecycle stages view only for all.

May I ask one other question?

Am I correct in saying that the lifecycle stage settings are such that, now that I have sync unticked, only contacts associated to a specific deal will move to opportunity and not all contacts associated to the company? So contacts not associated to the deal will remain in the lead status for example?

 

[Smanstey]

yes! Thank you, that is a great suggestion... I think a little drop down box of some kind that will determine which may the lead goes and workflows in the background. 

For example, if the lifecycle is MQL and the commercial owner updates a property to say accepted, I create a workflow from moving mql to sal. 

[karstenkoehler]

Hi @Smanstey,

Unfortunately not out of the box, no.

The best way to solve for this is currently to set the lifecycle stage property access to view-only for everyone  and set them via workflows in the background. These workflows can make sure that stages aren't skipped.

Since this requires an Enterprise subscription, it's not ideal. In Professional subscriptions, one option is to remove the lifecycle stage property from all views and sidebars so that users hopefully don't touch this.

If you want to request this from the product team, you can do so under https://community.hubspot.com/t5/HubSpot-Ideas/idb-p/HubSpot_Ideas

Best regards!

[Smanstey]

Unfortunately the users who need to update are skipping forward in error.

I have suggested to the product team, thank you!

[karstenkoehler · Accepted solution]

@Smanstey I wouldn't let users update the lifecycle stage values directly – I would let them update the criteria that determine which lifecycle a contact falls into, and then have a workflow do the updating.

Have a great day!