Using Lifecycle and Lead Status together?

[RCasey90]

Hello all,

I'm trying to understand how to think about lifecycle and lead status and how HubSpot 'wants' us to use those two fields.

One article explains that Lead Status' are sub-status' of the lifecycle stage'SQL. Is that how I should think about it? 

I dont think I fully grasp the benefit of using both fields. Can anyone explain a reason to use both Lifecycle and also Lead Status?

[Jigar_Thakker · Accepted solution]

Hey @RCasey90 

Lead status is a more detailed way of tracking contact or company progress within each lifecycle stage.

Lead statuses are designed to provide more specific information than the overall lifecycle stage, and they can be customized according to your business needs.

By using lead statuses in combination with lifecycle stages, you can get a better understanding of where your contacts or companies are in the buying process. This can help you target them with the most relevant content at each stage and optimize your sales and marketing efforts.
: https://knowledge.hubspot.com/contacts/use-lifecycle-stages 

Let me know if you have any follow-up questions.

If my post was helpful in addressing your query, Support the community by indicating it as the solution.

[Jnix284 · Accepted solution]

@RCasey90 I would also recommend looking at the new Prospecting workspace - for new users to HubSpot, I think is is a very viable replacement for 'lead status' and allows you to focus on lifecycle stage - easily moving your leads to prospects to deals.

I've always had an inner struggle with lead status being a sub-set of lifecycle stage, it can make things very confusing for sales - the propsecting tool gives them a homebase and integrated tracking that, IMO, eliminates the need for lead status (unless you just want to have it tie back).

[profitpad · Accepted solution]

Jumping in here even though this thread is from 2023 — it’s still a popular one, and we’ve now helped dozens of clients clean up this exact lifecycle vs. lead status confusion, so I figured I’d share what’s been working.

You’re absolutely right to ask about the overlap. It used to be common to treat Lead Status as a sub-property of Lifecycle Stage = SQL. That framing still works for some teams, especially smaller ones or those running primarily inbound.

But HubSpot has since rolled out the Lead Object (available in Sales Hub Pro and above), which adds a new layer of clarity, especially for outbound, SDR-heavy teams. It’s basically a proper “pre-deal” object that tracks outreach, attempts, and qualification separately from the Contact record.

Here’s the approach we use now:

✅ Lifecycle Stage

• Shows who owns the contact (Marketing, Sales, CS)

• Used for automation, lifecycle transitions, and reporting

• e.g. Subscriber → Lead → MQL → SQL → Opportunity → Customer

✅ Lead Object (replaces Lead Status for outbound)

• Triggers when Lifecycle = SQL

• Tracks rep activity (Attempting, Connected, Qualified, etc.)

• Supports multiple leads per contact (territories, campaigns)

• Drives pre-pipeline reporting

✅ Lead Status (fallback or supplemental)

• Still helpful if you’re not using the Lead Object

• Works for simple handoffs (e.g., inbound demo requests)

• Can help bridge the gap until the team adopts Lead Objects fully

We typically recommend:

• Using Lifecycle = SQL to auto-create a Lead

• Letting reps work and progress Leads based on activity

• Using automation for transitions (e.g. when to move to Deal or disqualify)

Hope this helps clarify how these pieces fit together — happy to share more if helpful!

[profitpad]

Jumping in here even though this thread is from 2023 — it’s still a top search result on the topic, and we’ve now implemented a framework for dozens of clients that seems to work well at scale. Wanted to share in case others land here too.

Since this thread started, HubSpot has rolled out the Lead Object (Sales Hub Pro and above), which in many cases replaces the need for Lead Status.

Here’s how we structure it:

• Lifecycle Stage is your high-level “ownership” view — think Marketing → Sales → Service.

• Lead Status is still helpful for simple inbound flows or lighter-touch reps.

• Lead Object is where outbound, SDR, and pre-pipeline activity gets tracked. You can have multiple Leads per contact, tied to specific campaigns, territories, or reps, with clean stage progression (New → Attempting → Connected → Qualified).

What we recommend:

• Use Lifecycle = SQL as the trigger to auto-create a Lead Object.

• Use Lead Object stages to track rep engagement and outcomes.

• Keep Lead Status as a fallback for teams not yet on Lead Objects, or where simplicity wins.

This gives you:

✅ Cleaner reporting on actual rep activity

✅ Clearer automation and lead routing

✅ A scalable way to bridge Marketing → Sales without confusing reps or managers

Would love to hear how others are evolving their use of these features — especially with the new prospecting workspace and Lead Object workflows now available.

[SeanHenri]

Lifecycle = where a contact is on their journey

Lead Status = the status of a salesperson's interaction with that contact. Normally, that interaction is related to an organization's lead review and qualification efforts.

To use these together, you might set up a process that triggers a review by a salesperson when a contact reaches a certain lifecycle stage. 

Example:

When Lifecycle stage advances to Sales Qualified Lead,

1.  Automate lead status to "Open" and assign a task to review
2. The owner attemps to contact them, keeping Lead Status as "In Progress" until a conversation is had
3. Lead Status changes to either Open Deal or Unqualified depending on the outcome of the conversation

You could automate a change in Lead Status once certain actions occcur like a logged sales activity or the creation of a deal. 

You could also trigger other actions based on the current Lead Status status.

• Delete when...
• Remind when...

I think the documentation's reference to it as a "sub-stage" is probably the wrong label once you think about the difference in scope, but the two properties absoultely work hand-in-hand. 

This blog post does a nice job illustrating the possibilities https://blog.hubspot.com/customers/manage-sales-process-hubspot-lead-status. 

[Jnix284 · Accepted solution]

@RCasey90 I would also recommend looking at the new Prospecting workspace - for new users to HubSpot, I think is is a very viable replacement for 'lead status' and allows you to focus on lifecycle stage - easily moving your leads to prospects to deals.

I've always had an inner struggle with lead status being a sub-set of lifecycle stage, it can make things very confusing for sales - the propsecting tool gives them a homebase and integrated tracking that, IMO, eliminates the need for lead status (unless you just want to have it tie back).

[Jigar_Thakker · Accepted solution]

Hey @RCasey90 

Lead status is a more detailed way of tracking contact or company progress within each lifecycle stage.

Lead statuses are designed to provide more specific information than the overall lifecycle stage, and they can be customized according to your business needs.

By using lead statuses in combination with lifecycle stages, you can get a better understanding of where your contacts or companies are in the buying process. This can help you target them with the most relevant content at each stage and optimize your sales and marketing efforts.
: https://knowledge.hubspot.com/contacts/use-lifecycle-stages 

Let me know if you have any follow-up questions.

If my post was helpful in addressing your query, Support the community by indicating it as the solution.

[ChristianRieck]

Dear @RCasey90 ,

that is exactly how you should use both properties although there no blueprint as settings in Hubspot depend on your products, services and processes. 

The lifecycle stage is rather a definition where a contact or company is located in your sales process whereas the Lead Status is often used as an indicator or status of a contact when sales gets involved typically in the MQL or SQL phase depending on your process). 

If you are using Sales Pro I would take into account the new "Lead Object" or Prospecting functionality which will replace a little the Lead Status property. There is a good introduction here on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQFicl5qGIs&t=359s

Have great day, 

Christian