Converting and linking leads in Microsoft Dynamics CRM

Converting and linking leads in Microsoft Dynamics CRM

When converting a lead to an opportunity in Microsoft CRM 3.0, why is it that I can only link to the parent account?

For example, I have a lead I want to convert to a contact and opportunity and link them to an account that already exists in CRM. If I do this, it links the contact to the opportunity but does not link the account. Any suggestions?

    Requires Free Membership to View

    Login

    When you register, you'll begin receiving targeted emails from my team of award-winning editorial writers on the latest customer relationship management (CRM)and call center technology issues today. Our goal is to keep you informed on the hottest issues facing this fast-changing industry.

    Hannah Smalltree, Editorial Director

    By submitting your registration information to SearchCRM.com you agree to receive email communications from TechTarget and TechTarget partners. We encourage you to read our Privacy Policy which contains important disclosures about how we collect and use your registration and other information. If you reside outside of the United States, by submitting this registration information you consent to having your personal data transferred to and processed in the United States. Your use of SearchCRM.com is governed by our Terms of Use. You may contact us at webmaster@TechTarget.com.

Many CRM customers have found it helpful to think of a lead as an account, contact and opportunity in an "embryonic" form – meaning that, if the lead becomes qualified, it can mature into a full account, contact, and opportunity record.

You can, when converting a lead, create all three records when the lead converts. You can also create an account and opportunity, a contact and opportunity, or simply an opportunity which you link to a single account or contact. Because an opportunity can only be linked (out of the box) to either a contact or an account (not both), then you have to pick one when qualifying the lead.

There are two ways that you could address this change in CRM:

Option 1 - When the lead is qualified, create both a contact and opportunity record and select the option to "open the newly created records." This would then open both the contact and the opportunity, and would allow you to link the contact to the parent account. This would in turn also make the opportunity visible under the parent account opportunity list when viewing related records.

Option 2 – With Microsoft CRM 4.0, you can add a new relationship between the account and the lead entities. This is a new feature of CRM 4.0 that allows you to create additional relationships between system – or Microsoft created – entities. When you convert the lead and create both a contact and an opportunity, you can use a workflow rule to link the newly created contact to the account that is linked to the lead.

With either of these options you should be able to achieve the result of linking the contact to the account.

This was first published in April 2008

Join the conversationComment

Share
Comments

    Results

    Contribute to the conversation

    All fields are required. Comments will appear at the bottom of the article.
    Back to top