If your team is drowning in unqualified leads or chasing deals that never close, you’re not alone. Most sales tools talk a big game about “lead management,” but if you don’t set up the right filters, you end up with a bloated pipeline and frustrated reps. This guide is for anyone using Salesrabbit who wants to actually improve deal conversion—not just shuffle leads around.
Below, you’ll learn how to customize lead qualification criteria, why it matters, and which features are actually worth your time. No fluff—just real steps you can take (and a few mistakes to dodge).
Why Bother Customizing Lead Qualification in Salesrabbit?
Salesrabbit comes with default lead fields and statuses, but these are generic for a reason—they’re meant to be changed. If you just use the stock settings, your team will waste time on leads that were never a fit. Worse, you might lose track of hot prospects because they’re buried in noise.
Customizing qualification criteria lets you:
- Filter out bad leads earlier so reps spend time where it counts.
- Standardize what “qualified” means so everyone’s on the same page.
- Spot bottlenecks in your sales process by tracking real-world data, not wishful thinking.
- Increase conversion rates (not just fill your CRM with clutter).
If you’re still using the out-of-the-box settings, you’re basically rolling the dice on every deal.
Step 1: Decide What a “Qualified Lead” Actually Means for You
Don’t even open Salesrabbit yet. First, get clear on what a good lead looks like for your business—not for a generic sales org.
Ask yourself (and your team):
- What traits do your best customers share? (Industry, budget, decision-maker status, urgency, etc.)
- What red flags mean a lead is a waste of time?
- What information do you need before a rep should invest more effort?
Pro tip: If your reps complain about chasing “junk leads,” listen to the patterns. Their pain points should drive your criteria.
Write this down. You’ll use it to match Salesrabbit’s custom fields and statuses to reality—not wishful thinking.
Step 2: Audit Your Current Salesrabbit Setup
Before making changes, take a quick look at how your Salesrabbit account is set up right now:
- What fields are being collected on new leads?
- Which statuses exist, and are they meaningful?
- Are there any custom fields already in use? Are they actually being filled out?
What to ignore: Don’t get distracted by fancy features you’re not using (like automated scoring) unless you have your basics right first.
Step 3: Set Up Custom Lead Fields
Now, log in to Salesrabbit and go to your admin panel. You’ll need admin rights for this.
- Navigate to Settings > Lead Fields.
- Click “Add Field” to create custom lead fields that match your actual qualification criteria.
- Examples: “Estimated Budget,” “Decision Maker Identified,” “Timeline to Buy,” “Competitor Using.”
- Choose the right field type (e.g., dropdown, checkbox, text). Don’t make everything a text field—dropdowns force consistency.
Keep it simple: Only add fields you’ll actually use. Every extra required field slows reps down and encourages guesswork.
Common Pitfalls
- Too many fields: Reps will skip or fake them.
- Vague options: “Other” as an answer to everything defeats the purpose.
Step 4: Customize Lead Statuses
Lead statuses in Salesrabbit are more than labels—they’re triggers for what happens next. Don’t settle for the defaults (“New,” “Contacted,” “Qualified,” etc.) if they don’t fit.
- Go to Settings > Lead Statuses.
- Edit or add statuses that reflect real steps in your sales process.
- Examples: “Initial Contact Made,” “Needs Follow-up,” “Qualified for Demo,” “Not a Fit - Budget,” “Not a Fit - Timing.”
- Remove or rename any status that isn’t clear to your team (if you’re not sure what a status means, neither are they).
Pro tip: If you’re tracking a lot of “stalled” or “uncertain” leads, add a status for those. It’ll help you spot patterns and clean up your pipeline.
Step 5: Train Your Team (and Actually Use the Criteria)
All the customizing in the world won’t matter if your team ignores it—or doesn’t understand why you changed things.
- Hold a quick training: Show how and why to fill out the new fields/statuses.
- Explain the “why”: Better qualification = less wasted time and more closed deals.
- Set expectations: Make it clear which fields are required, and how leads move from one status to another.
- Get feedback: After a week, ask what’s working and what’s a pain. Tweak as needed.
What doesn’t work: Forcing everyone to use a complicated system they don’t believe in. Keep it practical.
Step 6: Review and Refine Regularly
Lead qualification isn’t “set and forget.” What’s working today might not work in six months. Set a calendar reminder to review:
- Are the right leads getting marked as “qualified,” or are duds slipping through?
- Are reps skipping fields or using “Other” too much?
- Are deals moving through the pipeline more smoothly, or getting stuck?
Quick wins:
- Kill any field or status no one uses.
- Tighten definitions if things get fuzzy.
- If you see a pattern of bad leads, adjust your criteria.
Advanced: Should You Use Automated Lead Scoring?
Salesrabbit offers basic lead scoring if you want to get fancy. In reality, lead scoring only works if:
- You have enough data for patterns to emerge.
- Your reps actually fill out fields accurately.
- You’re willing to tweak the scoring rules regularly.
If your team is small or your process is still changing, manual qualification works better. Don’t get sucked into automation before you nail the basics.
What to Ignore (For Now)
It’s easy to get distracted by every bell and whistle in Salesrabbit. Here’s what you can skip until you’ve got your qualification criteria locked down:
- Automated workflows: They’re only as good as your data. Bad criteria = bad automation.
- Integrations with marketing tools: Clean up your lead flow first, then worry about syncing.
- Reporting dashboards: Fancy charts mean nothing if your inputs are garbage.
Final Thoughts: Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
The best lead qualification system is the one your team actually uses. Start simple. Get your criteria out of your head and into Salesrabbit, make it easy for reps to follow, and tweak as you go. Don’t worry about getting it perfect—just make it better than yesterday. The rest will follow.
If you do nothing else, at least make sure your “qualified” leads really are qualified. Your team (and your close rate) will thank you.