Lead vs Opportunity Odoo 18 CRM
By Braincuber Team
Published on December 29, 2025
Sales teams drowning in contacts lose opportunities: marketing generates 500 monthly inquiries but no system separates qualified buyers from casual browsers, salespeople waste hours calling leads who aren't ready to purchase while hot prospects go cold waiting for follow-up, conversion rates stay below 2% because everyone treated the same regardless of buying intent—resulting in missed revenue because no process distinguishes genuine opportunities from early-stage interest.
Odoo 18 CRM separates Leads from Opportunities to optimize sales workflow: Leads are unqualified contacts showing initial interest (form submissions, newsletter signups, cold outreach responses), while Opportunities are qualified prospects actively engaged in sales cycle with assigned revenue expectations, probability scores, and pipeline stages. This distinction prevents wasted effort on unready contacts, focuses sales energy on closeable deals, and provides clear qualification criteria—improving conversion rates 3-5x through proper lead nurturing and opportunity management.
Core Difference: Leads = unqualified interest (raw data), Opportunities = qualified deals (active sales process). Wrong categorization means salespeople chase time-wasters or ignore ready buyers.
Understanding Leads vs Opportunities
What is a Lead?
Unqualified contact showing initial interest. Source: web forms, social media, cold outreach, trade shows. No sales activity yet—just data collection stage waiting for qualification assessment.
What is an Opportunity?
Qualified prospect in active sales cycle. Has budget, authority, need, timeline (BANT). Salesperson assigned, revenue estimated, pipeline stage tracked, closing date forecasted.
Lead to Opportunity Flow
Leads get qualified through discovery calls, needs assessment, budget confirmation. Qualified leads convert to opportunities. Unqualified leads stay in nurture campaigns until ready.
Key Differences: Lead vs Opportunity
| Aspect | Lead | Opportunity |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Unqualified contact | Qualified prospect |
| Sales Activity | None or minimal (qualification only) | Active engagement (demos, proposals, quotes) |
| Revenue Tracking | No expected revenue assigned | Expected revenue + closing probability |
| Pipeline Stage | Not in sales pipeline | Tracked through pipeline stages (New → Qualified → Proposition → Won) |
| Source Examples | Website form, social media, cold email, event signup | Converted from qualified lead or direct entry |
| Salesperson Assignment | Optional (may use lead routing) | Always assigned to specific salesperson |
| Next Actions | Qualify or disqualify | Move through sales stages to close |
When to Use Leads vs Opportunities
🚨 Use Leads When: High volume of unqualified inquiries (100+ monthly contacts), multiple lead sources (web, social, events), need qualification process before sales engagement, want to track lead sources and conversion metrics.
✅ Skip Leads, Use Opportunities When: Low volume of pre-qualified contacts, simple/short sales cycle, all contacts come from trusted referrals, small sales team handling everything directly.
Enabling Lead Management in Odoo 18
Lead functionality is optional in Odoo 18 CRM. Enable it based on your sales process complexity.
Access CRM Configuration
Navigate to: CRM → Configuration → Settings
Enable Leads Feature
Find the CRM section and activate the Leads option. This adds a separate "Leads" menu to your CRM module.
Save Configuration
Click Save to apply changes. The Leads menu will now appear in your CRM navigation.
Creating Leads in Odoo 18
Leads can be generated automatically from various channels or created manually. Odoo 18 introduces a redesigned interface with auto-save functionality and repositioned action buttons.
Manual Lead Creation:
- Go to CRM → Leads
- Click New button (now positioned in upper right corner)
- Fill in lead information:
- Lead Title: Brief description of opportunity
- Company Name: Organization name (will become partner upon conversion)
- Contact Name: Primary contact person
- Email & Phone: Contact details
- Address, City, Country: Location information
- Website: Company website URL
- Job Position: Contact's role
- Language: Preferred communication language
- Tags: Categorization labels
- Assign Salesperson and Sales Team
- Set Priority using star rating (Low, Medium, High, Very High)
- Information auto-saves (no Save button required in Odoo 18)
Odoo 18 Change: New/Action buttons moved to right corner, automatic save enabled (manual save icon available), updated Discard button behavior.
Automated Lead Generation:
Odoo integrates with multiple channels to automatically create leads:
- Website Forms: Contact forms, quote requests, demo signups
- Email: Incoming emails to sales@ or info@ addresses
- Live Chat: Website chat conversations
- Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn integrations
- SMS: Text message inquiries
- Events: Trade show registrations, webinar attendees
- Helpdesk: Support tickets converted to sales leads
Use the Generate Leads button to create leads automatically based on predefined criteria and rules.
Managing the CRM Pipeline
The CRM pipeline organizes opportunities by sales stage. Access via CRM → Sales → My Pipeline. Odoo 18 features a completely redesigned, colorful interface.
Pipeline Views Available:
- Kanban: Visual board with drag-and-drop stage movement
- List: Detailed table view with all opportunity fields
- Calendar: Time-based visualization of activities and deadlines
- Pivot: Cross-tabular analysis for reporting
- Graph: Charts showing pipeline metrics
- Map: Geographic distribution of opportunities
- Activity: Activity timeline and task management
Default Pipeline Stages:
New
Freshly created opportunities or newly converted leads. Requires initial contact and discovery.
Qualified
Opportunity meets BANT criteria (Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline). Ready for active sales engagement.
Proposition
Proposal or quote sent to customer. Negotiation and decision-making phase.
Won
Deal closed successfully. Opportunity converted to sale order and revenue recognized.
Customizing Pipeline Stages:
Create stages matching your specific sales process:
- Click + Stage button in Kanban view
- Enter stage name in new column
- Click Add to create stage
- Click gear icon next to stage name to configure:
- Is Won Stage: Mark as winning stage for reporting
- Folded in Pipeline: Collapse stage in Kanban view
- Sales Team: Restrict stage to specific team
- Requirements: Add criteria to reach this stage
- Choose stage actions: Fold, Edit, Automate, Delete
Pipeline Features in Odoo 18
Expected Revenue Tracking:
Each pipeline stage displays total expected revenue in the upper right corner. Revenue automatically updates when opportunities move between stages using drag-and-drop.
Priority Marking:
Assign 1-3 stars to each opportunity indicating priority level (Medium, High, Very High). Helps identify high-value deals requiring immediate attention.
Activity Scheduling:
Schedule activities directly from pipeline using the clock icon on each opportunity card:
- Click clock icon on opportunity
- Select Schedule An Activity
- Choose Activity Type (Call, Meeting, Email, To-Do)
- Enter activity summary in Summary field
- Assign to team member in Assigned To
- Set Due Date
- Click Schedule to save
Activity Status Colors: Green = scheduled, Red = overdue, Brown = due today. Visual indicators prevent missed follow-ups.
Call Queue Feature (New in Odoo 18):
Add opportunities to call queue with single click. Icon appears next to activity scheduler. Click again to remove from queue. Helps salespeople organize daily calling lists efficiently.
Quick Add Feature:
Create opportunities directly in pipeline stages using the + icon next to stage name:
- Click + icon in desired stage
- Enter opportunity details:
- Contact or Company Name
- Opportunity Title
- Phone Number
- Email Address
- Expected Revenue
- Click Add to create (or Edit for detailed form)
Converting Leads to Opportunities
Once a lead is qualified, convert it to an opportunity to begin active sales engagement. Odoo 18 offers flexible conversion options to prevent duplicates and maintain data integrity.
Conversion Process:
- Open the lead record
- Click Convert to Opportunity button
- Choose conversion method:
- Create New Customer: Lead becomes new partner and opportunity
- Link to Existing Customer: Attach lead to existing partner record
- Merge with Existing Opportunity: Combine with existing opportunity to avoid duplicates
- Assign salesperson and sales team
- Set expected revenue and closing date
- Confirm conversion
⚠️ Duplicate Prevention: Always check for existing customers/opportunities before creating new records. Merging prevents data fragmentation and maintains clean CRM database.
List View Features
List view provides comprehensive opportunity details in table format. Access via view selector in CRM pipeline.
Default List Columns:
- Opportunity Title
- Contact Name (clickable to send message)
- Email Address (with email action button)
- Phone Number (with SMS action button)
- Company
- Salesperson
- Next Activity
- Activity Deadline
- Expected Revenue
- Current Stage
Additional Available Columns:
Customize list view by adding columns for:
- Created On date
- Customer name
- City, State, Country
- Sales Team
- Priority level
- Assigned Partner
- Activity By (who created activity)
- Campaign source
- Medium (email, social, direct)
- Source channel
- Expected Closing date
- Win Probability percentage
Quick Actions from List View:
- Email: Click email icon to send message directly
- SMS: Click SMS icon to send text message
- Message Salesperson: Click salesperson name to open internal chat
Advanced Filtering and Searching
Odoo 18 provides powerful filtering options to quickly find specific leads or opportunities.
Built-in Filter Options:
- My Pipeline: Only opportunities assigned to you
- My Activities: Opportunities with your assigned activities
- Late Activities: Overdue tasks needing attention
- Won: Successfully closed deals
- Lost: Deals marked as lost
Group By Options:
- Salesperson
- Sales Team
- Stage
- Expected Closing Date
- Campaign
- Medium
- Source
Custom Filters:
Create complex filtering rules by clicking Add Custom Filter. Define conditions based on any field (revenue > $10,000, closing date within 30 days, specific sales team, etc.).
My Activities vs My Pipeline
Odoo 18 CRM offers two main views for personal opportunity management:
My Pipeline
Shows ALL opportunities assigned to you, regardless of activity status. Complete overview of your entire sales portfolio organized by stage.
My Activities
Shows ONLY opportunities with activities assigned to you. Focused view for daily task execution and follow-ups requiring immediate action.
Best Practices: Leads vs Opportunities
✅ Use This Workflow for Best Results:
- Capture all inquiries as Leads: Web forms, emails, events → auto-create leads
- Qualify within 48 hours: Discovery call to assess BANT (Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline)
- Convert qualified leads to Opportunities: Move to sales pipeline with expected revenue
- Nurture unqualified leads: Add to email drip campaigns until ready to buy
- Discard dead leads: If no response after 5 touchpoints, mark as lost and archive
- Track pipeline metrics: Monitor conversion rate from leads → opportunities → won deals
Common Mistakes to Avoid
🚨 Mistake #1: Treating All Leads as Opportunities
Consequence: Salespeople waste time on unqualified contacts, pipeline cluttered with junk, forecasting accuracy drops. Solution: Enforce qualification criteria before conversion.
🚨 Mistake #2: Creating Duplicate Records
Consequence: Same customer has 3 opportunities, revenue double-counted, confusion about which record is accurate. Solution: Always search for existing customers before creating new opportunities.
🚨 Mistake #3: Ignoring Lead Sources
Consequence: Can't identify which marketing channels generate best leads, budget wasted on low-performing channels. Solution: Always track Campaign, Medium, Source fields for attribution analysis.
🚨 Mistake #4: Not Following Up on Leads Promptly
Consequence: Response time > 24 hours = 60% drop in conversion rate, competitors get the deal. Solution: Set automatic activity reminders for new leads requiring contact within 2 hours.
Configuration Settings
Customize CRM behavior via CRM → Configuration → Settings:
- Leads: Enable/disable lead management
- Lead Mining: Generate leads from LinkedIn/database
- Predictive Lead Scoring: AI-based lead qualification
- Recurring Revenues: Track subscription-based opportunities
- Visit Report: Log customer visits
- Activity Types: Customize available activity categories (call, meeting, email, etc.)
Reporting and Analytics
Access CRM reports via CRM → Reporting:
- Pipeline Analysis: Opportunities by stage, salesperson, team
- Win/Loss Analysis: Conversion rates and lost reasons
- Activity Report: Completed vs scheduled activities
- Lead Analysis: Lead sources, conversion rates, time-to-convert
- Revenue Forecasting: Expected revenue by period
Conclusion
Odoo 18 CRM distinguishes Leads (unqualified contacts) from Opportunities (qualified deals in active sales process) to optimize sales efficiency. Leads capture initial interest from multiple channels and get qualified through discovery. Qualified leads convert to opportunities tracked through pipeline stages with expected revenue, assigned salespeople, and closing forecasts. Use leads for high-volume inquiry management and qualification workflows. Skip directly to opportunities for simple sales processes with pre-qualified contacts. Proper categorization prevents wasted effort, increases conversion rates 3-5x, and provides accurate sales forecasting.
🎯 Key Takeaway: Right categorization = right action. Unqualified lead = nurture with marketing. Qualified opportunity = aggressive sales engagement. Wrong category = wasted time and lost deals.
