> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.hiveku.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Outbound Lead Pipeline

> A kanban board for cold-email leads — with per-stage rules that create CRM contacts, companies, and deals automatically

The outbound lead pipeline is a kanban board for your cold-email leads. Each column is a stage you define, and each stage carries two pieces of configuration: an **entry rule** (what puts a lead in this column) and **CRM automation** (what entering this column should create in your CRM — a contact, a company, a deal with a value).

Once configured, the board runs itself: a prospect replies "interested", the lead lands in your Interested column, and a deal appears in your CRM pipeline — no copy-paste, no manual data entry.

Find the board at **Marketing → Outbound → Cold Email**, on the **Leads** tab. Use the **List / Pipeline** toggle to switch views — Pipeline is the default.

<Note>
  This board manages leads from your cold-email campaigns. It feeds your CRM but does not replace it — contacts, companies, and deals it creates live in `/dashboard/crm/` like any other record. The [Sales AI Co-pilot](/sales/overview) can then work those records as usual.
</Note>

## The board

* **Columns are your stages**, in the order you set. An **Unassigned** column always exists — a lead that matches no rule lands there instead of disappearing.
* **Counts are exact.** Each column shows its true total and pages in more cards with **Load more**.
* **Drag to move.** Dragging a card is a human decision, so it pins the lead (a **Pinned** badge appears) and automatic rules will not move it back.
* **Cards show status at a glance** — reply and open counts, an **Interested** badge, the lead's tags and category, and an **In CRM** badge once a CRM contact exists for the lead.

## Configure a stage

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the configuration">
    Click **Configure** in the board header (or **Configure pipeline** if the board is empty).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create a stage">
    Give it a name and a color. Drag stages to reorder — the board mirrors the order here.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the entry rule">
    Under **Leads enter this stage when**, choose the signals that place a lead in this column. A live **"N leads match"** count updates as you edit, so you can see the rule's reach before anything runs.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose what entering creates">
    Under **When a lead enters**, decide whether the sequence pauses and which CRM records get created.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  A stage with no entry rule shows "No rule yet, so no lead can land here." Add at least one signal — a category, a tag, or a toggle — or the column stays empty.
</Warning>

## Entry rules

A lead enters a stage when it matches **any** of the signals you enable:

| Signal                            | How it works                                                                                                        |
| --------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Categories**                    | The lead's reply category matches one assigned to this stage                                                        |
| **Tags on the lead**              | The lead carries any of the tags you list (free-form, added from the lead's detail panel)                           |
| **The lead is marked Interested** | The Interested flag is set on the lead                                                                              |
| **Reply was classified as**       | The latest reply classification matches: Interested, Meeting booked, Not interested, Out of office, or Unsubscribed |

You can additionally scope the rule with **Only these campaigns** — leave it empty to match across all campaigns, or select specific ones to gate the stage.

As new replies and signals arrive, the board re-evaluates in the background and moves matching leads into place — except leads you've dragged by hand, which stay pinned where you put them.

## CRM automation

Under **When a lead enters**, each stage offers:

* **Pause their sending sequence** — stops further emails to leads that reach this stage. This is a per-stage choice: leave it off and the sequence keeps running even after the lead moves here.
* **Create or update a CRM contact** — creates the contact, or links and updates the existing one if the lead is already in your CRM. No duplicates.
* **Also create the company** — creates the lead's company alongside the contact.
* **Also create a deal** — creates a deal in a CRM pipeline of your choice.

### Deal settings

When **Also create a deal** is on, you must pick a **CRM pipeline** and a **Deal stage** — until both are chosen, no deal can be created and the stage shows a "needs setup" chip. Then optionally set:

| Setting                                 | Behavior                                                                                                                                                          |
| --------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Deal value**                          | A fixed amount for every deal this stage creates. Leave blank to fall back.                                                                                       |
| **Or read the value from a lead field** | Pulls the amount from a lead field (e.g. `contract_value`) when the fixed amount is blank. Tolerates formats like "\$12,500.00".                                  |
| **Currency**                            | Three-letter code. Falls back to the pipeline's default, then USD.                                                                                                |
| **Deal name**                           | A template with merge fields: `{{first_name}}`, `{{last_name}}`, `{{full_name}}`, `{{company}}`, `{{campaign}}`, `{{email}}`. Blank uses a sensible default name. |
| **Deal owner**                          | A team member, or Unassigned.                                                                                                                                     |

If no value source yields a number, the pipeline's default deal value applies; failing that, the deal is created without a value — you can fill it in later in the CRM.

### Automation guarantees

* **Each action runs once per lead per stage.** A lead that leaves and re-enters a stage never gets a second deal.
* **Deals are created, then left alone.** Moving the card afterward does not update, move, or delete the deal — the CRM stays yours to manage.
* **Bulk creation asks first.** Turning automation on when more than 200 leads already match the rule prompts you with the exact count before anything is created. Records for a large backlog are created in the background over the next few sweeps.
* **Drags ask first too.** Dropping a card into an automation stage by hand shows a confirmation ("...is set up to create a contact, a deal in your CRM. Run that for this lead now?") — a drag never quietly writes to your CRM.

## Stage outcomes

Each stage can be marked **Won**, **Lost**, or **Neither** in its configuration. Use this to designate your terminal columns — for example, mark "Meeting booked" as Won and "Not interested" as Lost — so your board reads as a true pipeline.

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="A stage never receives any leads">
    Open **Configure** and check the stage's entry rule. If it shows "No rule yet, so no lead can land here", add a category, tag, or toggle. If a rule exists, check the live match count — a count of 0 means no current lead satisfies it, and check whether a campaign filter is excluding the leads you expect.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="The deal checkbox is on, but no deals appear">
    A deal needs a target. If the stage shows an amber "needs setup" chip, open it and choose a **CRM pipeline** and **Deal stage** — until both are set, nothing is created. If you have no CRM pipeline yet, create one in the CRM first.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Leads pile up in Unassigned">
    Unassigned holds every lead that matches no stage rule — it is a to-triage column, not an error. Either broaden a stage's rule to catch them or drag them into place by hand (they'll stay pinned).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="A lead won't move automatically">
    Look for the **Pinned** badge — leads placed by hand are exempt from automatic rules. Drag the card where you want it, or into Unassigned to let the rules take over again on a later change.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Deals are created with no value">
    The stage had no fixed value and the lead field was missing or non-numeric, and the CRM pipeline has no default deal value. Set a fixed amount on the stage, fix the lead field name, or set a default value on the pipeline.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Cold Email" icon="envelope" href="/how-tos/cold-email">
    Set up campaigns, sending accounts, and the BDR inbox.
  </Card>

  <Card title="CRM contacts" icon="address-card" href="/how-tos/crm-contacts">
    Work the contacts and deals your stages create.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Sales AI Co-pilot" icon="robot" href="/sales/overview">
    Let the Co-pilot draft follow-ups for the deals that land in your CRM.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>