# Leads vs clients

> The difference between a lead and a client in CoreHue, what turns one into the other automatically, and how photographers use the split to follow up.

Source: https://help.corehue.co/docs/contacts/leads-and-clients/

Every contact in CoreHue is either a **Lead** or a **Client**. The label splits your list in two, so you can see straight away who's booked and who you still need to follow up with.

| Type | Who it is |
| --- | --- |
| **Lead** | Someone who might work with you. They've inquired, filled in a form, or you've added them after a chat |
| **Client** | Someone who has committed: they've booked, paid or signed |

You'll see the type as a badge in the **Type** column of your contacts list, and under **Contact type** on their **Overview** tab.

## What turns a lead into a client

CoreHue changes a lead to a client by itself the first time any of these happens:

- **A booking is created** for them, whether you made it, they booked on your booking page, or they accepted a proposal that created one
- **A payment is recorded** on one of their invoices, online or by hand
- **They sign a contract**

There's nothing to confirm. You'll just notice the badge has changed.

The change only goes one way. CoreHue never turns a client back into a lead by itself, so someone who booked once stays a client even if they don't book again.

## Setting the type yourself

You choose the type when you [add a contact](/docs/contacts/adding-a-contact), and you can change it any time:

1. Open the contact and click **Edit**.
2. Change **Contact type** to **Lead** or **Client**.
3. Click **Save**.

That's handy when someone's obviously a client from work you did before CoreHue, or when you want to move a long-quiet contact back to leads.

Contact forms make the same choice for everyone who submits them. Each form's **New contacts become** setting decides whether submissions arrive as leads or clients. See [Creating a contact form](/docs/contact-forms/creating-a-contact-form).

## Using the split

On your contacts list, the type filter has three settings: **All contacts**, **Leads** and **Clients**.

- **Leads** is your follow-up list. Everyone who's shown interest but hasn't committed is one click away.
- **Clients** is your real client list, without a year of inquiries that went nowhere mixed in.
- Comparing the two counts gives you a rough sense of how many inquiries turn into work.

A second filter covers status (**Active**, **Archived** or **All contacts**). See [Archiving and restoring contacts](/docs/contacts/archiving-contacts).

## Frequently asked questions

### Does sending a proposal make someone a client?

No. Sending a proposal doesn't change the type. Once they accept and it creates a booking, or they sign the contract or pay, they become a client.

### Does a gallery make someone a client?

No. Creating or sharing a gallery doesn't change the type. Only a booking, a payment or a signed contract does.

### Will a client ever go back to being a lead by themselves?

No. The automatic change only runs from lead to client. If you want someone back in your leads, change their **Contact type** with **Edit**.

### Does the type change anything my contact sees?

No. Lead and client are labels for you. Your contact never sees them.