Salesforce Implementation: Lead Management & Automation — 2026-04-05

Overview

Working session with Lincoln Durham (Quarra Stone) covering active Salesforce implementation progress. Key topics: prospect number automation now live, project-centric lead structure design, BANT scoring system for lead qualification, lead stage simplification, and planning for a three-party call with Vieth IT to enable server-side folder automation.

Attendees:
- Lincoln Durham — Quarra Stone (lldurham@quarrastone.com)
- Mark Hope — Asymmetric (mark.hope@asymmetric.pro)
- Karly Oykhman — Asymmetric (karly.oykhman@asymmetric.pro)

Key Decisions

Prospect Number Automation

• Prospect number automation is live for new leads and opportunities — numbers are assigned automatically on record creation.
• Existing leads without prospect numbers will be backfilled via a script. Script must check against existing opportunity prospect numbers to avoid collisions. Numbers may not be perfectly sequential after backfill — Lincoln accepted this.
• Prospect numbers persist through lead conversion and carry forward to the resulting opportunity.

Project-Centric Lead Structure

• Leads will be driven by project name, not contact name. A new "Project Name" field will be created on the lead record.
• This mirrors how opportunities are already structured and reflects Quarra Stone's sales reality: they pursue projects, not individuals.
• Associated Records feature will be implemented to allow multiple contacts (architect, GC, mason, etc.) to be linked to a single lead, with one designated as the primary contact.

BANT Scoring

• BANT (Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline) fields will be added to lead records with a 0–3 point scale per element.
• 0 = unknown/no budget/no authority/etc.
• 1 = partial or unclear
• 2 = present but with caveats
• 3 = fully confirmed / meets criteria
• Timeline scoring will reflect decision timeline (not execution), e.g.: 12+ months = 0, 6–12 months = 1, 2–6 months = 2, imminent = 3.
• BANT scoring stays on the lead record only — it is not carried forward to opportunities. Once converted, the lead has already been deemed a worthy pursuit; opportunity stage probability handles qualification from that point.
• Mark will draft initial BANT field configuration; Lincoln will review and adjust timeline thresholds as needed.

Lead Stage Redesign

• Lead statuses simplified to four stages: Unqualified → Qualified → Working → Converted
• "Nurturing" stage removed — deemed redundant with "Working."
• Automations will be configured to progress stages based on BANT score thresholds (e.g., cannot move to "Qualified" without minimum BANT score).
• All leads must start as leads — creating opportunities directly without a lead will be restricted. Lincoln's rationale: allowing direct opportunity creation will cause reps to skip the lead process entirely.

Project Folder Automation

• Folder creation on the Quarra Stone server will be triggered at the lead stage (not opportunity stage) — reps need a place to store documents from first contact.
• Implementation requires API access to the Quarra Stone server, likely via a Node.js trigger from Salesforce.
• Vieth IT manages the server and must be involved to define access method and API integration approach.

Lead Scoring (Pardot / Account Engagement)

• Full lead scoring to be implemented via Pardot (Account Engagement).
• Two-axis model: Engagement (responsiveness, email opens, calls answered) × Fit (project size, type, alignment with Quarra Stone strengths).
• Further investigation needed before implementation — Karly to research available options.

Action Items

• [ ] Karly — Update lead status options in Salesforce: Unqualified, Qualified, Working, Converted
• [ ] Mark — Build BANT scoring fields on lead records (0–3 scale per element, draft initial criteria)
• [ ] Mark — Write script to backfill prospect numbers on existing leads (with collision-check against existing opportunity numbers)
• [ ] Karly — Research lead scoring options in Pardot / Account Engagement; ensure Sergei and Serge (dev) attend the Vieth call
• [ ] Lincoln — Arrange Vieth meeting for Tuesday next week; confirm a technically capable Vieth rep attends (not just account management)
• [ ] Lincoln — Reach out to Vieth re: availability; advise Karly so she can confirm the time

Discussion Notes

On Requiring Leads Before Opportunities

Lincoln pushed back on Steven Rousseau's suggestion to allow direct opportunity creation:

"I think that if we allow people to just go straight to an opportunity, we're going to find that more and more that's all they do... I want to run a system. So I think everything starts as a lead."

The previous restriction had been temporarily lifted after it caused disruption while Lincoln was out. It will be re-enabled once the lead process is fully configured.

On BANT vs. Lead Stages

Lincoln initially wondered whether lead stages should map directly to BANT elements. Mark clarified that BANT is better implemented as a scoring section within the lead record rather than as stage names — stages reflect process flow, BANT reflects qualification depth.

On the Vieth Call

The folder automation requires a trigger from Salesforce (likely Node.js) calling an API on Quarra Stone's server. Vieth has the server locked down, so they must define the access method. Mark has worked with Vieth previously through other clients and expects the technical conversation to move quickly with the right people present.

On Project Name Field

Lincoln explained Quarra Stone's sales model: they pursue specific construction projects (e.g., "Tang Wing at the Met," "Popswall project") involving multiple stakeholders — GC, architect, mason. The lead should be named for the project, not the primary contact, and should surface the full stakeholder hierarchy.

Related

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