The short answer
Follow Up Boss stages tell you where each lead is on their timeline, and in a well-built account the stage decides which automation runs. I use Lead, Attempted contact, Hot (0 to 2 months), Warm (2 to 6), Nurture (6+), Under contract, Closed, Archive and Trash. One stage per lead. Set it on the call.
Below: the stage table with call frequency, how it compares to the Follow Up Boss defaults, the steps to move a lead, and the mistakes that send the wrong emails.
Set the stage and the right follow-up runs on its own. Leave it, and nothing happens at all.
Step by step: how to use Follow Up Boss stages
- New lead lands in Lead. Call within five minutes.
- Reached them? Set Hot, Warm or Nurture on the call, based on their timeline.
- Didn't reach them? Leave them in Lead and let your system move them to Attempted contact after a few days, or move them yourself if that's how your account is built. Don't double up.
- Life changes, stage changes. Lease moved up? Hot. Job fell through? Nurture.
- Under contract the day the offer's accepted. Closed the day it funds, with the closing date.
- Archive only after real attempts. Keep the saved search running.
- Review the counts weekly. Lead should be near zero at the end of each day. Nobody should sit in Attempted contact forever.
The stages and how often to call
| Stage | Use it when | You touch them |
|---|---|---|
| Lead | Brand new. Nobody has talked to them. | Call right away, then daily until you reach them. |
| Attempted contact | You've tried and haven't reached them. | A spaced call plan over about 90 days. Text after every voicemail. |
| Hot | Buying or selling in about 0 to 2 months. Appointment set, showing homes or pre-approved. | Weekly. |
| Warm | About 2 to 6 months out. Working on pre-approval, lease ending. | Monthly. |
| Nurture | 6+ months out, no timeline, sphere and past clients happy to hear from you. | Quarterly. |
| Under contract | Offer accepted. | Whatever the deal needs. Nurture drips stop. |
| Closed | Funded. | Ask for the review. Stay in touch for life. |
| Archive | Cold, old, disengaged after real attempts. | Don't dial. Email only. Alerts still fire if they come back. |
| Trash | Wrong number, not a real person, or asked you to stop. | Never. Everything stops. Don't delete the record. |
How do these compare to the Follow Up Boss default stages?
Follow Up Boss comes with its own starter set. According to its help center, it includes stages like Lead, Hot Prospect, Nurture, Active Client, Closed, Past Client, Sphere, Unresponsive and Trash. Check your own account; defaults can change. Here's how I map them:
| Follow Up Boss default | What I use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Lead | Lead | Same. New contacts start here. |
| Unresponsive | Attempted contact | Same idea, named for what you did. |
| Hot Prospect | Hot (0 to 2 months) | A shorter window keeps Hot honest. |
| (none) | Warm (2 to 6 months) | Splits the big middle so monthly calls happen. |
| Nurture | Nurture (6+ months) | Same, with a quarterly rhythm. |
| Active Client | Hot or Under contract | Timing matters more than the label. |
| Past Client, Sphere | Nurture plus a tag | Tags say who they are; the stage says when. |
| Closed, Trash | Closed, Trash | Same. |
If you rename or add stages, update every smart list and automation that points at the old name. Otherwise they quietly stop working.
How do I change a lead's stage in Follow Up Boss?
Open the person's profile and pick the new stage from the stage dropdown. Do it on the call, the moment you learn their timeline. Follow Up Boss also lets you change stages in bulk. Don't. A bulk change can fire hundreds of emails in a minute.
What's the difference between Hot and Nurture?
Timing. Hot is moving in about two months: appointment set, showing homes, or pre-approved. Nurture is six months or more out, or no timeline at all. Warm sits between them. If you can't say why someone is Hot, they aren't.
Clean up stages that do nothing
Portal syncs often add extra stages like "Spoke with customer" or "Showing homes." If those have no plan behind them, a lead parked there gets nothing. Move them to a real stage. Someone with a showing scheduled is Hot.
A worked example (illustration only)
- Jan 5: Signs up. Lead. Called in 3 minutes, voicemail.
- Jan 9: Still unreached. Attempted contact.
- Jan 20: Answers. Lease ends in May. Warm.
- Mar 15: Pre-approved, wants to tour. Hot.
- Apr 2: Offer accepted. Under contract.
- May 1: Closed.
Illustration only.
How to explain it to your client
Clients never hear the word "Warm," but they feel it. If a client asks why you check in when you do:
"You told me you're thinking about spring, so I'll check in about once a month and keep sending homes that fit. When things speed up, I'll speed up with you."
Watch-outs
- A wrong stage sends the wrong emails. That's worse than no email.
- Change stages one lead at a time. Bulk changes can fire hundreds of emails at once.
- Don't use stages to describe people. Stages are about timing. Interests and status go in tags.
- One plan per stage. Two automations on the same lead looks like spam.
- Trash means trash. Never call a lead who asked you to stop.
Keep going
- All CRM pages: CRM and Follow Up Boss training
- Next: Follow Up Boss setup basics, Follow Up Boss tags, the daily order of operations, long-term lead nurture
- Want the follow-up plan we run built in your own account? See 90 Days of Gain for Follow Up Boss: 12 named calls over 84 days that pause when the lead replies.
This is training for real estate agents. Configure your CRM to fit your brokerage policy and test changes before rolling them out.
Questions
How many stages should I have in Follow Up Boss?
About eight to ten. Enough to match timing, few enough that agents actually use them.
Can I rename or add stages in Follow Up Boss?
Yes. If you do, update every smart list and automation that uses the old stage name.
What's the difference between Warm and Nurture?
Timing. Warm is 2 to 6 months. Nurture is longer, or no timeline at all.
Should past clients be in Nurture?
Yes, or in a past-client stage with a similar quarterly rhythm, plus a past-client tag.
When does Hot become Under contract?
The day the offer is accepted.
Can I archive someone who never answered?
After a full, real attempt plan. Keep them on email and the saved search.
What if a lead fits two stages?
Pick the faster one. You can always move them back.
Brian Lee Burke is the founder of PadLeaders, a Colorado real estate broker licensed since 2003, team leader of The Kenna Group at Keller Williams DTC (formerly Kenna Real Estate Group) and the author of Mastering Real Estate and The Real Estate Playbook. More about Brian.