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

# Mark a lead lost or disqualified

> Close out a lead that should not continue, understand the open-deal guardrail, and keep lead status consistent with related opportunities.

Use **Lost** or **Disqualified** when an early prospect should no longer continue through lead qualification. These statuses are terminal lead states in the current Sales lifecycle.

They are not substitutes for a deal outcome. If the prospect already has an open deal, Lynka adds a guardrail because the lead and commercial opportunity should not contradict each other.

## Lost versus disqualified

Use the label that best matches your workspace's sales process. In practical terms, both mean the lead lifecycle should stop rather than move to qualification.

If the prospect already became a real commercial opportunity, close the **deal** with the appropriate won, lost, or disqualified outcome instead of trying to express the whole story on the lead.

## Open-deal guardrail

When you try to move a lead to Lost or Disqualified, Lynka can inspect related opportunities. The frontend guardrail recognizes open deal states such as new, qualified, and proposition.

If an open deal exists, resolve the commercial opportunity deliberately. Do not leave an open pipeline record attached to a lead that says the prospect is gone.

## Why this matters for reporting

Lead reporting answers questions about prospect qualification. Deal reporting answers questions about pipeline and sales outcomes. Mixing the two creates misleading conversion and win metrics.

A lost lead should not create a lost deal automatically unless the actual opportunity lifecycle calls for it. Likewise, a lost deal does not mean every historical lead record should be rewritten without context.

## If you cannot change the status

Check `lead.edit`, the user's record access, and whether Lynka is asking you to deal with a related open opportunity first. The workspace can also use configured status labels, so the visible wording can differ while the underlying lifecycle behavior stays consistent.

## Related articles

* [Qualify a lead into a deal](/product/sales/leads/qualify-lead)
* [Close a deal](/product/sales/deals/close-deal)
* [Lead and deal statuses](/reference/statuses-lifecycle)