Convert an account back into a lead

It's common for salespeople to convert a lead into an account accidentally. There are also situations where the conversion is intentional. However, it has been determined that the deal will likely take longer, and until then, you want to keep track and nurture the account as a lead. In all these situations, you wish to convert the account back into a lead, but find that your CRM's interface doesn't offer an option to do so.

Well, we have you covered. You can achieve this using a low-code custom function that helps you convert an account into a lead and delete the existing account record by clicking a single button. You also have the option to convert account records one by one, or select multiple records and convert them all at once.

Permissions and availability

• Users with the Modules Customization permission can create custom buttons.
• Users with the Manage Extensibility permission can write custom functions.
• Users with the Manage Sandbox permission can manage the sandbox.

Requirements

• Create and link the button with the custom function, as detailed in the "Create Button" section below. Learn more
• Test the workflow rule in a sandbox before deploying it in your production environment. Learn more

Create a button

To begin, create a custom button that when clicked will convert an account into a lead and delete the existing account record.

1. Navigate to Setup > Customization > Modules and Fields > Accounts > Buttons > Create New Button.
2. Provide a name for the button. For example: "Convert to lead".
   Add a description (optional).
3. Choose the layout(s) you want the button to be placed.
4. Specify the button's placement as In Record and its position on the page as Details.
5. Select the action to be performed as Writing Function.
6. Provide a name and display name for the function, and click Create.
7. In the Deluge script editor, do the following:
   1. Copy and paste the code provided below.
   2. Click Edit Arguments.
   3. Enter the name as acctId, select the value as Accounts - Account Id, then click Save.
   4. Save the function.
8. Select the profiles who can view this custom button.
9. Click Save.

The code

acctinfo = zoho.crm.getRecordById("Accounts",acctId.toLong());
mp = Map();
mp.put("Last_Name",acctinfo.get("Account_Name"));
mp.put("Owner",acctinfo.get("Owner").get("id"));
mp.put("Company",acctinfo.get("Account_Name"));
mp.put("Lead_Source",ifnull(acctinfo.get("Lead_Source"),""));
mp.put("Description",ifnull(acctinfo.get("Description"),""));
mp.put("Email",ifnull(acctinfo.get("Email"),""));
mp.put("LinkedIn",ifnull(acctinfo.get("LinkedIn"),""));
mp.put("Mobile",ifnull(acctinfo.get("Mobile"),""));
mp.put("Phone",ifnull(acctinfo.get("Phone"),""));
mp.put("Zip_Code",ifnull(acctinfo.get("Billing_Code"),""));
mp.put("State",ifnull(acctinfo.get("Billing_State"),""));
mp.put("Street",ifnull(acctinfo.get("Billing_Street"),""));
create = zoho.crm.createRecord("Leads",mp);
info create;
//Delete the account record
deleteResp = zoho.crm.invokeConnector("crm.delete",{"module":"Accounts","id":acctId});
info deleteResp;
return "success";

Test the solution

1. In the Accounts module, click on a particular account you want to convert back to a lead.
2. Click the custom button you've created in the steps above.
3. Check whether a new lead record has been created with the account details and whether the current account record has been deleted and moved to the recycle bin.
4. Make sure that all account information is accessible in the lead record.

Idea

Would you like to convert multiple accounts back into leads using the mass actions menu? If yes, then use the code snippet provided below instead.

accIdsList = acctId.toList("|||");
for each  accIdStr in accIdsList
{
   acctId = accIdStr;
   acctinfo = zoho.crm.getRecordById("Accounts",acctId.toLong());
   mp = Map();
   mp.put("Last_Name",acctinfo.get("Account_Name"));
   mp.put("Owner",acctinfo.get("Owner").get("id"));
   mp.put("Company",acctinfo.get("Account_Name"));
   mp.put("Lead_Source",ifnull(acctinfo.get("Lead_Source"),""));
   mp.put("Description",ifnull(acctinfo.get("Description"),""));
   mp.put("Email",ifnull(acctinfo.get("Email"),""));
   mp.put("LinkedIn",ifnull(acctinfo.get("LinkedIn"),""));
   mp.put("Mobile",ifnull(acctinfo.get("Mobile"),""));
   mp.put("Phone",ifnull(acctinfo.get("Phone"),""));
   mp.put("Zip_Code",ifnull(acctinfo.get("Billing_Code"),""));
   mp.put("State",ifnull(acctinfo.get("Billing_State"),""));
   mp.put("Street",ifnull(acctinfo.get("Billing_Street"),""));
   create = zoho.crm.createRecord("Leads",mp);
   info create;
    deleteResp = zoho.crm.invokeConnector("crm.delete",{"module":"Accounts","id":acctId});
   info deleteResp;
}
return "success";

Did you find this useful? Try it out and let us know how it works. Share this with your team if they'd benefit from it! If you have questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.