How to Fix Broken Lifecycle Stages in HubSpot

If your lifecycle stages in HubSpot feel like a mess — unclear, misused, or worse, not updating at all — you’re not alone. It’s one of the most common problems we see when we audit new client portals. The good news? It’s fixable — and often faster than you think.

What Are Lifecycle Stages, Really?

Before we dive into the fixes, let’s clarify what lifecycle stages are supposed to do.

Lifecycle stages help you track where your contacts are in their journey with your business — from first website visit to becoming a loyal customer. The default stages in HubSpot include:

• Subscriber

• Lead

• MQL (Marketing Qualified Lead)

• SQL (Sales Qualified Lead)

• Opportunity

• Customer

• Evangelist

• Other

But in many portals, these stages aren’t being used properly — or at all. And when they’re broken, they create downstream issues in reporting, segmentation, and automation.

Signs Your Lifecycle Stages Are Broken

• Everyone is stuck as a "Lead"

• Lifecycle stages aren’t progressing automatically

• Sales is manually updating lifecycle stages (or ignoring them entirely)

• Reports don’t make sense or reflect your funnel

• You're using deal stages instead of lifecycle stages for contact-level tracking

  
  
  

Step-by-Step: How to Fix It

1. Audit Your Current Lifecycle Stage Data

Start by exporting your contact database with lifecycle stage included. Look for patterns:

• Are most people stuck in the same stage?

• Are some stages underused or never triggered?

• Are there inconsistencies between contact and company stages?

2. Clarify Ownership Between Marketing and Sales

One of the main reasons lifecycle stages break down is because there’s no agreement on who controls what. Define:

• Which team is responsible for each transition?

• What should trigger each stage change?

3. Map Your Lifecycle Stages to Specific Criteria

This part is critical. You need clear rules for what moves a contact from one stage to the next. Example:

• Lead → MQL: Filled out a pricing request form

• MQL → SQL: Booked a meeting with sales

• SQL → Opportunity: Sales created a deal

• Opportunity → Customer: Deal marked as "Closed Won"

Use HubSpot workflows to automate these transitions where possible.

4. Clean Up Existing Data

Now that you have rules in place, you can correct the data:

• Use lists and workflows to bulk update contacts stuck in the wrong stage

• Consider using Operations Hub or custom scripts for advanced clean-ups

• If you’re unsure, run a small batch first to test changes

5. Set Up Safeguards Going Forward

Once things are fixed, you don’t want them breaking again:

• Lock down manual editing of lifecycle stages (as much as you can)

• Use workflows to enforce the rules

• Align with sales and marketing teams regularly to revisit the logic
  
  

Bonus: Use Lifecycle Stage in Reporting (the Right Way)

Once your stages are fixed, you can finally get accurate reporting on:

• Funnel conversion rates

• Lead source attribution by lifecycle stage

• Forecasting future pipeline based on stage movement

Final Thoughts

Fixing lifecycle stages isn’t glamorous — but it unlocks everything else. Better automation, clearer reporting, smoother handoffs. If you're overwhelmed or just want someone to take a look, we offer a free consultation to help you spot the gaps. 

Need help fixing your HubSpot lifecycle stages? Book your free consult here.