Overview
Converting a Lead or an Account into a Related Contact works in two steps: you pick the record the contact belongs to, then review the contact's details, which the CRM fills in for you from the record. The Related Contact is added to the record you picked, the record you converted is moved to the Recycle Bin, and you land on the picked record's Related Contacts tab. There is nothing to set up.
Before You Begin
You'll need:
A Lead or an Account you want to convert (the "source"). You must be allowed to edit and delete it, because it is moved to the Recycle Bin once the Related Contact is created.
Another Lead or Account that the new Related Contact should belong to (the "target"), which you are allowed to edit.
Access requirements: The action appears on every Lead and Account you can edit; no administrator setting is involved. In the record list you only see Leads and Accounts you are allowed to edit; records outside your sharing rules are not shown.
⚠️ Important: The record you convert is deleted after the conversion, together with any child records attached to it (for example an Account's Intake Opportunities). It goes to the Recycle Bin and can be restored from there.
If you do not see Convert to Related Contact in a record's more-actions menu, you may lack edit rights on that record; contact your administrator.
Steps
1. Start the Conversion
Open the Lead or Account you want to convert.
In the actions bar on the right, open the three-dots (⋯) more-actions menu.
Click Convert to Related Contact.
A window titled Convert to Related Contact opens. Nothing has been created or deleted yet.
2. Find the Record the Contact Belongs To
The window opens with the most recently changed Leads and Accounts (up to five of each) under the heading Recently modified. The record you are converting is never listed.
Each row shows the record name, whether it is a Lead or an Account, the date of birth when the record has one, and the record ID.
To find a different record, type in the Search records box:
Search by | Type | Example |
First or last name | Part of the name is enough | Sandra |
Record ID | Digits only | 93905 |
Date of birth | In your usual date format | 10-05-1991 |
Click the record the Related Contact belongs to. The row highlights and Next becomes available.
💡 Tip: Typing two words (for example "Sandra Owens") narrows the list to records matching both words. If nothing matches you will see "No matching records." — clear the box to return to the recent list.
3. Review the Related Contact Details
After Next, the window shows the Related Contact form, filled in from the record you are converting. Fields marked * are required.
How the details are filled in:
Related Contact field | Taken from the record |
Name | First Name and Last Name |
Primary Phone | Primary Phone (or Phone) |
Primary Email | Primary Email (or Email) |
Secondary Email | Secondary Email (or Email, when the record has no primary email) |
Any other field | The record's field with the same name, when there is one (for example Secondary Phone) |
Fields with no matching value stay empty for you to fill in.
Element | Purpose |
Yellow warning | Reminds you that this Lead or Account will be moved to the Recycle Bin, including its child records, once the Related Contact is created. |
"The Related Contact will be added to …" | The record you picked in step 2. |
Phone number to use | Shown only when the record has more than one phone number. Pick which number becomes the Related Contact's primary phone. |
Form fields | Change any value before converting; fill the required ones. |
Back | Returns to the record list, keeping your selection. |
4. Convert and Confirm
Click Convert (red button).
Read the confirmation and click Yes to proceed, or No to stay on the form.
If a required field is empty, a message names it and nothing happens until you fill it in.
5. If the Phone Number Already Exists on That Record
If the picked record already has a Related Contact with the same primary phone number, a red warning appears and nothing is created or deleted yet.
You can:
Use Phone number to use to pick another of the record's numbers (the warning disappears), then click Convert again, or
Click Add anyway to create the Related Contact with that number regardless.
Where You Land Afterwards
After a successful conversion you are taken straight to the record you picked, with its Related Contacts tab open, so the new entry is visible immediately.
The record you converted is now in the Recycle Bin (under its module) and can be restored from there if needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why can't I attach the Related Contact to the record I am converting? A: A record cannot be its own Related Contact. The conversion attaches the person to a different Lead or Account and then removes the record being converted.
Q: What exactly gets deleted? A: The Lead or Account you converted, together with the child records attached to it (the same as using Delete on that record). Everything goes to the Recycle Bin.
Q: Can I undo it? A: Restore the record from the Recycle Bin. The Related Contact created on the other record stays; remove it from that record's Related Contacts tab if you no longer want it.
Q: Which records can I pick as the target? A: Any Lead or Account you are allowed to edit. Converted Leads and deleted records are not offered.
Q: I have four phone numbers on the record. Are they all copied? A: No. One number is copied as the primary phone (you choose which); the other numbers are not kept on the Related Contact.
Q: A field I expected to be filled in is empty. A: The CRM fills a field only when the record has a field with the same name. Type the value in before converting.
Q: What if the record is deleted while I am choosing it? A: The conversion is refused with the message "The selected record is no longer available." Nothing is created or deleted.
Q: Where is the "Convert to Related Contact Mapping" setting? A: It has been removed. The conversion no longer needs any configuration; the details are matched automatically and you can adjust them in the review step.
Need Help?
If you run into issues:
Confirm you can edit and delete the record you are converting and edit the record you want to pick.
Check the Recycle Bin if a record seems to have disappeared after a conversion.
Contact Dazos support with the record names involved and reference CRM-3860.