Help Needed with Fields / Leads - Contacts - Vendors

Help Needed with Fields / Leads - Contacts - Vendors

Hi.

I need some help.  Either I'm not understanding the work process, or I'm experience some bugs.

In my industry I offer a service, not a physical product to sell.

I have a webform in which potential clients can send me their info, into a Lead Form.  In some cases Vendors are filling this form out to work for me.  Not the best solution, but there is no Web to Vendor form.

Once they are in as a Lead I need to make them into a Contact and associate them with their Vendor company.  However I can't get them out of Lead status without converting them, which requires a Potential.

Am I really stuck with having to delete them and re-enter their info under Contact?


In another instance, I wish there was an easier way to Fill out the Vendor (or Account) information without the Look Up field and just type it all in at once, or with the choice of a Look Up.   But it shouldn't be a requirement.  Also live predictive typing for repetitive things like State and City would be helpful.


Thanks and any help would be appreciated on the Vendor question.