A lead records a prospect before the team has established a qualified customer relationship. Status and ownership help the sales desk decide what to do next. Conversion can create or connect an account, contact, and optional opportunity. It should follow a verified match and a clear qualification decision.
Treat conversion as a data decision, not as a way to tidy a list. A person who already exists as a contact should not receive a duplicate identity just because a new inquiry arrived. The course uses record edits and checked conversion decisions; it doesn't claim to reproduce every hosted conversion option. Keep marketing preferences and source information during the handoff, and distinguish an unqualified inquiry from an active opportunity.