When it comes to sales, having a streamlined process for managing leads can make all the difference. If you’re using Pipedrive, you’re already taking a step in the right direction. But before you can start nurturing those leads, you need to get them into the system.
Whether you’re moving from another CRM, gathering leads from multiple sources, or just starting to organize your contact list, importing leads into Pipedrive is a simple process that can save you time and effort.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the steps to ensure a seamless lead import process so that you can focus on what really matters—closing deals.
How to Import Leads into Pipedrive?
Note: When adding leads, it’s important to remember that every lead must be linked to a contact in Pipedrive.
Mandatory Fields for Importing Leads
Before you begin importing your leads, make sure you have the following mandatory fields:
- Lead Title: Every lead must have a title to help you easily identify and manage them.
- Person Name or Organization Name: You need to provide either a person’s name or the name of the organization associated with the lead. This ensures your leads are properly linked to the right contact.
Importing Leads from a Spreadsheet
To import leads into Pipedrive, you can use spreadsheet files in XLS, XLSX, or CSV format. If you’re bringing in leads from an existing list or spreadsheet, here’s what you need to do:
- Go to the Leads Inbox. This is where all of your new leads will be managed.
- In the top right corner of the Leads Inbox, you’ll find an ellipsis (…). Click on it to open a dropdown menu.
- From the dropdown menu, select the ‘Import leads’ option.
- After selecting the import option, you will be asked where you want to import your leads from. Choose the ‘from a spreadsheet’ option to upload your existing list of leads.
- Once you ‘upload file,’ you’ll need to map the fields. Move the lead title field from the list of fields on the right to the matching column in your spreadsheet on the left.
- Map Additional Fields: You can also map other lead/deal custom fields and the three default lead fields that include:
- Lead owner
- Lead title
- Pipedrive system ID
Preview and Finish
- Preview Your Data: Once you are done mapping, click Next. Pipedrive will let you preview your data before starting the import to ensure everything is correctly mapped. Once you are done validating the import, click Next again.
- Handle Duplicates: If Pipedrive finds duplicate records in your spreadsheet or existing Pipedrive data, it will merge them into a single entry, keeping your contact list organized.
- Start Import: When everything is accurate, click “Start import”.
Import Confirmation and Skip File
Once the import is complete, you’ll receive a confirmation page with an overview of the imported leads. If any rows encounter issues, Pipedrive will generate a ‘Skip File.’
This file shows the rows with issues and explains why the error occurred. You can download the file, make corrections, and re-import it to ensure all your data is properly uploaded.
Once your import is successful, you will find the newly imported leads in the Leads Inbox.
Alternative Import Metho
There’s another way to import leads from a spreadsheet. You can go to ‘…’ (More) > Import Data, and then choose From a Spreadsheet to upload your lead list. After this, simply follow the steps outlined above to map your fields and complete the import.
Note: If you need to revert an import, you have 48 hours to do so using the revert button in your import history. Keep in mind that only global admin users can perform this action.
There are a few other ways to add leads to the Leads Inbox. Let’s look into these options in the next section.
Other Ways to Add Leads to Lead Inbox
Here are a few additional ways to add leads to your Leads Inbox to keep your sales pipeline organized and up-to-date.
Adding Leads Manually
If you prefer to add leads one by one, you can do so directly in the Leads Inbox. Here’s how:
- Go to the Leads Inbox and click the “+ Lead” button.
- Enter the required information. You’ll need to fill in at least two fields:
- Lead Title (this is mandatory)
- Person Name or Organization Name (choose one of these to link the lead to a contact)
Once you’ve filled out these fields, simply save the lead, and it will appear in your Leads Inbox, ready to be managed.
Remember: If you don’t provide a value in the lead title field, Pipedrive will automatically use the value from the person or organization name field you selected.
Using Leadbooster add-on
If you have the Leadbooster add-on enabled in your Pipedrive account, you can use it to automatically add leads to your Leads Inbox. This is done by setting up a playbook that triggers whenever a visitor interacts with your Chatbot flow.
When configuring your playbook, choose “Leads” under the “Save location” field. This ensures that any leads generated through the Chatbot are automatically added to your Leads Inbox.
Adding Leads via Web Forms
If you use web forms to capture leads on your website, you can automatically add each submission as a lead in Pipedrive. Here’s how to set it up:
- When configuring your web form, go to Submit options and then select Saving preferences.
- Under the saving preferences, choose “Lead” to ensure that each submission is added as a lead to your Leads Inbox.
- You can also set a Lead title prefix to help you easily identify which leads came from this specific form.
Using these various methods, you can efficiently manage and add leads to your Pipedrive Leads Inbox, ensuring a steady flow of new opportunities.
Best Practices for Importing Data into Pipedrive
Apart from importing leads, Pipedrive allows you to bring in other types of data, including deals, organizations, people, products, and contacts. To ensure a smooth import process, you should follow a few spreadsheet formatting tips. These guidelines will help prevent errors:
Remove Formulas: Before importing, make sure your spreadsheet doesn’t contain any formulas. If you’ve been using formulas or linked data, copy and paste the values into a new spreadsheet to avoid issues during the import.
Clean Up Data: Before importing, review your spreadsheet for any typos, missing fields, or duplicate entries. Cleaning your data beforehand will save you time correcting errors later.
Check Tabs: If your spreadsheet has multiple tabs, ensure you select the correct tab containing the data you want to import. Only the data from the selected tab will be uploaded.
Avoid Special Symbols: For numeric or monetary fields, avoid using symbols. For example, in a deal value column, only enter the number “1000” rather than “$1000”. This prevents any issues with currency formatting during the import.
File Size and Row Limits: While Pipedrive doesn’t have a limit on the number of columns in your spreadsheet, make sure the file size is under 50MB and the total number of rows doesn’t exceed 50,000.
Conclusion
Importing leads into Pipedrive helps you stay organized and manage your sales process more efficiently. By following the steps for importing, mapping fields, and handling duplicates, you can quickly get your leads into the system.
Once your leads are successfully imported, you’ll be ready to focus on managing and nurturing them, ultimately moving them closer to conversion.
