Importing your existing Leads and Opportunities into your Mothernode account is much the same process as importing your customers.
Quick Summary
Before you begin, here are some helpful guidelines
- Your import file MUST be an XLS or CSV file.
- The XLS file can only have 1 Tab.
- Each Column = 1 Field.
- Each Row = 1 Record.
- Do not import merged fields.
- Spot check your data before importing.
– Don’t import blank rows.
– Make sure records are complete - If you encounter data in your original export file that needs to be split into separate columns (Ex. contact full name that needs to be split into a first name and a last name column to match the Mothernode import template), please view Importing Tip: Splitting Text to Multiple Columns in Excel for further instructions.
Process Overview
The process is relatively simple, but the devil is in the details. Different data sources require different arrangements making some more time consuming than others to prepare, but no matter where your data comes from and what it looks like, it all needs to be assembled in our Microsoft XLS file for import. When importing leads, generally you are importing this data from more than one Sales Rep’s existing sales activity, so preparing these multiple lead lists into one consistent format is key to starting with good data.
There are important, customizable value-lists in the Leads and Opportunities module that you should consider configuring before importing. It’s also a good idea to make sure the values within your Mothernode Value List match up with the fields in your XLS import file. Note the following: If Tradeshow is an option in your Mothernode Value List, but it’s spelled Trade-Show in your XLS document, the variable in the import will be added to your Mothernode Value list, making both Trade-show and Tradeshow options in the list. This will not only dirty the list, but complicate your reporting for Lead Source.
This is a general overview of the process.
- Determine your data source(s) that you will use for your customer data.
- Add and assemble this data into the corresponding Mothernode XLS Files.
- Mothernode will import these files into your account for review.
- Final adjustments will be made after reviewing and we will repeat the import process.
Data Sources
When importing leads and opportunities your account team can import one or more XLS lists, but it’s important to make sure the content is consistent when dealing with multiple lists.
Preparing Your Data
When assembling your data from one or more sources and putting it into the Mothernode XLS templates, there are a few things you’ll want to pay attention to. Mothernode will help you organize your customer records, but it’s up to you to determine what you want to import. This is your opportunity to declutter and dismiss dirty data, though it’s not uncommon for leads to have very little information. Here are a few tips you’ll want to consider when preparing your Mothernode CRM Data.
1. You can use existing leads and opportunities from XLS sheets or your existing CRM as long as they can be exported.
2. When importing from multiple Outlook files, be sure to combine them into a single list. Once Outlook contacts have been consolidated, eliminate duplicates and contacts with little or no information.
Leads and Opportunities
What is a Lead
A lead is considered a potential prospect, but they have not yet been qualified. Their interest in buying from you is unknown, but they could be a candidate for your products and services. They usually have not been contacted. Even potential customers that have completed a lead capture form, expressing interest in your services, are still classified as leads until their intentions and needs have been qualified and they express interest in furthering the sales process with you.
What is an Opportunity
An opportunity is a new prospect or an existing customer who has engaged you for your services. Communication has been established and their needs have been defined. The buying relationship has begun. You can lose an opportunity as it advances through the sales process, but only records for parties that have expressed intent to do business with you are sales opportunities. Leads will automatically become opportunities when certain actions take place in the record, such as adding an Opportunity Value or creating one or more Quotes in the record. From the customer profile you can also create new Opportunities.
Resources
– DOWNLOAD MOTHERNODE XLS LEADS AND OPPORTUNITIES – COMPLETE TEMPLATE
Cleaning Your Data
Once all your data has been assembled in the correct Mothernode XLS template, it will be the perfect time to clean it. Eliminating junk data will enhance your Mothernode experience and help you generate more accurate reports. Here are some activities that you need to perform to prepare your data for import.
- Remove and/or consolidate duplicates into a single row. This is particularly important when importing information from multiple Outlook files.
- Make sure data is consistent, for example: state columns are all TX and not Texas and all phone numbers are a single, consistent format.
- Eliminate records with little or no information, such as missing phone numbers and addresses.
Organizing Your Data
Using Mothernode CRM will enable you to manage your organized data to help you filter and report on records. If you don’t already do this, you may want to consider using the following columns in the XLS document to classify your customer and contacts.
Market Segment
Classify your customer’s industry
Examples: Education, Government, Medical
Groups
Use groups to provide labels for your customer and/or contacts accounts
Examples: Customer, Referral Partner, Other
Source
Use the source field to track your customer acquisition
Examples: Lead service, referrals, marketing campaign
Determining B2B and B2C
Sometimes you may have customers who are a blend of businesses and individuals. Use the IS_INDIVIDUAL column (COL B) to define which classification your customer is. If they are an business enter NO in this column. If it is a person, then enter YES.
