Lead sources in Leadnote: manage where leads come from

A lead source says where a lead came from, such as a trade show, a referral or your website. Reports, filters and exports group leads by it, so a short, tidy list helps. You manage the list in Settings on the Qualifiers page, on the Lead Sources tab.

How a lead gets its source

A source is stored on each lead as plain text, and Leadnote writes it for you based on how the lead arrived. A lead added by hand in the web app is marked Manual Entry. A lead from a CSV file is marked Import unless the file has a Lead Source column with a value. Leads captured by an enquiry form, the public API or an integration carry that route's name, for example Enquiry form or Public API. You can see the source on the lead card and on the lead page.

The list you manage in Settings is therefore a catalogue of the sources you want to filter by. It does not limit what a lead can arrive with, and the web lead form has no source field to pick from.

Open the Lead Sources tab

1. Open Settings.
2. Select the Tags card under Application Settings. This opens the Qualifiers page. You can also use Manage Qualifiers from the Settings and Administration area.
3. Select the Lead Sources tab.

The other tabs on this page are Product Groups, Customer Groups, Custom Fields, Tags and Lead Potential. The Lead Sources table lists each source with the number of leads that use it. Its columns are Source, Leads, Active and Action. People who cannot edit settings see the list but not the Action column or the Add Lead Source button.

Add a source

1. Select Add Lead Source.
2. Enter the Source name, for example "Podcast". It can have up to 60 characters.
3. Select Add. A message confirms "Lead source added".

Names must be unique, and capital letters do not make a name different. If the name exists, Leadnote shows "A lead source with this name already exists".

Rename a source

Select the pencil icon in the Action column, change the name and save. A message confirms "Lead source updated". Renaming changes every lead that uses the source, so the old and new leads stay together. Sources marked Built-in cannot be renamed.

Switch a source off

Use the toggle in the Active column. An inactive source is dimmed in the list and is no longer sent to the mobile app, and the leads that already have it keep it. Switching off is the safe choice for a source you no longer use.

Delete a source

Select the trash icon in the Action column and confirm Delete source. Leadnote only deletes a source that no lead uses. If leads use it, you see a message asking you to switch it off instead. Built-in sources cannot be deleted either.

Where sources appear

• Lead filters. The Lead Source filter on the Leads list offers your active sources. It also offers any source name that already appears on a lead you can see, so older leads stay findable even if you switched the source off or never added it. See advanced filters.
• Unattended and Stagnant Leads. Both screens have a Lead Source filter. See unattended and stagnant leads.
• Exports. The lead export has a Lead Source field you can include.
• Imports. A CSV file can have a Lead Source column. When a row has no value, Leadnote sets the source to Import. See import leads from a CSV file.
• Mobile app. The mobile app receives your active lead sources with the rest of your account configuration.

Who can change them

The account owner can change these defaults in the permission matrix, so your account may differ.

A cleaning routine

Once a quarter, open the tab and look at the Leads column. A source with zero leads can be deleted. A source with a few old leads can be switched off. If two sources mean the same thing, rename the one you want to keep and switch the other off so people stop using it.

The count next to each source is matched by name. A source that leads carry but that is not in your list, such as Manual Entry on a new account, does not appear in the table at all.

Related settings

Tags, lead potential, product groups and customer groups sit on the same page. Read lead tags and qualifiers for how they differ. Stages describe progress, while sources describe origin, so see lead stages too.