Short answer
To import leads from a spreadsheet, save it as a CSV file with a header row, make sure there is an email or phone column, clean out blank and broken rows, and upload it. In AI Marketing Master each file can hold up to 500 rows. Rows without a valid email or phone are skipped and counted, and every imported lead goes through the normal duplicate check.
Before you import: decide if you should
Old enquiry lists are valuable, but only if the people on them actually asked about your business. A list bought from a data seller, or collected without the person knowing, is not a lead list. Importing it into any CRM does not make it fine to contact those people, and in many countries it is not allowed.
Good candidates for import: past enquiries from your old contact form, a walk-in register, lead ad downloads from before you connected your Page, or a list from your previous CRM.
Preparing the file
- Put column names in the first row. Use the names email, phone, name and tags. Capital letters do not matter.
- You need at least an email or a phone column. Name and tags are optional.
- For several tags on one lead, separate them with a straight line character, for example walk-in|2025|ac-repair.
- Keep one person per row. Split rows where two numbers or two people were typed into one cell.
- Remove empty rows, totals, notes and merged cells that spreadsheets often add.
- Save as CSV (comma separated). In Excel use Save As, in Google Sheets use File, Download, CSV.
- Keep the file under 1 MB and 500 rows. Split larger lists into several files.
Common problems and how to fix them
- Phone numbers turned into scientific notation like 9.81E+09: format the column as text before saving.
- Leading zeros lost from phone numbers: again, format as text, or add the country code.
- Hindi or Punjabi names showing as strange symbols: save as CSV UTF-8 if your spreadsheet offers it.
- Emails with spaces or missing @: these rows are skipped unless the row also has a valid phone.
- A column called Mobile No. instead of phone: rename the header, or the column is ignored.
What happens during the import
Each valid row becomes a lead with the source other and the detail CSV import, so you can always tell imported leads apart from new enquiries. Tags are cleaned and up to ten are kept per lead. If a row matches an existing lead's email or phone, it is flagged as a likely duplicate for you to review. Your when a lead arrives rules run for each imported lead, just as they would for a new one.
Your team is not sent an alert for every row. At the end you see how many leads were added and how many rows were skipped, and the import is recorded in the audit log.
After the import
- Filter the list by tag to check a sample of imported leads.
- Review the duplicate flags and merge where it is clearly the same person.
- Move old leads that are clearly finished to Won or Lost so they do not clutter New.
- Do not mark imported leads as having marketing consent unless you have a record that they gave it.
What it does not do
- Up to 500 rows and 1 MB per file.
- Only email, phone, name and tags columns are read.
- Consent and stage are not imported.
Questions people ask
Can I import from Excel directly?
Save the sheet as a CSV file first. The importer reads CSV only.
Are columns like message or city imported?
Only email, phone, name and tags are read. Add important extra details as tags or notes afterwards.
Is marketing consent imported?
No. Imported leads are saved without marketing consent, because the app cannot check how it was collected.
Who can import leads?
People whose role allows them to manage leads for that business.
We only describe what the product really does today. Results depend on your business, your market and many things no tool controls.