How to Organize Your Leads with Google Sheets

Why Google Sheets Works for Lead Management

Before investing in a CRM, many businesses start with Google Sheets — and for good reason. It is free, shareable, and flexible enough to handle hundreds of leads. The key is setting it up the right way from the start.

Setting Up Your Lead Tracker

Create a new Google Sheet and set up these columns:

• A: Business Name
• B: Contact Email
• C: Phone Number
• D: Website
• E: Location
• F: Lead Source (e.g., Google Maps, referral, website)
• G: Status (New, Contacted, Replied, Meeting Set, Won, Lost)
• H: Last Contact Date
• I: Next Follow-Up
• J: Notes

Importing Leads Automatically

If you use Easy Email Finder to find leads from Google Maps, you can export results as CSV and paste them directly into your sheet. The columns map cleanly — business name, email, phone, website, and location are all included in the export.

Useful Formulas and Features

1. Data validation for Status: Click the Status column, go to Data > Data validation, and create a dropdown list with your stages. This prevents typos and keeps data consistent.
2. Conditional formatting: Highlight rows based on status. Green for "Won," yellow for "Contacted," red for "Lost." This gives you a visual snapshot of your pipeline.
3. COUNTIF for metrics: Use =COUNTIF(G:G, "New") to count leads at each stage. Add a dashboard row at the top with these counts.
4. Filter views: Create filter views to show only specific statuses or locations without disrupting the main sheet.

Keeping Your Sheet Clean

Set a weekly habit: review your sheet every Monday morning. Update statuses, add follow-up dates, and archive leads that have gone cold. Move won and lost leads to separate tabs to keep your active pipeline focused.

When to Graduate to a CRM

Google Sheets works great up to about two hundred to three hundred active leads. Beyond that, you will want a real CRM for automation, email tracking, and team collaboration. But start here — it costs nothing and teaches you what you actually need before you invest in software.

The first step is getting leads into the sheet. Use Easy Email Finder to fill your first batch and start building your pipeline today.