Your spreadsheet is full of history, but also duplicates, blanks and wrong numbers. Ten minutes of cleaning before import saves weeks of confusion after.
Prepare the sheet
| Column | Rule |
|---|---|
| Name | One person or company per row |
| Phone | Digits only with country code format agreed |
| Lower-case and valid format | |
| Source | Pick from a fixed list |
| Owner | Salesperson name as in the CRM |
| Stage and status | Map to your CRM stages |
| Notes | Short; paste long history as a note |
Steps
- Copy the original file as a backup.
- Remove duplicates by phone and email.
- Fix obvious errors and blanks.
- Map each column to a CRM field.
- Import a sample of 20 rows and check them.
- Import the full file.
- Spot-check counts and a few records with their owners.
What not to import
- Very old leads nobody has contacted for years; keep them in an archive.
- Test or junk rows.
- Free-text columns that should be structured fields.
After the import
- Ask each salesperson to check ten of their leads.
- Fix mapping errors and re-import only the affected rows.
- Tag imported leads with a source such as "Excel import" so you can filter them.
- Set follow-up dates for the leads worth pursuing.
- Archive the original file.
Treat the first week as a clean-up period; the CRM will get better as people use it.
Tip: Agree a deadline after which spreadsheets are no longer updated. Otherwise the CRM and the sheet drift apart.
Related guides: NexoraCRM - CRM Software for Sales, Service and WhatsApp
CRM Software IndiaCRM Implementation ChecklistCRM vs Spreadsheet — Which Is Better for Sales?Lead Management in CRM
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