How to prepare a surplus leads spreadsheet for your CRM
By the SurplusNorth team · Reviewed
A successful import starts before you upload anything. Preserve the original file, map each column to a clear meaning and resolve uncertain records in a review copy. The workflow below helps a surplus recovery team keep evidence and contact decisions attached to the right case when moving from spreadsheets to software.
Keep an untouched source copy
Save the original file with the county, source URL and date downloaded. Work in a separate copy. If a later review finds that an amount or name changed, you should be able to identify whether the change came from the source or from your cleanup. Avoid overwriting the only version you have.
Give each field one job
Separate owner name, property street address, mailing address, county, state, case number, parcel number, amount and phone number. Do not put a mailing address in the property field simply to fill an empty cell. A case number is an identifier, not a number to calculate with; preserve leading zeroes and punctuation when they are part of the source.
Normalize amounts without adding certainty
Make sure currency symbols and separators are interpreted consistently. For example, a listed amount of $24,500.00 should not become 24.50 after a conversion. Keep a note showing whether the number is a source-listed balance or an estimate. Leave an unknown amount unresolved rather than filling it with zero and making the record appear complete.
Review duplicates at the case and contact level
Two rows may describe the same case with different contacts. Two different cases may involve the same owner. Compare source, county, case and parcel information before merging anything. Preserve co-owner relationships and the evidence behind each phone number. A matching name by itself is not enough to merge records.
Carry phone decisions into the new system
Keep Do Not Call, opt-out, wrong-number, disconnected and removed-number decisions with the number they describe. An import should not make a previously rejected phone eligible again. Store a callback request as a dated task with an owner so it survives the move from a spreadsheet into the CRM.
Run a small review before the full import
Use a representative sample containing missing fields, multiple contacts, a duplicate and a previously removed phone. Check the importer’s preview and error report. Confirm how your software handles updates to existing records, rather than assuming that every row creates a new lead. Compare the resulting cases with the source copy before continuing.
Example: hold the record instead of guessing
Suppose a row has a recognizable owner, a case number and a listed amount, but only a mailing address and an unverified phone. Preserve the row for research. Find the property street address from the appropriate source and resolve the phone status before treating the record as ready for outreach. Filling blanks with guesses makes a cleaner-looking spreadsheet, not a better lead.
Your CRM should inherit the evidence and decisions your team already made. Use the lead-review checklist, then test the import on a small sample before changing the full working list.
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