If you’re using ExportApollo to wrangle leads, you already know it’s easy to get buried in spreadsheets and status columns. This guide is for anyone who wants to stop spinning their wheels and actually move leads forward—without turning your day into a click-fest. Whether you’re solo or wrangling a team, here’s how to keep your lead statuses organized, up-to-date, and (mostly) painless.
1. Understand What Lead Statuses Actually Do
Before you start tweaking anything, let’s get real: lead statuses are only as useful as you make them. In ExportApollo.com, they’re basically shorthand for “Where is this lead, right now?”—but it’s easy to overcomplicate things.
Pro tip:
Don’t create more statuses than you need. “Contacted,” “Interested,” and “Closed–Won” cover more ground than you’d think. The more options you add, the faster your team will get confused (or just stop updating entirely).
What works: - Clear, simple status names everyone understands. - A status for every real-life stage, not every possible scenario.
What doesn’t: - Micro-managing with dozens of custom statuses. - Making statuses that double as notes (e.g., “Left voicemail after lunch, will call again Tuesday”).
2. Set Up Your Lead Statuses—Keep It Lean
ExportApollo comes with default statuses, but you can usually tweak them. Here’s how to do it:
- Go to your settings:
Look for “Lead Pipeline” or “Statuses” in your main dashboard. - Edit or Add:
Rename existing statuses to match your actual workflow. Add new ones only if you really need them. - Delete the noise:
If there are statuses nobody uses, get rid of them. You can always add one back later.
A basic list that works for most teams: - New - Contacted - Interested - Follow Up - Qualified - Closed–Won - Closed–Lost
Honest take:
If your team argues about whether a lead is “Engaged” or “Replied,” you probably have too many stages.
3. Update Lead Statuses—Fast and Consistently
Updating lead statuses should take seconds, not minutes. ExportApollo lets you do this from the main leads table or inside each lead’s details.
Here’s how:
- Bulk update:
Select a bunch of leads and change their status in one go. Use filters to grab groups (like “all New leads from last week”). - Drag-and-drop (if available):
Some views let you drag leads between columns. Use this—it’s faster than clicking through menus. - Keyboard shortcuts:
If ExportApollo supports them, learn them. You’ll save hours in the long run.
What to ignore:
Don’t obsess about updating the status every time you send an email. Change statuses when something meaningful happens (e.g., you get a reply, schedule a call, or close a deal).
4. Use Filters and Views to Stay Sane
Once your statuses are in shape, filters are your best friend. Instead of scrolling through a sea of leads, filter by status and focus only on what needs attention.
Examples: - Filter for “Contacted” leads with no reply in 7 days—so you know who needs a nudge. - See only “New” leads added this week to make sure nothing falls through the cracks.
Pro tip:
Save your favorite filters as views. That way, you don’t waste time setting them up every morning.
What works: - A daily view for “Follow Up” leads. - A weekly sweep of “Qualified” leads to see if they need nudging or closing.
What doesn’t: - Trying to work from a giant, unfiltered list. You’ll miss things—and your brain will fry.
5. Automate What You Can, But Don’t Trust Robots with Everything
ExportApollo has some automation options (think: auto-assigning statuses based on activities, or sending reminders for stale leads). This can save you time, but don’t expect miracles.
Automate: - Moving leads to “Contacted” when you send an email from inside ExportApollo. - Reminding yourself to follow up if a lead sits in “Contacted” for over a week.
Don’t automate: - Subtle judgment calls (like deciding if a lead is truly “Qualified” or just being polite). - Writing actual follow-up messages—robots are still bad at sounding human.
Honest take:
Automation is great for grunt work, but someone still needs to pay attention. Otherwise, you’ll find deals slipping through the cracks because a script didn’t fire or a status was wrong.
6. Keep Your Team (Or Yourself) Accountable
Even with the best setup, people forget to update statuses. Here’s how to keep things on track:
- Set a routine:
Block 10 minutes at the end of your day to update statuses. It’s boring, but it works. - Make it visible:
ExportApollo can often show who last updated a lead. Use this to nudge forgetful teammates (or yourself). - Review weekly:
Scan for stuck leads or weird status gaps. If you see a bunch of leads sitting in “Follow Up” for weeks, something’s broken.
What works: - Short, regular check-ins. - Friendly reminders—not passive-aggressive Slack messages.
What doesn’t: - Waiting until the end of the quarter to clean things up. That’s how you lose deals and your sanity.
7. Common Mistakes—and How to Avoid Them
Mistake #1:
Having too many statuses.
Fix: Stick to what you’ll actually use.
Mistake #2:
Letting the pipeline get stale.
Fix: Schedule time to update and review.
Mistake #3:
Using statuses for notes or reminders.
Fix: Use the notes or activity fields for details; keep statuses simple.
Mistake #4:
Ignoring the “Closed–Lost” status.
Fix: Mark deals as lost when they’re really dead. It’s not defeatist—it keeps your pipeline clean.
8. Troubleshooting: When Stuff Goes Sideways
ExportApollo is pretty straightforward, but here’s what to do when things get weird:
- Statuses aren’t updating:
Refresh or log out and back in. If it’s still broken, check for browser plugin conflicts. - Bulk updates fail:
Try smaller batches. Sometimes big updates time out. - Accidentally deleted a status:
Most CRMs keep deleted data for a while. Contact support if you really need it back. - Team keeps messing up statuses:
Run a quick training or make a cheat sheet. Sometimes people just forget the “rules.”
Pro tip:
Write down your status definitions somewhere everyone can see them. It sounds basic, but it saves arguments.
9. Keep It Simple—Iterate As You Go
Managing lead statuses in ExportApollo isn’t rocket science, but it’s easy to overthink. Start simple, fix what’s broken, and don’t be afraid to trim the fat if things get messy. The goal isn’t a perfect pipeline—it’s one that actually helps you close more deals. If something isn’t working, change it. That’s it.
Now go update your statuses before you forget.