All the Ways you can add Leads to Your LeadStreams

✅ Summary:
This video is part of the LeadStream training module and walks team admins and leaders through the various ways to add leads to your PhoneBurner account. It emphasizes how critical your data is to successful dialing and covers both manual and automated lead input methods.

Key Highlights:

• Manual Contact Entry:
  • From the Contact Manager, you can manually add a single contact by entering name, phone, email, and assigning it to a folder—a key aspect for LeadStream distribution.
• Importing Contacts (Most Common Method):
  • Upload CSV or Excel files using the Import button in the Contact Manager.
  • Map fields (e.g., first name, email) to PhoneBurner fields.
  • Select a folder to import the leads into (e.g., Winbacks Call One).
  • Optionally tag contacts or assign a lead source for tracking ROI.
  • Once imported, leads are available for distribution based on the LeadStream’s configuration.
• Automated Options:
  • Zapier (covered in a separate training)
  • API Integration for lead vendors
    • Two types of APIs:
      1. General API (not recommended for vendors—too much access)
      2. Vendor API (preferred and secure method)
    • Access posting instructions by editing a LeadStream and viewing the Distribution Folder settings.
    • Vendor API uses a simple GET request with required fields:
      • vendor_key, email, user_id, cm_id (folder ID)
      • Optional: name, phone numbers, custom fields
    • Vendors must request a vendor key via a form (linked in the training module).
• Practical Demo:
  • Shows how a lead can be added using Postman through the Vendor API and appears instantly in the designated LeadStream.

This training ensures admins understand how to populate their system with leads efficiently—whether uploading manually, using automation tools like Zapier, or partnering with vendors using the Vendor API.

🏷️ Tags:
leadstream, phoneburner import, lead uploads, vendor api, contact manager, folder-based system, outbound sales, dialer setup, lead vendors, lead distribution, phoneburner admin, team management

📝 Cleaned-Up Transcript:

When it comes to smiling and dialing, the most important part of the puzzle is your data, right? It doesn't matter how excited—or unexcited—you are to pick up the phone if you don’t have anyone to call. At PhoneBurner, we’re all about helping you connect with more people in less time so you can have more quality conversations and close more deals.

This video is part of the LeadStream Training Module, so hopefully, you’ve been following along with the other videos. In this one, we’re focusing on how to get leads into your PhoneBurner account.

✅ Manual Entry

One simple way is to go into your Contact Manager and click Add a Contact. You’ll input details like name, email, phone number, etc., and choose the folder the contact should live in. Folders are important—they determine how leads are distributed through LeadStreams.

Of course, if you’ve got more than a few leads, manual entry becomes tedious.

✅ Importing Leads (Most Common)

From the Contact Manager, click Import. You can:

• Drag and drop a CSV or Excel file
• Map fields from your file to PhoneBurner fields (we’ll auto-match where we can)
• Choose a folder (e.g., “Winbacks Call One”)—this controls how the leads will be distributed
• Add optional tags or assign a Lead Source (highly recommended for ROI tracking)

Once you confirm the field mappings and folder, hit Import. Your file will be processed, and leads will be available for distribution based on the associated LeadStream settings (e.g., Blind Pull, RoundRobin, etc.).

✅ Zapier (Automation)

We won’t go deep here (covered in another training), but Zapier is a great tool for automating lead input from various platforms. We maintain the official Zapier app, and while you’re not required to use Zapier specifically, it’s a popular and flexible solution.

✅ Working with Lead Vendors (Vendor API)

A very popular option is working directly with a lead vendor to send leads via API. Here’s what you need to know:

PhoneBurner offers two APIs:

1. General API: Offers full access (not ideal for vendors)
2. Vendor API: Simple, secure, and designed for lead delivery

To access Vendor API setup:

• Go to Settings > LeadStream Settings
• Edit a LeadStream
• Under Distribution Folder, click “Adding leads to your LeadStream”
• You’ll see a GET request URL and instructions

Important Fields:

• vendor_key: Vendor must be issued a key (request via form)
• email: Required (used to scrub duplicates)
• user_id: Your account’s fixed ID
• cm_id: The folder (distribution) ID—unique per LeadStream

Optional:

• First/last name, phone numbers
• Custom fields (need to send using the custom field ID format)
• Additional phone numbers supported via multiple key-value pairs

If your vendor doesn’t collect email addresses, we can work with you on alternatives—but emails are strongly preferred.

✅ Example (Using Postman)

A live demo in Postman showed how a lead can be pushed via the Vendor API and shows up in the “Hot and Fresh Leads” folder—ready for distribution. The API call uses keys and values like name, email, phone number, and folder ID. When the request is sent, the contact instantly appears in your PhoneBurner account and is ready for action.

✅ Getting a Vendor Key

To use the Vendor API:

• Fill out a Google Form (linked in the training module)
• Provide your name, email, PhoneBurner username
• Share vendor name, contact info, and email address

We’ll generate a vendor key and help with setup if needed.

Final Thoughts

That’s how easy it is to get data into your PhoneBurner account. We covered:

• Manual entry
• Importing CSV/Excel
• Zapier automation
• Vendor API (recommended for working with lead providers)

Each method has its place depending on your workflow, but they all lead to one thing: more dials, better conversations, and more deals. If you have questions or need help getting set up, reach out. We're happy to help.

Thanks for watching—and happy dialing!