Everything other clients have asked us.
Mined from six months of real onboarding email threads. The questions with a star ⭐ are the ones we hear most often. Use Ctrl/Cmd + F to search the page, it's faster than scrolling.
Step 1: Welcome + Contact
What do you actually need from me in this first email?
Two things, both in one reply. The mobile number you want the lead alerts sent to, and the email address that should receive the alert copy. That is the whole step. Once we have those, we wire the routing on our end and move on.
Do I have to use my personal mobile, or can I use a shared team line?
A shared team line works as long as someone actually checks it inside the first hour. The point of the alert is speed-to-lead, not which device it lands on. If you have a sales rep who answers faster than you do, route it to them.
Can we have more than one person on the alert chain?
Yes. Send me the primary mobile plus up to two backup mobiles and the two or three email addresses. We route to the primary first and CC the backups so nothing slips if the primary is in a meeting.
What if I want to chat through this on a call instead of replying by email?
Book a time on the onboarding call link and we will walk through it together. Email is faster for most clients because you can paste the details in two minutes. The call is there if you prefer it.
How quickly should I send the mobile and alert email back?
Same day if you can. The CRM build cannot start until we have those two fields. Every day we wait is a day we cannot send you a qualified lead.
Why do you need this stuff at all?
Because the moment a lead submits the form, the clock starts. We have a 60-minute window before reply rates collapse. The mobile and email are how we tell you a lead exists in time for you to actually call them.
Step 2: Meta Business Manager Access
How do I add you as a partner on my Business Manager?
Log into business.facebook.com, hit Business Settings, go to Accounts, then Ad Accounts. Select your ad account, click Assign Partner, choose Business ID, and paste in 570563043895208. Set the role to Admin. Click Next, then Save. Done.
Why do you need Admin and not just a limited role?
Because we manage ads, tracking, and reporting end-to-end. Anything less than Admin and we end up locked out of a setting at the worst possible moment, usually mid-launch. We have never had a client regret giving Admin.
I added you to my Facebook Page, isn't that enough?
No. Page access lets us post. Ad Account access lets us spend money on your behalf. We need both, but Page access alone will block the launch. Follow the steps above on the Ad Account specifically.
What's your Business Manager ID again?
570563043895208. Save it somewhere. You'll need it for the Pixel, WhatsApp Account, and any other asset you assign to us.
I don't have a Business Manager set up yet. What do I do?
Create one at business.facebook.com. It takes about five minutes. Use your company name, your work email, and your real business address. Once it exists, add your ad account into it, then run the partner-add steps above.
Can I revoke access later if we stop working together?
Yes, any time, in two clicks. Business Settings, Partners, find us, Remove. The access is yours to control, not ours.
Why is this step the one that unlocks everything else?
Because every other system, WhatsApp, the Pixel, the lead forms, the catalog, plugs into the Business Manager. Until we are a partner on it, we cannot ship any of them.
Step 3: WhatsApp Business
Regular WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business?
WhatsApp Business, never the regular app. Download it from the App Store or Google Play. The two cannot run on the same number at the same time, which is why we recommend a dedicated business number for this.
Why a separate phone number? Can't I use my personal one?
Once a number is on WhatsApp Business, you lose it on regular WhatsApp. Most people don't want their personal chats living next to client leads. Buy or assign a dedicated business number before you start this step.
How do I link WhatsApp Business to the Meta Business Manager?
Go to business.facebook.com, Settings, Accounts, WhatsApp Accounts. Click Add, then Add a WhatsApp Account. Select the business number, enter it when prompted, and verify with the 6-digit code WhatsApp sends you. Once verified, it shows up under your Business Manager.
What does the WhatsApp purchase inside HighLevel cover?
WhatsApp Business API messaging is a paid utility billed directly through HighLevel. The in-CRM purchase sets up the metered billing so we can send template messages, auto-replies, and lead-nurture sequences from your number. Without it we can build the WhatsApp flows but not send anything. No separate Stripe checkout, no extra invoice from us, everything flows through your CRM's billing.
It says "Number already in use" when I try to connect it. Help.
That means the number is registered somewhere else already, usually on regular WhatsApp or on another Business Manager. Send us a screenshot of the error and we will help unhook it. Do not factory-reset anything until we look.
Do I need to be an Admin on both WhatsApp and the Business Manager?
Yes. You need to be Admin on the Meta Business Manager AND on the WhatsApp Business account. If you are not, the connection will fail silently. Check both before you try.
I already see a WhatsApp account listed. What now?
Make sure it's the right one. The dedicated business number, not a personal number. If it's correct, go to WhatsApp Accounts, select the account, Add People, paste in our team email, and assign Full Control.
Step 4: Domain Setup
What do you actually need on the domain side?
Two records. A CNAME pointing your funnel subdomain (something like go.yourdomain.com) at the host we send you, and the SPF/DKIM/DMARC entries for the sending domain so the alert and nurture emails land in inboxes rather than spam. We send you the exact values, you paste them in, done.
Where do I add the CNAME?
Wherever your domain lives. GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare, Squarespace, or your IT team's panel. Add a CNAME record. Name/Host: go. Value: the target we provide. TTL: Automatic or 3600.
How long does DNS take to propagate?
Up to 24 to 48 hours, usually under two. Send us a quick note once you've added it and we will start checking. We won't push anything live on the domain until propagation is confirmed.
What is DKIM/SPF/DMARC and why do I care?
They are three DNS records that tell Gmail and Outlook our emails are legitimate. Without them your alert emails land in spam, you miss leads, and we lose money on ads. They are not optional. We give you the exact records to paste in.
Can you handle this entire step for us?
We do, as long as you give a technical person on your team access to the DNS panel and CC us on the request. If you'd rather hand off the login, that works too. Either way, we drive it. You approve it.
What's the forwarding email for and do I need it?
It's a single mailbox like leads@yourdomain.com that forwards into the CRM. It keeps replies looking like they came from your domain, not ours. Easiest way is to set up forwarding to the GHL inbox address we send you. Alternatively, connect via SMTP/IMAP in GHL under Settings, Email Services.
Why use a subdomain instead of just the root domain?
We host your funnel and landing pages on go.yourdomain.com so we don't touch your main website. If anything ever breaks on the marketing side, your homepage and the rest of your site stay untouched.
Step 5: Going Live
What does "go live" actually mean?
Calendar connected so leads can book themselves in, alert routing firing to your mobile and email, ads switched on, and a 30-minute walkthrough where we show you the pipeline and how to use it daily. That is the moment your DMP is live.
Do you walk us through the CRM or do we figure it out?
We walk you through it. One scheduled session, screen-share, every button explained, what to do when a lead lands, where to log the outcome of a call, how to move them through the pipeline. You leave the call able to run it.
How will I know a lead has come in?
SMS to the mobile you gave us in Step 1, plus an email copy to the alert address, plus the lead appears in the CRM under "New Lead." Three channels, no excuse to miss one.
What happens in the first 24 hours after launch?
You will get leads. Some will be good, some will be tire-kickers, all of them need to be called inside 60 minutes. The first day always feels chaotic. Day three or four it settles into a rhythm.
Can I pause the campaign if we get overwhelmed?
Yes, any time, from your side or ours. Send a message and we pause the ads inside an hour. Don't pause without telling us though, because the nurture and follow-up sequences keep running on existing leads regardless.
What if the first leads are bad?
Tell us. Specifically. "This one wasn't qualified because X." The ads optimise on quality signal as much as quantity signal. Two or three pieces of feedback on the first batch and we can sharpen the targeting fast.
General / Cross-cutting
How do I log into the CRM and what will I see there?
We send you a HighLevel login link, a username, and a temporary password. You'll land on a dashboard with your pipeline stages on the left, contacts in the middle, and conversations on the right. The walkthrough in Step 5 covers exactly what to click and when.
What are the pipeline stages and what do they mean?
Five stages. New Lead (just came in, hasn't been contacted). Booked & Qualified (you've spoken to them and they fit). Decision Maker Call Held (the real sales call happened). Proposal Sent (they have an offer in front of them). Won or Lost (the deal closed either way). Move cards left-to-right as the lead progresses.
Why does speed-to-lead matter so much?
Industry data, our own data, every dataset shows the same thing. Contact a lead in under 5 minutes and your conversion is roughly 8x higher than at 60 minutes. After 60 minutes you are dealing with a different person entirely. That's why we route alerts to your phone, not just your inbox.
Who's actually doing the work on your side?
Our team handles the build, the ads, the creative, the automations, and the reporting. I review and send everything that hits a client inbox. You always know who you're talking to.
What does the offboarding look like if this doesn't work?
You keep your ad account, your Pixel, your WhatsApp number, your domain, and all your historic data. We remove ourselves as partner, hand over any GHL exports you want, and that is it. No hostage situations.
I have a different tech stack already. Does this replace it?
It can. Most clients have something half-built, a Mailchimp here, a Calendly there. We consolidate it into one system you can actually run from one screen. We won't rip out anything that's working until the replacement is live and tested.
How long until we see leads coming in?
Typically 7 to 14 days from the day Step 2 (Business Manager) is done. Ads need 3 to 5 days to exit the learning phase, and we usually spend the first week tightening creative based on the first cost-per-lead data.
After Go-Live (first 7 days)
A lead came in but didn't pick up. What do I do?
Call back twice in the next 90 minutes. If still nothing, drop a WhatsApp ("Hi, returning your enquiry from earlier") and an email. The CRM has a "missed contact" sequence that fires automatically, but human follow-up always beats it.
How do I move a lead through the stages?
Drag the card from one column to the next, or open the contact and change the stage from the dropdown. Always add a quick note (one sentence) on why you moved it. Future-you will thank present-you.
What if a lead is clearly not qualified?
Mark them as Lost with the reason. We use those reasons to retarget the ads. "Too small" and "wrong location" and "no budget" each tell us different things about what to adjust.
When will I get my first report?
End of week one we send a short summary. Cost per lead, qualified rate, what we're testing next. Full monthly review at the 30-day mark. You don't have to ask for these. They come automatically.
I have an out-of-scope idea (new campaign, new offer, new channel).
Send it through. We will tell you whether it fits the current retainer, whether it's a paid add-on, or whether it's a "let's revisit in 30 days" item. We don't quietly absorb new scope into the existing build.
The dashboard says I have 8 new leads. Why don't I see them in my email?
Check the alert email filter rules first. New senders sometimes land in Promotions or Other. If filters are clean and you still don't see them, send us a screenshot of the lead list and we will trace the alert chain.
Can I add team members to the CRM?
Yes. Send us the name, email, and role (Admin, User, or View-Only) and we add them inside a day. Each gets their own login and their own task list inside the pipeline.
Couldn't find your answer?
Two options. Hit reply on your onboarding email thread and we'll answer (and add it to this FAQ for the next client). Or email Stephen with the question: stephen@thegrowthbully.com