Track how generator buyers found you: an Alameda lesson

Garrett is the firm’s operations manager. He says some people saw an ad, then found the firm’s site or called. Leads from the maker and referrals stayed in the mix too.

That is what he saw in his work. It does not prove which ad each buyer saw. The last contact alone may leave part of the story out.

Use one field for how the lead came in. It may be a web form or phone call. Use another for where the buyer says they first heard of you.

Keep the source log if you have one. A buyer’s answer can add to it. It should not erase the log or turn a guess into proof.

Ask the buyer in their own words. Do not list only the channel you want to credit. They may say a neighbor, an ad, a search or more than one place.

If they cannot recall, write unknown. A visit with no ad tag is not proof of a search lead. It does not tell you where else the buyer went first.

Look for patterns across several real jobs. Do not give two channels full credit for the same sale. Clear notes are useful even when the whole path cannot be proved.

• Keep one record for the same real inquiry.
• Preserve the first known lead date.
• Separate a new buyer from an old customer.
• Keep referrals labeled as referrals.
• Record each later job stage on that lead.
• Show unknowns when the path cannot be joined.

Label each fact by its source. A web record is observed entry. A buyer’s memory is self-report. Both may help, but they are different kinds of evidence.

Keep the sale on one job record. You can note an earlier ad or referral without counting a second sale. If the path is unclear, leave that part unknown.