01. Save the discovery evidence

The best place to capture the discovery source is at the point of capture. Record the original listing or referral, when it was observed, and which account it concerns.

Keep the campaign objective beside it: finding regional manufacturers is different from identifying buyers for a particular format. A directory entry is evidence of discovery, not of buying intent or company fit.

The next owner should be able to open the listing and understand why the business was researched.

02. Keep imports from replacing history

Before importing a new list, check existing accounts. A match should preserve the known source history and add the exhibition list as a separate observation where useful.

Look at business identifiers and location, not just a shared name. Where the relationship is unclear, hold the match for review.

HubSpot’s documentation on traffic and record sources is a useful reminder that the act of creating a record and the interactions that brought someone to the business answer different questions. Read the source.

03. Separate engagement from qualification

At qualification, keep the observations separate from conclusions. The reply to the sample offer confirms engagement with that message, within the context of what the buyer actually said.

It does not confirm order volume or a change of supplier. Record the specific response, the relevant person and the next agreed action.

If the buyer asks about lead times, record that as a question. Do not upgrade it to a promise to order.

The source trail should help the next person decide what to ask, rather than make the opportunity look more advanced.

04. Review the handover

Use a simple handover test. Can a colleague identify the discovery route, reopen the evidence, locate the current campaign, and tell which fact supports the opportunity?

If not, inspect which step discarded the information. Keep the original source if a new campaign is launched for a different offer.

Add the new campaign context to the relevant opportunity rather than replacing the account’s discovery source. If two colleagues record different explanations, keep the evidence for each and mark any unresolved conflict.

Make source reporting useful

When reviewing campaigns, decide whether the report counts accounts discovered, conversations begun, or opportunities qualified. An existing account can contribute to a new campaign without becoming a new discovery.

Report unknown sources separately and show the reporting window. That makes the comparison useful to the team deciding where to look next.

Use Prospexto’s capture and qualification workflow as the place to review the history before deciding whether another action is warranted.