GHL CRM Setup - 1-Shot Plan

Prospect: Handyman Superior LLC, Jackson MS Status: PLANNED - awaiting close + DNS cutover Owner on execution: Alex (we have GHL agency API access already) Estimated time once unblocked: 60 min sub-account + workflow build, 15 min form wire-up after DNS

Why this matters

Even if Handyman Superior gets perfect visibility tomorrow, leads that come in have nowhere to land without a CRM. 78% of customers go with the first business that responds to their inquiry. Without speed-to-lead automation, every form fill is at risk. GHL handles the pipeline, the auto-response, the SMS notifications, the calendar booking, and the lead source tracking - all on the agency's existing GHL plan, no extra cost to DeMario.

What we control today

• GHL agency API access (saved in .env as GHL_API_KEY, sub-account creation works)
• Website forms already exist (8 service pages + free quote page) on the Astro build
• Webhook endpoint pattern is known from past client setups
• This whole CRM scaffold can be built BEFORE DNS cutover - the only thing that needs the live domain is the form action URL swap

Sub-Account Spec

Pipeline stages

1. New Lead - just submitted form
2. Contacted - spoke to or texted prospect
3. Quote Sent - estimate provided
4. Scheduled - work date booked
5. In Progress - job underway
6. Complete - job finished, invoiced
7. Follow-Up - asked for review, scheduled next maintenance
8. Lost - closed-lost (with reason tag)

Custom fields

• Service requested (dropdown: 8 services)
• Job urgency (dropdown: ASAP / This week / This month / Flexible)
• Property type (Residential / Commercial / Rental)
• Property manager? (Yes/No checkbox - tags as high-LTV)
• Estimated job value
• Lead source (Website Form / Facebook Ad / Google Ad / GBP / Direct Call / Referral)

Speed-to-Lead Automation

Trigger: New form submission lands in pipeline as "New Lead"

Actions:

1. Auto-text within 60 seconds (from a Twilio number we provision):

   Hi {{firstName}}, this is DeMario at Handyman Superior. Got your request about {{service}}. I'll call you in 5 min - if now isn't good, just text me back what time works.

2. Auto-email within 2 minutes with quote form pre-filled with their info + DeMario's calendar link

3. SMS notification to DeMario's mobile: "NEW LEAD: {{firstName}} needs {{service}} in {{city}}. Call 601-XXX-XXXX or text back."

4. Slack notification to OO ops channel (so we can monitor first month)

Forms to wire (already exist on the Astro site)

• Free Quote (homepage hero + dedicated /free-quote page)
• 8 service-specific contact forms (one per service page)
• Contact page form
• Footer "Get a Call Back" widget

All POST to the same GHL webhook with a source_form field to track which form converted.

What we need from DeMario

• His mobile phone number for SMS notifications (might be different from business phone)
• His Google Calendar email (for booking sync)
• His preferred response template wording (we have a draft, he tweaks)
• Confirmation he will respond to every text within the same business day (or we adjust the auto-text to set expectations)
• Decision: do we route all calls through a Twilio number for tracking, or use his existing 601-564-5688?

What we need from the Fathom call

• Confirmation he wants speed-to-lead automation (some old-school operators don't like text-first - need to know)
• Whether he has any existing CRM (Zoho, Pipedrive, paper) we need to migrate from
• His target response time SLA (we'll commit to under 1 hour, but if he can do under 15 minutes we say so on the website as a competitive advantage)
• Whether the property manager segment is the lead priority (changes the form fields and email copy)

Day 1 Execution Sequence

Pre-DNS (can do anytime after close): 1. Create sub-account via GHL agency API 2. Set up pipeline + custom fields + tags 3. Build the speed-to-lead automation 4. Provision Twilio number (or skip if using DeMario's existing line) 5. Wire calendar sync 6. Test the auto-text from a fake form submission (use our own phone)

At DNS cutover (Donal approves): 7. Update form action URL on the Astro site from preview pages.dev domain to handymansuperior.com 8. Push site rebuild + redeploy (5 min) 9. Test live form -> GHL pipeline end-to-end 10. Hand DeMario a 1-page CRM walkthrough (we draft this)

Expected results

Notes for Tomas on the call

The CRM is invisible to DeMario until he wants to look at it. Frame it as: "When someone fills out your form, they get a text from you within 60 seconds. They get an email with your booking link. You get a text on your phone telling you to call them. The system handles all of that. You just answer the phone." Don't get into pipeline stages, custom fields, or webhooks - he doesn't care.