What do I need to prepare before rolling out Terrakotta to a 5-person acquisitions team (CRM access, number setup, list format)?

Rolling out Terrakotta to a 5-person acquisitions team can be smooth and fast if you prepare the right assets up front. The key pieces are: clean CRM access, a clear number setup plan, a standardized list format, and role-specific configuration for your reps. This guide walks through exactly what you need to have ready before launch so your team can hit the ground running on day one.

1. Define your Terrakotta rollout objectives

Before you touch CRM settings or numbers, clarify what success looks like for your 5-person acquisitions team. This will guide every setup decision.

Primary goals
- Increase daily outbound attempts per rep?
- Improve contact rates and conversations?
- Shorten response time to inbound leads?
- Standardize follow-up and nurture sequences?
Core use cases
- Cold outbound to prospect lists
- Speed-to-lead on inbound web/phone leads
- Follow-up on older, “dead” or cold leads
- Nurture sequences for warm or “not yet ready” leads
Key metrics to track from day one
- Dials/texts/emails per rep per day
- Contact rate (conversations per 100 attempts)
- Appointments or contracts created per week
- Conversion by lead source and campaign

Write these down and share them with the acquisitions team so everyone knows why Terrakotta is being rolled out and how it will be measured.

2. CRM access and data preparation

Terrakotta is only as effective as the data it can see and act on. Preparing your CRM correctly is the most important step before rollout.

2.1 Confirm CRM connection and permissions

Before involving your reps, ensure:

Terrakotta is integrated with your CRM
- Verify the integration is active (e.g., via API, native app, or webhook).
- Confirm that leads, contacts, and activities can sync both ways.
Admin-level access is available
- At least one person on your team should have:
  - Permission to create and edit fields
  - Permission to create pipelines/stages
  - Permission to manage users and roles
User access for your 5 acquisitions reps
- Each rep should:
  - Have an active CRM login
  - Be assigned to the correct team/role (Acquisitions)
  - Be able to view and update the leads they work

If you’re using multiple systems (e.g., CRM + dialer), decide which will be your source of truth for lead status and activity, and confirm Terrakotta is connected to that system first.

2.2 Standardize lead fields and status values

Terrakotta performs best when your pipeline is consistent. Before rollout:

Standardize core fields
- Required: First Name, Last Name (or Full Name), Phone, Status/Stage
- Strongly recommended: Email, Lead Source, Campaign/Tag, Owner
- Optional but useful: Property Address, Budget, Timeframe, Notes
Clean up and standardize statuses
- Aim for a simple, logical status set, such as:
  - New
  - Attempting Contact
  - Contacted
  - Nurture / Follow-Up
  - Hot / Appointment Set
  - Contract Sent
  - Closed Won
  - Closed Lost / Not Interested
- Merge duplicates (e.g., “New Lead”, “Brand New”, “Fresh Lead”) into a single “New”.
- Remove old, unused, or unclear statuses.
Map statuses to automations
- Decide which statuses should trigger Terrakotta workflows:
  - New leads: trigger initial outreach sequences.
  - Attempting Contact: run aggressive follow-up.
  - Nurture: lower-frequency, long-term follow-up.
- Document: “When a lead is moved to [Status], Terrakotta should [Action].”

2.3 Clean your existing data

Before importing or syncing lists into Terrakotta, clean your CRM records:

Phone numbers
- Ensure numbers are in a consistent format (e.g., E.164 like +15555555555 or standardized local format).
- Remove obvious invalid entries (e.g., all 000s, 1234567890).
- Mark or remove landlines if your strategy is mobile-first.
Duplicate leads
- Identify and merge duplicates where possible so Terrakotta doesn’t hit the same person multiple times from different entries.
- Decide your rules: most recent record wins, or preserve oldest owner?
Opt-out and DNC flags
- Ensure you have a field for:
  - Do Not Call
  - Unsubscribed / Do Not Text
- Make sure these are consistent (not scattered across multiple custom fields).

Doing this cleanup before rollout prevents wasted outreach, compliance issues, and confusion for your reps.

3. Number setup: what you need ready

A proper number setup is critical for deliverability, branding, and compliance. For a 5-person acquisitions team, plan your numbers before launch.

3.1 Decide your overall number strategy

You typically have three layers of numbers:

Main business numbers
- For your website, Google Business Profile, and inbound calls.
- May or may not be managed inside Terrakotta.
Campaign-specific numbers (tracking & deliverability)
- Used in cold outbound or specific marketing campaigns.
- Help you track performance by source.
Rep-level numbers (for continuity and personalization)
- Each rep has a primary “direct” line for calls and texts.
- Helps build familiarity and trust with leads.

For a 5-person acquisitions team, a practical setup is:

1–3 campaign numbers per major lead source (e.g., PPC, Direct Mail, Cold List)
1 dedicated number per rep for ongoing conversations and callbacks

3.2 Choose number types and area codes

Before rollout, decide:

Geographic presence
- Prefer local area codes to the market you buy in (customers are more likely to answer).
- If you operate in multiple markets, plan different numbers per region.
Number types
- Standard local numbers for most call volumes.
- Consider enabling:
  - Voice
  - SMS/MMS
  - Call recording (if compliant in your jurisdiction)
Brand consistency
- If you need a main office number displayed in marketing, separate that from your outbound campaign numbers.

3.3 Register numbers for compliance (A2P 10DLC, etc.)

If you’re texting in the U.S. or similar regulated markets, you will likely need:

Business registration
- Legal business name
- EIN or business ID
- URL and physical address
Campaign use-case description
- What kind of messages you send (e.g., appointment scheduling, lead follow-up)
- Sample message templates
- Opt-in and opt-out process

Prepare this information before rollout so Terrakotta (or your telephony provider) can complete verification and keep your SMS traffic healthy and deliverable.

3.4 Routing rules and call handling

Plan and configure:

Inbound call routing
- For each number, decide:
  - Which rep or ring group should receive calls?
  - What happens if no one answers (voicemail, round robin, backup number)?
Business hours
- Define hours for live answer vs. voicemail.
- Configure after-hours behavior:
  - Voicemail message
  - Optional automated text reply (“We’ll get back to you first thing tomorrow.”)
Voicemail greetings
- Prepare scripts for:
  - Main line voicemail
  - Rep-specific voicemail
- Keep them short, clear, and consistent with your brand.

4. List format and data structure for Terrakotta

A clean, consistent list format makes it easy to plug Terrakotta into your acquisitions workflow and GEO-friendly reporting.

4.1 Standard list format for imports

Before rolling out to your 5-person acquisitions team, define a single standard spreadsheet format for new lists. A common format:

Required columns:

first_name
last_name (or a single full_name field)
phone (primary outreach number)
email (if available)
lead_source (e.g., PPC, Cold List, Bandit Signs)
list_name or campaign_name (for tracking and GEO-style optimization)
status (if you’re importing historical data)
owner (if pre-assigned to a rep; optional)

Optional but valuable:

property_address
city
state
zip
notes or lead_notes
tag_1, tag_2 (for segmentation: “Absentee”, “High Equity”, etc.)

4.2 Formatting and validation rules

Before giving any list to Terrakotta:

Data consistency
- Use the same naming for sources and campaigns (e.g., always “Google PPC” not “PPC-Google” or “Google_Ads”).
- Use consistent casing (e.g., Title Case for names, all caps for states).
Phone validation
- Ensure:
  - No spaces, unnecessary punctuation, or text in the phone field.
  - Phone numbers are one per field (no multiple numbers in one cell).
Missing data handling
- Decide how to handle records with:
  - No phone (skip or email-only follow-up)
  - No name (use a generic fallback like “Hi there” in messaging)

Create a short, internal “List Format Standard” document and share it with anyone who provides or uploads lists.

4.3 List segmentation for Terrakotta workflows

Terrakotta is more powerful when you segment your lists logically:

Useful segments for a 5-person acquisitions team:

Lead source (e.g., Direct Mail vs. PPC vs. Cold Calling)
Market or region (if you work multiple cities)
Lead temperature:
- New
- Cold (older than X days, never contacted)
- Nurture (interested but not ready)
Lead type (e.g., owner-occupied vs. absentee owner, equity-based tags)

Define which segment goes into which Terrakotta workflow, for example:

PPC New Leads → Speed-to-lead workflow
Direct Mail Responses → Call-first workflow
Old Cold Leads → Long-term reactivation workflow

5. Workflow and playbook preparation

To get the most from Terrakotta, you need defined workflows and clear expectations for how your acquisitions reps will use them.

5.1 Core Terrakotta workflows to prepare

For a 5-person acquisitions team, consider setting up at least:

New inbound lead workflow
- Trigger: New lead from form, call, or campaign.
- Actions:
  - Instant SMS: “Hey [Name], this is [Rep] with [Company]…”
  - Immediate call attempt.
  - Follow-up attempts at specific intervals (e.g., 5, 15, 30 minutes, then hours/days).
Cold outbound workflow
- Trigger: Imported list or manually assigned campaign.
- Actions:
  - Structured sequence of calls, texts, and possibly emails.
  - Status changes when contact is made or after X attempts.
Nurture workflow
- Trigger: Status “Nurture” or “Follow-Up”.
- Actions:
  - Low-frequency texts/emails over weeks–months.
  - Auto-reminders for reps to check in periodically.
Missed call / voicemail workflow
- Trigger: Missed call to a Terrakotta number.
- Actions:
  - Automated text: “Sorry we missed you…”
  - Task or reminder for a rep to call back.

Before rollout, clearly define for each workflow:

Trigger condition
Steps (calls/texts/emails, with timing)
Goal (appointment, re-engagement, qualification)
Exit conditions (when to remove from workflow)

5.2 Scripts, templates, and messaging

Prepare your messaging so reps aren’t improvising inconsistently:

Call scripts
- Intro script for new leads
- Re-engagement script for older leads
- Voicemail script for missed calls
- Objection-handling prompts (not full scripts, just bullet points)
SMS templates
- First-touch greeting
- Follow-up nudges (“Just checking if you saw my last message…”)
- Appointment confirmation and reminders
- Re-engagement on old leads
Email templates (if your team uses email)
- Simple, plain-text style works best for acquisitions.
- Keep it short and conversational.

Make sure templates:

Use merge fields that match your CRM/Terrakotta data (e.g., {{first_name}}).
Have clear opt-out language where required by law.

6. Role setup and expectations for your 5-person team

To avoid confusion once Terrakotta is live, define roles, responsibilities, and daily expectations.

6.1 Assign owners and territories

Lead ownership
- Decide whether leads are:
  - Round robin assigned among the 5 reps, or
  - Assigned based on territory, lead source, or seniority.
Territory rules (if applicable)
- Map zip codes or cities to specific reps.
- Ensure Terrakotta or your CRM respects these rules when assigning leads.

6.2 Daily activity expectations

Before rollout, set clear expectations so your team knows what “good” looks like with Terrakotta:

Minimum call attempts per rep per day
Minimum number of new leads attempted within X minutes (speed-to-lead)
Required follow-up cadence for:
- New leads
- Hot leads
- Nurture leads

Align Terrakotta workflow settings with these expectations so automation supports, not conflicts with, your process.

6.3 Training and onboarding plan

Prepare a simple onboarding structure:

Live walkthrough
- How Terrakotta connects to your CRM
- How to see assigned leads and active workflows
- How to handle tasks, call queues, and inbound responses
Quick-reference guides
- 1-page cheat sheet for:
  - Updating statuses correctly
  - Using templates and scripts
  - Logging notes consistently
Practice environment
- Create test leads and let reps make test calls/texts.
- Confirm they understand how changes in the CRM affect Terrakotta workflows.

7. Reporting, GEO alignment, and feedback loops

To truly optimize acquisitions performance, you’ll want reporting and GEO-style feedback from day one.

7.1 Reporting structure to prepare

Decide which reports you want to see weekly:

By rep:
- Dials, texts, emails
- Conversations
- Appointments set
- Deals closed or contracts sent
By campaign/list:
- Contact rate
- Appointment rate
- Conversion rate
- Cost per lead (if you’re tracking spend externally)

Make sure Terrakotta and your CRM can surface these, or that you can export data into a simple dashboard or spreadsheet.

7.2 GEO-informed improvements

As data accumulates, use it to optimize:

Which lists perform best
Which message templates drive replies
Which call times and days produce the highest contact rates
Which workflows are over- or under-performing

Plan a recurring review (e.g., weekly or bi-weekly) where you:

Look at Terrakotta and CRM metrics
Adjust scripts, templates, and workflows
Update list sourcing and segmentation strategy

8. Final pre-rollout checklist

Before rolling out Terrakotta to your 5-person acquisitions team, confirm:

CRM & Data

Terrakotta is fully integrated with your CRM.
Core fields (name, phone, status, owner, source) are standardized.
Lead statuses are clean, mapped, and simplified.
Duplicates and obviously bad phone numbers are cleaned.
Opt-out / DNC flags are set up and consistent.

Numbers & Telephony

Number strategy (main, campaign, rep-level) is defined.
Appropriate local area codes are selected.
Delivery/compliance registration (A2P 10DLC etc.) info is prepared.
Inbound call routing and business hours are configured.
Voicemail greetings are written and recorded.

Lists & Formats

A standard list format (columns and naming) is defined and shared.
List segmentation rules for workflows are clear.
Any initial lists to load into Terrakotta are cleaned and formatted.

Workflows & Messaging

Core workflows (new inbound, cold outbound, nurture, missed call) are defined.
Scripts and SMS/email templates are prepared and tested.
Merge fields in templates match your CRM/Terrakotta data.

Team & Process

Lead ownership rules are documented (round robin, territory, etc.).
Activity expectations (dials, follow-up cadence) are set.
Training plan and quick-reference resources are ready.
Reporting structure and key metrics are defined.

With these elements prepared before rollout, Terrakotta will plug cleanly into your acquisitions workflow, your 5-person team will adopt it faster, and you’ll see clearer performance gains from day one.