How to work a lead

Each lead shows the business name (exactly as filed with the state), entity type, filing or permit date, location, industry, a 1–100 new-business fit score with the reasons behind it, and the typical first-year needs for that kind of business (for example bookkeeping setup, first-year tax return, LLC tax classification review, payroll setup if hiring). Hot and Super hot are based on the fit score (see Methodology 4b).

First-year needs are general for the business type, not facts about that business. UncoveredList provides business-level public records only. We don't provide owner or officer names, phone numbers or email addresses.

1. Start with the fit score. Operating LLCs and corporations in industries that usually hire, with a real business address, rank highest. Holding companies and shells rank low.
2. Research the business through its own public channels. Open the lead in your account and use Search Google to find its website, social pages or news.
3. Check the location. Use Find on Google Maps (or Directions when the filing has a street address) to see whether it's a storefront or a home office.
4. Lead with the timing. A business that just formed usually needs its books, entity tax election, state registrations and payroll set up in its first months. The First anniversary list shows businesses formed 10 to 11 months ago, ahead of their first year-end, and from January through April the First tax return list shows businesses formed last year, heading into their first business tax return.
5. Use the flags. On Pro, Firm and Platinum, Likely to hire soon marks high-fit businesses in hiring industries that also show a public operating sign (a new USDOT registration, a liquor-license record or a first Texas sales-tax permit). S-corp election window marks LLCs and corporations formed in the last 75 days, the usual window to file IRS Form 2553 (see Methodology). It comes only from the formation date and entity type: we don't know whether a business has elected or will elect S-corp status, so don't say it has. Every plan shows the Texas sales-tax permit flag on Texas leads. You can filter by any flag under Signals.
6. Look past new formations. The Expanding into your state tab (Pro, Firm and Platinum) lists companies formed in another state that just registered to do business in Colorado, New York, Pennsylvania or Connecticut. They often need new state payroll, income or franchise and sales-tax filings.
7. Track your outreach. On Pro, Agency and Platinum, mark the lead Contacted, Proposal sent, Won, Lost or Do not contact so your team doesn't double up. Do-not-contact leads are removed from your exports. Starter's list is read-only, so track outreach in your own CRM or our free pipeline spreadsheet.

Accounting accounts export CSV (all fields), HubSpot (Companies), Salesforce (Accounts), TaxDome (import-ready file), Canopy (import-ready file), Karbon (generic CSV, mapped to Karbon fields), QuickBooks Online (import-ready customer file). CSV (all fields) is on every plan; the HubSpot and Salesforce layouts and the import-ready files are on Pro, Firm and Platinum. Each export's description or notes column carries the fit score, industry, typical first-year needs and the state source link. Import-ready files are files you upload in your software's own import screen. They are not integrations: we don't have a direct integration, and nothing syncs.

• HubSpot or Salesforce: choose that format when you export, then use your CRM's own import tool (HubSpot steps, Salesforce steps).
• TaxDome: one account per row (Account Type Company) with the business address; contact columns are left blank because we don't provide people's names. TaxDome takes files up to 300 kB, so split a large list.
• Canopy: matches Canopy's Business Clients columns (Client Name, Business Name, Date Est./Inc. as MM/DD/YYYY, Business Type, address). Corporations are listed as Business Type "Other" because a state filing doesn't show C- or S-corporation status. Canopy's template is an Excel workbook: paste the columns into it, or send the CSV to Canopy's implementation team.
• Karbon: we couldn't verify Karbon's import template from its public help pages, so this is a plain CSV using Karbon's documented organization field names (Name, ContactType, AddressLine, City, StateProvinceCounty, ZipCode, Country). Check the mapping in Karbon's import screen.
• QuickBooks Online: matches the Import customers columns (Name, Company, Email, Phone, Website, Street, City, State, ZIP/Postal Code, Country). Names are made unique and colons and quotes removed, as QuickBooks requires. QuickBooks takes up to 1,000 rows (2 MB) per file.
• Another practice tool: export CSV (all fields) and map the columns in its import screen.
• Any other CRM: CSV (all fields) works anywhere that imports CSV.

Colorado, New York and Connecticut publish daily, and their leads usually reach you 1–2 days after the state publishes. Pennsylvania runs 2+ weeks behind because of how the state releases filings, and Texas permits refresh about weekly. Texas rows are new sales-tax permits, which include new locations of existing businesses (ranked lower). Every lead shows its filing or permit date. Your digest arrives by 8 AM CT / 7 AM MT.

Research each business first, keep outreach short and relevant, and always honor opt-outs. If a business asks not to be contacted, stop and mark the lead Do not contact.

You are responsible for following the CAN-SPAM Act, the TCPA, the National Do Not Call Registry, state telemarketing rules and any advertising or solicitation rules of your state board of accountancy or professional body (see our Acceptable Use & Data License). We can't give legal or compliance advice. The fit score and first-year needs are general information for marketing, not tax, accounting, payroll or legal advice.

Report a lead that is a shell, duplicate or out of business, or has wrong information, within 7 days of delivery and, after review, we'll add a replacement lead to your next digest (up to 10% of your leads each month). Replacements are leads, not cash, and have no cash value.

Use the Report a bad lead link under that lead in your digest, or open the lead in your account and choose Report a bad lead. A lead without contact details isn't a bad lead: every lead is business-level only.