Create Contacts using your Lead Email Address (Email Parsing)

Purpose: Turn lead notification emails into Sure Send contacts automatically, without an integration or a spreadsheet.

Before You Begin

Every user in Sure Send has a personal lead capture email address in the format [email protected]. Find yours on your Profile Settings page, under Lead Email Address.

Anything sent to that address is read automatically and turned into a contact.

Two things to know before you rely on it:

• It is a one-way inbound address, not a mailbox. There is no inbox to log into and no two-way email on that address.
• Parsing creates the contact. It does not route it. Assignment, stage, and automations are handled by Lead Flow rules. Set those up first. See Lead Flow below.

Steps

1. Open Profile Settings and copy your lead capture email address.
2. Give that address to your website provider or lead source as the notification recipient. You can also forward lead notification emails to it.
3. Send one test lead through your provider.
4. Confirm the contact appears in All People with the lead's name, email, and phone.
5. Set up a Lead Flow rule for that source so future leads get assigned and staged automatically.

Supported Formats

Sure Send reads two kinds of lead emails. You do not choose the method. It is determined by how the incoming email is built.

1. HTML meta tags (most complete)

The highest-fidelity option. Give this to a website provider or developer when you have the choice. It is the only format that captures custom fields, timeframe, full property address, and MLS number.

<meta name="lead_version" content="1.0" />
<meta name="lead_name" content="Jane Smith" />
<meta name="lead_email" content="[email protected]" />
<meta name="lead_phone" content="555-867-5309" />
<meta name="lead_source" content="https://yourdomain.com" />
<meta name="lead_type" content="Buyer" />
<meta name="lead_timeframe" content="3_6_months" />
<meta name="lead_message" content="Interested in the downtown listing" />
<meta name="lead_property_address" content="123 Main St" />
<meta name="lead_property_city" content="Denver" />
<meta name="lead_property_state" content="CO" />
<meta name="lead_property_zip" content="80203" />
<meta name="lead_mls" content="12345678" />
<meta name="lead_$custom_field_name$" content="custom value" />

Timeframe accepts these values only: 0_3_months, 3_6_months, 6_12_months, 12_plus_months, no_plans. The readable forms also work (0-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-12 months, 12+ months, no plans), in any capitalization. Any other value is dropped without an error.

Custom fields use the format lead_$fieldname$. The name must match a custom field that already exists on your team. Names that do not match are ignored without an error.

2. HTML body (most common)

This is what happens with most third-party lead notification emails. Sure Send scans the email for labeled fields and pulls what it recognizes.

Every provider goes through the same logic, so a vendor's email works or does not work based on how cleanly it is labeled.

Labels Sure Send recognizes:

Data	Labels
Name	name: · full name: · contact name:
Email	email: · e-mail: · email address:
Phone	phone: · phone number: · tel: · mobile: · cell:
Source	source: · website: · listing: (the value must be a web address, see below)
Lead Type	type: · category: · lead type:
Message	message: · comments: · notes: · inquiry:

How Source is set in HTML emails: a Source, Website, or Listing label only counts when its value is a web address (for example Source: https://yourdomain.com). A plain word like "Source: Zillow" is ignored. Without a web address, Sure Send uses the website of the first listing or property link in the email. If there is none, the source is "Lead Email."

Property address is not captured from HTML emails. Use meta tags if you need the property address on the lead.

Field Reference

Not every field works in every format. Use this table to check before committing to a setup.

Field	Meta tags	HTML body
First and Last Name	✅	✅
Email	✅	✅
Phone	✅	✅
Source	✅	✅ Web address or listing link only
Lead Type	✅	✅
Message	✅	✅
Property street address	✅	❌
Property city, state, zip	✅	❌
Timeframe	✅	❌
MLS number	✅	❌
Custom fields	✅	❌

How some fields are stored:

• Lead Type becomes a tag on the contact, not a field.
• Message becomes an Inquiry event on the contact's timeline, not a note. In HTML-body emails it must be between 10 and 500 characters or it is dropped.
• MLS number is stored on the lead event, not on the contact record.

Lead Flow Does the Routing

This is the part people miss most often.

Email parsing cannot assign a contact to a user or a pond, and it cannot set a stage. Parsed contacts arrive unassigned.

Assignment, stage, and automation enrollment are handled by Lead Flow rules, which key off the contact's Source.

Because of that, make sure your incoming emails carry a source: a lead_source meta tag, or a web address in an HTML email. When no source is found, Sure Send falls back to "Lead Email," and every lead lands in the same undifferentiated bucket.

The reliable setup is:

1. Build a Lead Flow rule for each source you expect.
2. Make sure every incoming email carries that source.
3. Let Lead Flow handle assignment, stage, and automations.

Limitations

Some names are dropped or cut short. A name that contains a word like Buyer, Seller, Agent, Lead, Contact, Property, or Inquiry is dropped. A name with an apostrophe is cut at the apostrophe (Pat O'Brien comes in as Pat O). The contact is still created from the email or phone.

Duplicates are checked by email and phone. Before creating a contact, Sure Send looks for an existing contact on your team with the same email address, then the same phone number. If it finds one, the lead is added to that contact instead of creating a new one. A new contact is still created when:

• The email address is different, including portal versions like [email protected]
• The phone number has an extension typed in
• The matching contact was deleted and is in Deleted Leads
• The lead has a name but no email or phone

If that happens, merge the two records.

Plain-text emails are not supported right now. See the note under Supported Formats.

Custom fields, timeframe, MLS number, and property address only work with HTML meta tags. Standard notification emails cannot populate them.

Choosing a Format

If you are	Use
Working with a website developer or provider who can customize the email	HTML meta tags
Receiving standard notification emails from a lead provider	HTML body, no setup needed
Adding a single lead by hand	Add New Lead in the top navigation

Troubleshooting

Problem	Cause	Fix
No contact was created	Email went to the wrong address, or the email had no email address or phone for the lead	Check the address on your Profile Settings page. Confirm the notification includes the lead's email or phone.
Contact is named after the sender (for example a vendor name)	The email was plain text	Ask the provider for formatted (HTML) notifications, or add the lead with Add New Lead.
Contact created without a name, or with a shortened name	The name contains a word like Buyer or Agent, or has an apostrophe	Known limit. Fix the name on the contact.
Source shows "Lead Email"	No web address was found for the source	Add a lead_source meta tag, or a Source label with a web address in an HTML email.
Custom fields, timeframe, or property address are empty	The email is not using HTML meta tags, or the timeframe value isn't one of the accepted values	Use the meta tag format and the timeframe values listed above.
Contact is unassigned	Parsing does not assign contacts	Set up a Lead Flow rule for that source.
Message did not appear	In an HTML email, it was under 10 or over 500 characters	Keep messages within that range.
Duplicate contacts	The lead's email and phone didn't match the existing contact: a different or "+" email, a phone with an extension, the old contact is in Deleted Leads, or the lead had only a name	Merge the records. If the old contact is in Deleted Leads, restore it first, then merge.