GoHighLevel Setup Guide: Build an Aged Lead Campaign That Converts

GoHighLevel is the most popular CRM among insurance agents, mortgage loan officers, and solar reps for a good reason — it combines CRM, phone dialer, SMS, email marketing, workflow automation, calendars, and landing pages in a single platform for $97/month. That's 4-5 separate tools replaced by one login.

But here's the problem: most agents sign up for GoHighLevel, import their aged leads, and immediately get overwhelmed by the platform's complexity. They make some calls, send a few texts manually, and never build the automated systems that make aged leads profitable at scale.

This guide walks you through setting up GoHighLevel specifically for aged lead campaigns — step by step, from CSV import to automated multi-channel workflows. Follow along and you'll have a fully operational aged lead machine in a single afternoon.

Why GoHighLevel Is the Best Platform for Aged Leads

Before we get into setup, here's why GHL is our top CRM pick for aged leads:

All-in-one means all-in-sync. Your phone calls, texts, emails, and voicemail drops all happen inside one platform. When you call a lead and they don't answer, the automated text goes out without you lifting a finger. When they reply to that text, the conversation appears in the same place as their call history and email thread.

Multi-channel workflows are built-in. GHL's workflow builder lets you create sequences that coordinate phone, text, email, and voicemail drops across a defined timeline. This is exactly what aged leads need — persistent, systematic follow-up without manual management.

The price is right. At $97/month for the Starter plan, you get everything most agents need. Compare that to $50/month for a CRM + $25/month for a dialer + $30/month for SMS + $50/month for email automation + $50/month for landing pages. GHL replaces $200+ in monthly tool costs.

Massive community support. GoHighLevel has over a million users, with a huge concentration in insurance and mortgage. That means pre-built templates, community workflows, YouTube tutorials, and Facebook groups where agents share what's working.

Step 1: Import Your Aged Leads

Before you import anything, make sure your leads are DNC-scrubbed. Your lead vendor should handle this, but verify before loading leads into your dialer. Working unscrubbed leads is a compliance violation that can cost you $50,000+ per incident.

Format Your CSV

GHL's import requires a clean CSV with consistent columns. Here's the recommended format:

• First Name — required
• Last Name — required
• Phone — required (format: 10-digit, no dashes or parentheses)
• Email — include if available (many aged leads have email)
• Address, City, State, Zip — useful for geographic targeting and personalization
• Tags — add columns for lead source, lead age bracket, and vertical

Import Process

Navigate to Contacts → Import Contacts → Upload CSV. Map your CSV columns to GHL's contact fields. GHL will show you a preview — verify the mapping looks correct before confirming.

Tag on Import

This is the step most agents skip — and it costs them later. During import, add tags that let you segment and automate:

• Source tag: `als-feb-2026` (vendor + date)
• Age tag: `30-day` or `60-day` or `90-day`
• Vertical tag: `final-expense` or `mortgage-refi` or `solar`
• State tag: the lead's state (critical for licensing compliance)

These tags power your automation rules and reporting later. Spend two minutes tagging now to save hours of manual sorting later.

Common Import Errors

• Duplicate contacts: GHL matches on email or phone. Duplicates get skipped — check your duplicate count after import.
• Invalid phone numbers: GHL rejects numbers that aren't valid US formats. Clean your CSV before importing.
• Missing required fields: First name, last name, and either phone or email are required.

Batch Your Imports

Don't import 2,000 leads at once. Import 200-500 at a time. This prevents your automation workflows from triggering thousands of simultaneous messages (which can flag your Twilio account) and keeps your daily call volume manageable.

Step 2: Build Your Aged Lead Pipeline

Create a dedicated pipeline for aged leads — don't mix them with fresh leads. The stages, timelines, and metrics are completely different.

Navigate to Opportunities → Pipelines → Create Pipeline.

Recommended Pipeline Stages

1. New / Imported — lead loaded, not yet contacted. Your workflow starts here.
2. Contact Attempted — in active follow-up sequence (Days 1-7). At least one outreach attempt made.
3. Contacted / Warm — spoke with the prospect. They're aware of you and didn't shut you down.
4. Appointment Set — scheduled a call, meeting, site visit, or quote presentation.
5. Proposal / Quote Sent — presented pricing or coverage options.
6. Closed / Won — sale completed.
7. Nurture — not ready now, moved to long-term drip.
8. Not Interested — explicitly declined. Remove from active outreach.
9. Bad Data — wrong number, disconnected, deceased. Tag and exclude from future campaigns.

Pipeline Settings

• Auto-move rules: When a contact replies to any SMS or email, automatically move them from "Contact Attempted" to "Contacted / Warm."
• Stage duration alerts: Set alerts if a lead sits in "Appointment Set" for more than 48 hours without progressing — someone needs to confirm or reschedule.

Step 3: Create Your Multi-Channel Workflow

This is the heart of your aged lead system. Navigate to Automation → Workflows → Create Workflow → Start from scratch.

Trigger

Contact Added to Pipeline → Stage: "New / Imported"

This means every lead you import and assign to the pipeline automatically enters the workflow. No manual steps.

Day 1 Actions

• Send SMS: "Hi [First Name], this is [Your Name] with [Company]. I'm following up on your [insurance/mortgage/solar] inquiry. Do you have a quick minute to chat? Reply YES and I'll give you a call."
• Wait 2 hours
• Create Manual Call Task: "Call [First Name] [Last Name]" — this appears in your task list as a reminder to call
• Wait 4 hours (after call task)
• Voicemail Drop (if using GHL's ringless voicemail feature): Record a 20-second warm voicemail referencing their inquiry

Day 2 Actions

• Wait until 10 AM (respect time zones — GHL supports timezone-aware sending)
• Send Email: Subject: "Your [insurance/mortgage/solar] information — [First Name]." Body: provide value first — a rate update, a savings estimate, or a quick comparison. End with a clear CTA.

Day 3 Actions

• Create Manual Call Task: "Follow-up call — [First Name]" (try a different time than Day 1)
• Wait 3 hours after task
• Send SMS: "Hi [First Name], tried calling you again. I have some options for you that I think you'll want to see. When's a good time to connect?"

Day 5 Actions

• Send Email: Subject: "Quick question, [First Name]." Body: social proof angle — mention a recent client success or include a testimonial. Keep it short.
• Wait 4 hours
• Send SMS: Short check-in. "Just sent you an email with some info. Let me know if you have questions!"

Day 7 Actions

• Create Manual Call Task: "Final call attempt — [First Name]"
• Wait 4 hours
• Send Email: Breakup email. Subject: "Should I close your file?" Body: "I've reached out a few times and haven't been able to connect. I don't want to be a pest, so this will be my last message. If your situation changes, I'm here — just reply to this email or call me at [number]."
• IF/ELSE Condition: Has the contact replied to any message?

Workflow Tips

• Use "Wait" steps, not "Delay" steps for time-sensitive sends. Wait steps can be configured to fire at specific times of day.
• Add "Stop on Reply" conditions. If a contact replies at any point, you probably want to pause the automated sequence and handle them manually.
• Test your workflow with your own contact before going live. Import yourself as a test lead and verify every step fires correctly.

Step 4: Set Up Templates

Pre-build your message templates so they're ready when your workflow fires. Navigate to Marketing → Templates for email, and Settings → Custom Values/Snippets for SMS.

SMS Templates (3 Core Messages)

Intro Text (Day 1):

"Hi [First Name], this is [Your Name] with [Company]. Following up on your [vertical] inquiry. Got a minute to chat? Reply YES and I'll call you right away."

Follow-Up Text (Day 3):

"Hi [First Name], tried reaching you about your [vertical] inquiry. I have some options I think you'd like. When's a good time to connect? - [Your Name]"

Breakup Text (Day 7 — optional):

"[First Name], last message from me. I had some [insurance/mortgage/solar] options for you but don't want to bother you. My number is [phone] — I'm here when you're ready. - [Your Name]"

Email Templates (4 Core Emails)

For full script content and additional templates, see our complete scripts and templates guide. Build these as saved templates in GHL so your workflow can reference them.

Email 1 — Introduction (Day 2): Value-first approach. Share a rate update, savings estimate, or helpful resource. No hard sell.

Email 2 — Social Proof (Day 5): Client success story or testimonial. "One of my clients in [state] saved $[amount]..." End with soft CTA.

Email 3 — Breakup (Day 7): "Should I close your file?" This creates urgency through scarcity — you're about to stop reaching out.

Email 4 — Re-engagement (Day 30, for Nurture): Monthly check-in with updated information. Rate change, new incentive, seasonal angle.

Voicemail Drop Recordings

Record three voicemails in your own voice — warm, conversational, unhurried:

1. VM 1 (Day 1): Introduce yourself, reference their inquiry, offer to help
2. VM 2 (Day 3): Mention you've been trying to reach them, offer specific value
3. VM 3 (Day 7): Breakup voicemail — last attempt, leave the door open

Keep each under 30 seconds. Record in a quiet room. Smile while you talk — it comes through in your voice.

Step 5: Configure Your Dialer

GHL's built-in dialer requires a Twilio connection for phone and SMS. Navigate to Settings → Phone Numbers → Twilio to connect your account.

Twilio Setup

• Create a Twilio account at twilio.com
• Purchase a local phone number ($1/month)
• Connect to GHL via API credentials (SID + Auth Token)
• Typical costs: $0.013/minute for calls, $0.0079/text message

Local Presence Dialing

Enable local presence to display a phone number with the lead's area code when you call. This dramatically improves answer rates — people are more likely to pick up a local number than an out-of-state one. In GHL: Settings → Phone Numbers → enable Local Presence.

Call Recording

Enable call recording for training and compliance. Important: check your state's recording laws. Some states require two-party consent (both parties must agree to be recorded). Add a disclosure to your opening: "This call may be recorded for quality purposes."

Power Dialer Mode

For batch calling through your aged lead list, use GHL's Power Dialer. Navigate to Contacts → select your filtered list → Power Dialer. The system dials the next lead automatically when you finish a call. This can double or triple your hourly dial count.

Step 6: Build Reporting Dashboards

You can't optimize what you don't measure. Navigate to Reporting → Dashboards → Create Dashboard.

Key Metrics to Track

• Contact rate: percentage of leads you actually speak with (target: 20-30% for 30-90 day leads)
• Response rate: percentage who reply to any outreach channel (text, email, or call back)
• Appointment rate: percentage of contacts who book a meeting or agree to a quote
• Close rate: percentage of appointments that convert to sales
• Pipeline velocity: average time from import to close
• Revenue per lead: total revenue divided by total leads imported

Custom Reports

Create a report that shows contact rate and conversion rate broken down by:

• Lead age (30-day vs. 60-day vs. 90-day) — identifies the best age bracket
• Lead source — identifies the best vendor
• Workflow variant — if you're A/B testing sequences

Review these weekly. Kill what's not working, double down on what is.

Step 7: Long-Term Nurture Automation

After a lead completes the 7-day active cadence without converting, they're not dead — they're just not ready yet. Move them to a long-term nurture workflow that keeps you top of mind.

Monthly Email Drip

Create a separate workflow triggered by the "Nurture" pipeline stage. Send one email per month with:

• Industry-relevant updates (rate changes for mortgage, new incentives for solar, product updates for insurance)
• A helpful tip or resource
• A soft CTA: "Reply to this email if your situation has changed and you'd like to revisit your options."

Re-Engagement Triggers

This is where GHL's automation shines. Set up IF/ELSE conditions in your nurture workflow:

• If lead opens email: wait 1 hour → send SMS check-in → create call task
• If lead clicks a link: immediately move back to "Contact Attempted" → re-enter the active 7-day workflow
• If lead replies to any message: move to "Contacted / Warm" → notify you immediately

These triggers automatically reactivate leads who show interest — without you monitoring anything manually.

Quarterly Phone Touch

Add a task every 90 days: "Quarterly check-in call — [First Name]." One call per quarter keeps the relationship alive. "Hi [Name], just checking in to see if anything has changed with your [insurance/mortgage/solar] situation. No pressure — just wanted to make sure you know I'm here."

Pro Tips for GHL Aged Lead Campaigns

Batch your imports. Import 200-500 leads at a time, not thousands. This keeps your workflow from overwhelming your Twilio account (which can trigger spam flags) and keeps your daily task list manageable.

A/B test your workflows. Create two variants of your 7-day sequence — different opening text, different email subject lines, different call times. Split your leads between them and compare contact rates and conversion rates after 30 days.

Process tasks daily. GHL creates call tasks from your workflow. If you don't complete them the same day, they stack up and your cadence timing gets thrown off. Block 2-3 hours per day for dedicated dial time.

Compliance first. Always include an opt-out mechanism in SMS ("Reply STOP to opt out") and email (unsubscribe link). Respect DNC requests immediately and update your contact records. One compliance violation costs more than a thousand aged leads.

Use custom fields. Add custom fields for industry-specific data — current insurance carrier, current mortgage rate, utility company, roof age. This data powers personalization in your templates and helps you prioritize leads.

FAQ

Can GoHighLevel handle bulk aged lead imports?

Yes — GHL's CSV import handles thousands of contacts at a time. You can map any CSV column to a GHL contact field, add tags during import, and automatically assign leads to a pipeline stage. The key is formatting your CSV properly before import (10-digit phone numbers, consistent column names) and adding tags for lead source, age bracket, and vertical. We recommend importing in batches of 200-500 rather than all at once to keep your workflow automation running smoothly.

How much does GoHighLevel cost?

The Starter plan is $97/month and includes everything most individual agents need — CRM, workflows, email, phone (via Twilio), SMS, calendars, and basic reporting. The Unlimited plan at $297/month adds unlimited sub-accounts, which is valuable for agencies managing multiple agents. You'll also need a Twilio account for phone and SMS, which typically costs $20-$50/month depending on your call and text volume (roughly $0.013/minute for calls and $0.008/text).

Do I need Twilio for GoHighLevel?

Yes — Twilio powers GHL's phone calling and SMS features. You'll need to create a Twilio account, purchase at least one phone number ($1/month), and connect it to GHL via API. The per-use costs are minimal: about $0.013 per minute for outbound calls and $0.0079 per outbound text. For an agent making 50 calls and sending 50 texts per day, that's roughly $1-$2/day in Twilio costs.

Can I use GoHighLevel for both aged and fresh leads?

Absolutely — just create separate pipelines and workflows for each. Fresh leads should have a speed-to-lead workflow (instant notification, call within 5 minutes, rapid-fire follow-up). Aged leads should have the persistence workflow described in this guide (systematic multi-channel follow-up over days and weeks). Using the same pipeline for both creates confusion because the stages, timelines, and metrics are completely different.

How long does it take to set up GoHighLevel for aged leads?

Following this guide, expect 2-4 hours for the initial setup — pipeline creation, workflow building, template creation, Twilio connection, and dialer configuration. The templates and workflow logic in this guide give you a blueprint to follow rather than building from scratch. After the initial setup, you'll spend ongoing time optimizing — adjusting templates based on response rates, refining your workflow timing, and improving your call scripts. Most agents see meaningful improvements within the first 2-3 weeks of running their campaigns.

Get Aged Leads for Your New GHL Campaign

Your GoHighLevel system is only as good as the leads you put in it. Browse aged leads at AgedLeadStore — insurance, mortgage, solar, and more. DNC-scrubbed, no contracts, ready to import into GHL. Use promo code BILLRICE for a discount on your first order.

For the complete follow-up cadence strategy and scripts and templates to load into your GHL workflows, check out our other guides.