Create a Personal Smart List

Staff How To
September 15, 2026•9 min read

How to Create a Personal Smart List for Working Agent Leads

A well-built Smart List gives you a dependable workspace for reviewing and managing an agent’s leads without rebuilding the same search every day. Instead of sorting through the entire CRM, you can create a saved view that displays the correct referral agent, the lead types you work, the contacts information you need, and the activity fields that help you decide what to do next.

The Smart List saves both the filters and the columns displayed on the screen. Once configured correctly, you can return to the same working view, change the referral agent when needed, narrow the results further, or export the selected records for analysis.

Watch the Training Video

Use the video for the on-screen demonstration. Follow the written procedure below to build and validate your own list.

What This Smart List Is Designed to Show

The primary version of this Smart List should show:

  • Leads assigned to a specific referral agent

  • Farm, expired, or FSBO leads

  • Contacts who have not been completely opted out

  • Contacts who are not marked DND for all communication

  • The operational fields needed to review calling and follow-up activity

An optional filter can narrow the results to contacts currently placed in the WAVV dialer, but that filter should normally remain off when you want to see all of an agent’s leads.

Step 1: Open Contacts and Start a Filter

  1. Open Contacts in the CRM.

  2. Select Filters.

  3. Build the conditions using AND unless the instructions for a particular condition state otherwise.

Using AND means a contact must satisfy every required condition to appear in the list.

Step 2: Filter by Referral Agent

Add this condition:

  • Field: Referral Agent

  • Operator: Contains

  • Value: A unique portion of the agent’s name

You may use the agent’s first name, last name, or full name. Choose enough of the name to identify that person uniquely.

For example, a common first name may match several agents. In that situation, use the full name or a distinctive last name.

Also add:

  • Referral Agent is not empty

This prevents unassigned records from entering a broader referral-agent list.

Step 3: Exclude Leads That Cannot Be Worked

Exclude contacts carrying operational tags that indicate the record should not be contacted through the applicable channel.

Configure the tag filter so the contact does not contain any of the following:

  • Info Lead Opted Out

  • Bad Email

  • Bad Phone

  • Bad SMS

Use the CRM operator that means the contact has none of the selected tags, such as Tag is not any of.

These tags describe different limitations. A Bad Email tag may not mean the telephone number is unusable, and a Bad Phone tag may not mean the email is unusable. Follow the approved outreach rules for the channel being used and do not infer broader permission from the Smart List alone.

Step 4: Require DND All to Be Disabled

Add the DND condition:

  • DND All: Disabled

Disabled means the contact is not globally blocked from all communication in the CRM.

Do not reverse this filter. Selecting DND All Enabled would return the contacts who are globally restricted—the opposite of the intended working list.

Channel-specific DND settings and applicable consent or compliance requirements still apply even when DND All is disabled.

Step 5: Limit the List to the Correct Lead Types

Add a tag condition using is any of and select the lead categories used by the agent-lead program:

  • Farm

  • Expired

  • FSBO

This is an OR relationship within the tag condition: a record may have any one of the approved lead-type tags.

The overall filter still uses AND. In other words, the record must belong to the correct referral agent, remain contactable under the selected rules, and have at least one approved lead-type tag.

Optional: Build a List for All Referral Agents

If you need a broader staff list rather than one agent’s list, replace the specific name filter with:

  • Referral Agent is not empty

You may also exclude internal lead owners or company-held leads if the purpose is to review only outside agents’ records. For example, use Referral Agent does not contain and the exact internal names that must be omitted.

Do not add exclusions casually. Verify the approved internal names and inspect the results so valid agents are not removed because of a partial-name match.

Optional: Show Only Leads in the WAVV Dialer

When you need to determine whether an agent’s leads are currently in the dialer, add another tag filter for the current dialer-stage tags.

These tags are expected to begin with a naming pattern such as:

  • WAVV In Day 1

  • WAVV In Day 2

  • Other current WAVV In... stage tags

The exact tag names may change as the dialer is updated. Confirm the current naming convention before saving the filter.

Normally, leave this optional condition out. Including it limits the Smart List to leads already in the dialer and hides the rest of the agent’s leads.

Step 6: Apply and Validate the Filters

Select Apply and review the results before saving.

Check:

  • Does the referral-agent field show the intended person?

  • Do the records carry Farm, Expired, or FSBO tags?

  • Are globally DND contacts excluded?

  • Are opted-out and bad-contact records excluded according to the filter?

  • Is the total contact count reasonable for that agent?

Open several sample records and verify the results directly. A plausible-looking count is not enough if the name filter accidentally matches another agent.

Step 7: Save It as a New Smart List

After applying or changing filters, the CRM displays an Unsaved Changes notice.

  1. Select Unsaved Changes.

  2. Choose Save as New Smart List when creating your personal list for the first time.

  3. Enter a clear name.

  4. Save the list.

Recommended naming examples:

  • My Agent Leads

  • Referral Leads – Working List

  • Expired, Farm and FSBO by Referral Agent

  • Agent Leads – [Staff Name]

Use a name that distinguishes your personal working list from shared or system lists.

Step 8: Choose the Fields You Need to See

Select Manage Fields and configure the columns displayed in the Smart List.

Useful working fields include:

  • Contact name

  • Phone

  • Email

  • Referral Agent

  • Tags

  • DND status

  • WAVV Call Count

  • Last WAVV Call

  • Last Activity

  • Date Created

  • Property Address

  • Property Asking Price, when applicable

  • Active workflows

  • Lead score fields, when adopted

Fields that are no longer operationally used, such as an obsolete ISA assignment field, do not need to occupy space in the working view.

Choose fields based on the work you perform. A caller may prioritize call count and last call, while someone analyzing property records may also need address and asking-price columns.

Step 9: Save the Field Layout

After changing the displayed columns:

  1. Apply the field changes.

  2. Select Unsaved Changes.

  3. Save the current Smart List.

A Smart List saves two components:

  • The filter logic that determines which contacts appear

  • The field layout that determines what information you see

If you change the columns but do not save the Smart List, your preferred layout may not be available the next time you return.

Step 10: Switch From One Agent to Another

You do not need to create a separate Smart List for every referral agent unless your role requires permanent agent-specific tabs.

To reuse the personal list:

  1. Open the saved Smart List.

  2. Edit the Referral Agent contains value.

  3. Enter the next agent’s unique name.

  4. Apply the filter.

  5. Review the result count and sample records.

  6. Save the changes if you want that agent to remain the default the next time the list opens.

Remember that saving changes updates the list’s default view. If other people share the list, confirm whether you should update it or save a personal copy.

Step 11: Narrow the List for a Specific Question

You can temporarily add filters to answer questions such as:

  • How many farm leads does this agent have?

  • How many expired leads are assigned to this agent?

  • Which leads are in the WAVV dialer?

  • Which contacts have no recent activity?

  • Which leads were created during a certain period?

Apply the additional filter, review the result, and remove or save it according to whether the narrower view should become permanent.

Step 12: Export the Results When Needed

The Smart List can also provide a controlled dataset for spreadsheet analysis.

  1. Select the visible contacts.

  2. If needed, use Select All to include every record matching the filter—not merely the current page.

  3. Choose Export.

  4. Download the CSV.

  5. Open it in Google Sheets or Excel for sorting, counts, formulas, or other approved analysis.

Before exporting, verify the filter and selected contact count. Follow company requirements for handling, storing, and sharing client lead data.

Recommended Core Filter

The personal agent-lead Smart List should generally use this logic:

  1. Referral Agent contains the selected agent’s unique name

  2. Referral Agent is not empty

  3. Tag is not any of Info Lead Opted Out, Bad Email, Bad Phone, or Bad SMS

  4. DND All is Disabled

  5. Tag is any of Farm, Expired, or FSBO

The optional WAVV In filter should be used only when the task specifically concerns dialer enrollment or stage.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Using an agent name that is not unique enough.

  • Selecting Referral Agent equals when the stored field may contain additional text.

  • Reversing the DND logic and returning globally blocked contacts.

  • Using OR between all filters instead of AND.

  • Setting the lead-type condition so a record must have Farm, Expired, and FSBO simultaneously.

  • Leaving the WAVV In filter active when trying to see all agent leads.

  • Assuming a general DND filter replaces channel-specific compliance checks.

  • Forgetting to save the Smart List after changing filters.

  • Forgetting to save after changing the displayed fields.

  • Overwriting a shared Smart List when a personal copy should have been created.

  • Trusting the contact count without checking sample records.

  • Exporting only the visible page when the intent was to export all matching contacts.

Final Checklist

Before relying on the Smart List, confirm:

  • The correct referral agent is selected.

  • The agent-name value uniquely identifies that person.

  • Referral Agent is not empty.

  • Opted-out and bad-contact tags are excluded as intended.

  • DND All is set to Disabled.

  • Farm, Expired, and FSBO are configured as acceptable lead types.

  • Optional internal-agent exclusions are accurate.

  • The WAVV In filter is present only when intentionally needed.

  • The result count appears reasonable.

  • Several sample records were reviewed.

  • The list was saved as a personal Smart List.

  • The working columns were selected through Manage Fields.

  • Filter and field-layout changes were saved.

  • Any export includes the intended number of contacts.

Final Takeaway

A personal Smart List turns the CRM into a focused working environment. The filters determine whose leads you see and whether they meet the operational criteria. The field layout determines whether you can quickly understand what has happened and what needs to happen next.

Build the core list once, verify it carefully, and then use it as a flexible tool. Change the referral agent, add temporary filters, review activity, and export data without rebuilding the entire search each time.

Demitri

Demitri

Real Estate Coach, Author

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