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How to follow up IndiaMART leads on WhatsApp

Bring IndiaMART enquiries into your CRM through IndiaMART's official Lead Manager connection, never by scraping. Follow up on WhatsApp only once the buyer has agreed to it.

A clay model of a cluttered desk by a window: paper stacked high, sticky notes saying call back and GST by 20th, files, a steel tiffin and a small brass bell.

How do I get IndiaMART leads into my CRM?

Through IndiaMART's Push and Pull APIs for Lead Manager, or an official connector built on them.

IndiaMART's official Zoho CRM extension, for example, brings new leads in through the Push API and older ones through the Pull API. Scraping the marketplace pages is against their terms, and we won't do it.

Not every seller account gets API access, and not every CRM has a connector. Ask IndiaMART support what yours can use, in writing if you can.

A third-party tool advertising an IndiaMART connection isn't IndiaMART approving it. Read the current seller terms before lead data moves into another service.

Sources: IndiaMART's official Zoho extension and its terms of use.

What should happen to an IndiaMART enquiry?

Record it, give it an owner, and check for a WhatsApp yes before anything is sent.

  1. An enquiry arrives

    From Lead Manager, through your account's authorised connector or the Push API.

  2. Record it

    Save the enquiry ID, the product asked about and what the buyer wrote. Give the record an owner and a status.

  3. Check it isn't a repeat

    Use the enquiry ID to spot duplicates. If only the phone number matches, look before you merge; it may be a new request.

  4. Give it to a salesperson

    Route by product or area. Make one person responsible for clearing the unassigned pile each day.

  5. Look for a WhatsApp yes

    With no recorded opt-in, reply inside IndiaMART or on the channel the buyer chose.

  6. Note what happened

    Remind the owner if nothing has. Once the buyer answers or says stop, no automatic reminder goes out.

One enquiry, start to finish. It comes in as a message or through the form on your site, the assistant answers straight away, a person takes over when it needs one, the CRM keeps the record, and the follow-up isn't left to memory.

Is an IndiaMART enquiry WhatsApp opt-in?

No. A buyer who gave their number through IndiaMART hasn't agreed to WhatsApp messages from you.

That's a separate yes. Record it when you get it, and record it if they change their mind later.

The WhatsApp Business Platform adds approved templates to open a conversation, and a window after the buyer's last message for free replies. The WhatsApp guide on this site goes through them.

Source: WhatsApp's current messaging policy.

What should the first WhatsApp reply say?

Name the product they asked about, and ask for the one detail the salesperson still needs.

Here's a made-up sample for a buyer who has said yes to WhatsApp. It isn't an approved template.

“Thanks for your IndiaMART enquiry about packing material. Could you confirm the size you need? Say stop if you don't want WhatsApp follow-up.”

Don't make them repeat what's already in the enquiry. Vague requirements, complaints and anything that needs a checked quote go to a person before any promise is made.

What should I test before it goes live?

The awkward cases: a duplicate, a missing permission and a CRM that's down.

  • Send the same test enquiry twice and check that only one follow-up goes out.
  • Leave the WhatsApp permission blank and confirm that nothing is sent on WhatsApp.
  • Reply, then separately opt out. Check that each one stops the pending nudges.
  • Unplug the CRM and check that a person can see the failed delivery and recover it.
  • Ask for a salesperson and confirm the whole history reaches the person it was assigned to.

Show us where enquiries get stuck

Walk us through how an IndiaMART enquiry reaches your team today, from the notification to the first reply. The step that needs fixing is usually obvious once it's drawn out.

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