Managing contacts can get messy fast. 

Whether you’re running a lean team or scaling your agency like a rocket ship, one of the most underrated tools inside HighLevel is Smart Lists. 

And if you’re not using them yet? You’re leaving automation, segmentation, and serious money on the table.

So let me break it down for you—how Smart Lists work, why I swear by them, and how you can use them to streamline your agency like a pro.

If you prefer to learn by doing it yourself, here’s an interactive tutorial to guide you through this blog!

What Are Smart Lists (and Why Should You Care)?

Smart Lists are dynamic contact lists in HighLevel that update themselves based on real-time data and filters. That means:

• No more manually cleaning up your CRM 🧹
  
• No more outdated lead lists 🧟
  
• No more missing hot prospects 🔥

Think of Smart Lists as your CRM’s autopilot. Set your rules once, and boom—it organizes your contacts on the fly.

How I Use Smart Lists

Here’s the playbook I use—and recommend to every agency owner I coach:

🧩 Step 1: Build with filters

Go to Contacts → Smart Lists → More Filters 

Set conditions like:

• “Last Activity > 30 days”
  
• “Has Tag: Lead”
  
• “Opportunity Stage: Closed Won”

Pro Tip: Use “AND”/“OR” logic to get super specific with your lists.

Step 2: Save and name your list
Click “Save as Smart List” at the bottom so your system stays organized.

Step 3: Use them in Workflows Here’s where the magic happens. Use Smart Lists as triggers inside automations to:

• Follow up with stale leads
  
• Upsell loyal customers
  
• Clean your pipeline regularly

Real-World Example:

Want to find all the leads who ghosted you in the last 90 days? Here’s how I do it:

1. Go to Smart Lists → All
   
2. Click “More Filters”
   
3. Add filter: Last Activity > 90 days
   
4. Add column: Last Activity
   
5. Hit the ➕ icon, name it “Ghosted Leads,” and save.

Boom. You’ve now got a re-engagement list ready for a win-back campaign.

Pro Tips from the Trenches

• Use personalized email columns in your lists for better open rates
  
• Keep branding clean across dashboards—Smart Lists can help you stay laser-focused on each client type
  
• Audit your filters monthly to catch outdated logic

💥 Remember: Smart Lists aren’t just a tool. They’re a strategy. And if you’re serious about scaling with HighLevel, you need to be using them.

Cool Free Thing

Before you can help businesses with your service, you need to build trust.
And the fastest way to do that? ⭐️ Testimonials.

In the spirit of free stuff… I want to give you my team’s Testimonial Workflow. 

This process makes gathering, editing, and organizing testimonials super simple (and yes, it works beautifully with HighLevel).

👉 Grab the walkthrough here

Ready to get serious with HighLevel?

If you want done-for-you workflows, white-label tools, or just smarter strategies for automation, head over to hlprotools.com.

Let’s scale this thing. 🚀