Lead Connect
Lead Connect brings enquiries from your other sales channels into ShowCato, so you can turn them into buyers and send a catalog in two clicks.
Many Indian B2B sellers get enquiries from IndiaMART, TradeIndia, JustDial, Facebook ads and their own website. Each one lands in a different inbox or app, and some leads are never answered.
Lead Connect puts all of them in one Leads list. From there, a lead becomes a buyer and gets a catalog link while their interest is still fresh.
Lead Connect is switched on per account. If you do not see Leads in your menu, it is not enabled for your account yet. Ask through Help & Support.
Why it helps
- Checking IndiaMART, TradeIndia and email one by one
- Copying names and numbers into your phone by hand
- Sending photos to each new lead on WhatsApp
- Leads forgotten over a busy weekend
- All leads in one list, marked by source
- One click saves the lead as a buyer
- One more click opens Share Catalog for them
- Status filters show what is still New
Supported sources
| Source | How to connect |
|---|---|
| IndiaMART | Paste the Webhook URL in Lead Manager → Push API → Other CRM |
| TradeIndia | Enter User ID, Profile ID, API Key and API Link. Leads arrive every 10 minutes |
| JustDial | Send the Webhook URL to your account manager, then click Mark Active |
| Facebook Lead Ads | Click Connect Facebook, then enter Page ID and Lead Form ID |
| Google Lead Form Ads | Paste the Webhook URL and key into your Google Ads lead form |
| Website / Any Form | Send form data to the Webhook URL, directly or via Zapier or Pabbly |
A Webhook URL is a private address that a platform uses to send each new lead to ShowCato the moment it arrives. TradeIndia works differently: ShowCato checks your TradeIndia account for new enquiries every 10 minutes.
Set it up
- Go to Settings → Lead Connect.
- Open your source's card and follow its Setup instructions.
- Click Test to check the connection.
You can also reach this screen from the Leads page with the Set up Lead Connect button.
Source by source
IndiaMART. Copy your ShowCato Webhook URL with the Copy button. On seller.indiamart.com, go to Lead Manager → Import/Export Leads → Push API. Select Other CRM, paste the URL, save, and use IndiaMART's test option.
TradeIndia. In TradeIndia, go to My Account → Inquiries → My Inquiry API. Copy your User ID, Profile ID, API Key and API Link into the card, then click Save TradeIndia.
JustDial. Copy the Webhook URL and send it to your JustDial account manager. When they confirm the setup, click Mark Active.
Facebook Lead Ads. Click Connect Facebook and approve access. Enter the Page ID and Lead Form ID, then click Save Page/Form. The Page Access Token is optional and only needed for manual subscription.
Google Lead Form Ads. Copy the Webhook URL and the Google Webhook Key. In your Google Ads lead form, open Webhook integration, paste both and click Send test data.
Website / Any Form. Use the Webhook URL as your form's submit address, or connect it through Zapier or Pabbly. Accepted fields include name, mobile, email, company, city, message and source.
Card status and buttons
Each card shows a badge: Not connected, Connected, Active or Error. A source turns Active once a lead has come in. If something fails, the card shows a Last error line.
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| Test | For webhook sources, creates a sample "ShowCato Test Lead" and opens it. For TradeIndia, fetches leads now and tells you how many were synced |
| Mark Active | JustDial only. Use it after JustDial confirms your setup |
| Regenerate URL | Makes a new Webhook URL. The old one stops working and the card goes back to Not connected. For Google, the key changes too. Update the platform afterwards |
| Disconnect | Stops this source |
Treat your Webhook URL like a password. Anyone who has it can send leads into your list. If it leaks, click Regenerate URL and paste the new one into the platform.
Working with leads
Open Leads in the menu. Each lead shows its source, contact details, the product asked about and the message.
- Add to Buyers saves the lead in your buyer list.
- Share Catalog saves the buyer and opens Share Catalog for them.
- View Details, Copy Mobile or Ignore.
The menu item shows a count of new leads. Unread leads carry a red New badge, and the time shows how long ago the lead arrived.
Filters
The first row filters by source: All, IndiaMART, TradeIndia, JustDial, Facebook Lead Ads, Google Lead Form Ads or Website / Any Form. The second row filters by status.
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| New | Just arrived. You have not acted on it yet |
| Added to Buyers | You clicked Add to Buyers |
| Shared Catalog | You clicked Share Catalog |
| Ignored | You clicked Ignore, for spam or wrong enquiries |
What each action does
Add to Buyers creates the buyer and opens their edit page, so you can check the details and save. If a buyer with the same mobile or email already exists, that buyer is used instead of a new one.
Share Catalog does the same, then opens Share Catalog with that buyer already selected. Pick the products and click Generate Catalog Link. See Catalog Links.
View Details shows the full lead: Company, Mobile, Email, Location, Product / Category, External ID and the whole Message. It also has Open WhatsApp to start a chat.
A buyer created from a lead gets an internal note like "Auto-added from IndiaMART lead." with the lead's message. You can see where every buyer came from.
Example
- A hardware shop in Nagpur asks about "SS door hinges, 500 pcs" on IndiaMART.
- The lead appears in Leads with the IndiaMART label and a New badge.
- You click Share Catalog. The shop is saved as a buyer.
- You tick your hinge range, set 24 hours expiry and click Generate Catalog Link.
- You send the link on WhatsApp. Within minutes, the shop is browsing your catalog.
Duplicate leads
Platforms sometimes send the same lead twice. ShowCato recognises a repeat of the same lead and updates it, instead of adding a second copy.
Tips
- Reply to new leads fast. A catalog link within the first hour feels far more professional than photos the next day.
- Pick only the products the lead asked about. Add a note such as "As discussed on IndiaMART, here are our SS hinges."
- Use Ignore for spam, so the New filter stays a clean to-do list.
- Run Test after any change on the platform side, such as a new lead form.
Common mistakes
- Pasting an old URL after Regenerate URL. The platform must have the new address.
- Not clicking Mark Active for JustDial after the account manager confirms.
- Forgetting the Google Webhook Key. Google needs both the URL and the key.
- Leaving leads as New for days. Check the Leads count every morning.
Leads you add appear in your Buyers list, ready for future catalog links.