If you receive lead inquiry emails in Gmail and want them automatically turned into contacts in GoHighLevel, Zapier is the most direct way to connect the two. This guide walks you through the complete setup — and covers the three most common issues that trip people up: contacts being overwritten, list ID errors in GoHighLevel, and Zapier plan requirements for multi-step Zaps.
What You'll Build
A Zapier workflow (Zap) that:
- Triggers when a new email arrives in Gmail matching your lead source (e.g., BizBuySell inquiry emails)
- Parses the name, email, phone number, and message body from the email
- Creates or updates a contact in GoHighLevel (via the LeadConnector app in Zapier)
Before You Start: Requirements
Zapier Plan
You need a Zapier Professional plan (starting at $19.99/month for 750 tasks) to run multi-step Zaps permanently. Here's why:
- Each step in a Zap counts as one task per run — not each email
- A 3-step Zap uses approximately 2 tasks per email (the trigger step is free)
- On the free trial, Zaps appear to work but will auto-disable when the trial ends
- You also need a paid plan to use Zapier's email parsing / formatter features
Example: If you receive 200 BizBuySell leads per month with a 3-step Zap, you'll consume roughly 400 tasks — well within the 750-task base plan.
GoHighLevel Setup
- A GoHighLevel sub-account (also called a "location") with API access enabled
- Your GoHighLevel account connected in Zapier via the LeadConnector app (search for "LeadConnector" in Zapier — that is GoHighLevel's official Zapier integration)
Gmail Setup
- A Gmail filter already set up to label or identify your lead emails (e.g., all BizBuySell inquiry emails tagged with a label like "BizBuySell Leads")
Step-by-Step: Build the Zap
Step 1 — Gmail Trigger: New Email Matching Search
- In Zapier, create a new Zap and choose Gmail as the trigger app
- Select the trigger event New Email Matching Search
- In the Search String field, enter a query that identifies your lead emails — for example:
from:notifications@bizbuysell.com— matches all BizBuySell inquiry emailslabel:BizBuySell-Leads— matches emails you've already filtered and labeled- Test the trigger to pull in a sample email
Step 2 — Formatter: Parse the Email Body
BizBuySell inquiry emails (and most lead emails) deliver lead information in plain text inside the email body. You need to extract the name, email, phone, and message.
- Add a Formatter by Zapier step
- Choose Text → Extract Pattern (or use Utilities → Line Itemizer for structured emails)
- Map the fields you need:
- Name: look for a pattern like
Name: [value] - Email: look for
Email: [value]or use the Gmail trigger's From Email field if it's the sender - Phone: look for
Phone: [value] - Message / Notes: capture the full inquiry message
Tip: Pull a real sample email from your Gmail trigger test and map the patterns to what you actually see in the body text.
Step 3 — LeadConnector (GoHighLevel): Create/Update Contact
- Add a LeadConnector action step
- Choose the action Create/Update Contact
- Map the parsed fields:
- First Name / Last Name → from your Formatter output
- Email → from Formatter or Gmail trigger
- Phone → from Formatter output
- Notes / Custom Fields → from the parsed message body
- Under the Location field, select your GoHighLevel sub-account
Common Issues and How to Fix Them
Issue 1: Contacts Are Being Overwritten
Symptom: Your second test lead replaces the first contact in GoHighLevel instead of creating a new record.
Cause: GoHighLevel's LeadConnector uses email address as the deduplication key. If two leads come in with the same email (e.g., in test mode you ran the same sample twice), the second entry updates the existing contact rather than creating a new one.
Fix:
- This behavior is actually correct and intentional — GoHighLevel is designed to prevent duplicate contacts for the same email
- If you want to keep all leads as separate records regardless of email, use the Create Contact action instead of Create/Update Contact — but be aware this will create duplicates
- In production, real leads from BizBuySell will each have unique emails, so this won't be an issue
Issue 2: List ID Error in GoHighLevel
Symptom: Your Zap errors with something like "Invalid list ID" or "List not found" when trying to add a contact.
Causes and fixes:
Cause | Fix |
Wrong Location/Sub-account selected | Re-authenticate and confirm you selected the correct GoHighLevel sub-account in the LeadConnector connection |
List ID field is mapped to wrong data | Remove the List ID field entirely if you don't need it — it's optional for basic contact creation |
LeadConnector connection is stale | Disconnect and reconnect LeadConnector in Zapier; re-authorize using your GoHighLevel API key |
Sub-account API access is disabled | In GoHighLevel, go to Settings → Integrations and confirm Zapier/API access is enabled for your sub-account |
Quick test: After reconnecting, run a test step in Zapier with minimal fields (just email and name). If that works, add additional fields one at a time to identify which field is causing the error.
Issue 3: Zap Works in Testing But Turns Off Automatically
Symptom: Zap passes all tests but stops running after a few days.
Cause: You're on Zapier's free plan or trial. Multi-step Zaps require a paid Zapier plan to stay enabled. Free plan only supports single-step Zaps.
Fix: Upgrade to the Zapier Professional plan ($19.99/month). Once upgraded, re-enable the Zap and it will run indefinitely.
GoHighLevel vs. Pipedrive: Which CRM to Use?
If you're still deciding on a CRM, here's a quick comparison for businesses focused on lead capture from email:
Feature | GoHighLevel | Pipedrive |
Email marketing | Included in base plan | Paid add-on |
SMS / text messaging | Included | Requires third-party integration |
Per-seat pricing | Flat fee for multiple users | Per user |
White label | Yes | No |
Integrations marketplace | Good | Extensive |
Best for | Small teams, agencies, lead-heavy businesses | Sales-focused teams with existing tools |
For businesses like real estate brokerages or business brokers receiving high volumes of inbound leads where SMS follow-up is critical, GoHighLevel often provides more value per dollar — especially for smaller teams.
Full Zap Summary
Step | App | Action |
1 (Trigger) | Gmail | New Email Matching Search |
2 | Formatter by Zapier | Extract / parse lead fields from email body |
3 | LeadConnector (GoHighLevel) | Create/Update Contact |
Need Help Setting This Up?
If your Zap is almost working but something keeps breaking — or you'd rather have an expert build it with you on a live Zoom call — we can help. Connex Digital consultants specialize in Zapier automations and can resolve most email-to-CRM issues within a single session.
Book a free discovery call and tell us what you're trying to connect. We'll map out the workflow and confirm it's buildable before you spend any more time troubleshooting.
