How to Turn On Your AI Prospector, and How Ellie (Your AI Lead Manager) Works

Lead Generation
October 09, 2026•5 min read

Problem

You imported leads, but the AI is not texting them yet. Or the AI is texting, and you are not sure what it does when a seller replies. The training videos may also look different from your screen.

Who it's for

New REI Pulse CRM customers launching the AI for the first time. Also anyone whose AI Prospector stopped sending and wants to know why.

How the two AI tools work together

  1. AI Prospector sends the outbound texts. It works through the leads you import, one sequence at a time.

  2. Ellie, your AI Lead Manager, answers when a seller replies. Ellie carries the conversation, prequalifies the seller, and moves the lead to the right stage for you.

  3. Your AI Lead Manager uses the custom name set for your account. Step 4 shows where to see or change it.

Steps

Part 1: Before you turn it on

  1. Make sure your A2P registration is approved. Our team submits it for you once you buy your first number. Approval takes 24 to 72 hours, usually about 48. Until then, texting is on hold, but you can still call leads.

  2. Make sure your wallet has funds and auto recharge is on. If the wallet hits zero, texts stop. See "Why Was I Charged?" for how the wallet works.

  3. Go to Settings, then Custom Values. Find the AI Lead Manager ON/OFF value and confirm it is set to ON.

  4. On the same screen, right below it, check AI | Lead Manager Custom Name. This is the name the AI uses with sellers. Change it there, or text us and we will change it for you.

Part 2: Turn it on by importing leads

  1. Clean your list first with the AI prompt in "How to Import a SELLERS List into your pipeline or the AI Prospector."

  2. Import the leads into the 3🟡 LEAD GEN pipeline, in the stage ⭕️ APS | AI Seller Prospector. This is Prospector 1, the main sequence. Importing into this stage is what starts the AI. There is no separate on switch.

  3. To run a second campaign at the same time, use one of the copies: AI Seller Prospector 2 through AI Seller Prospector 10, or AI Seller 5 Hit Prospector for a short burst. Ask support which one fits your list.

  4. See "Import Troubleshooting" if the import gives you trouble.

Part 3: When it sends

  1. The AI sends from 11am to 4pm, account time zone, Monday through Saturday. It does not send on Sunday.

  2. Leads imported after 4pm start in the next sending window.

  3. You can send up to 50,000 texts a day once A2P is approved.

  4. Need a different window or a specific sending number? Text support and we will set it up. Please do not edit the workflows yourself.

Part 4: What Ellie does when a seller replies

  1. The lead moves to 🤖 AI Active Conversations. Ellie is working it. Leave these leads alone and do not text them yourself.

  2. When Ellie is done, the lead moves to 🔴 Hot Follow Up, 🟠Warm Follow UP, or ⚠️ Pending Review in the Acquisitions pipeline.

  3. Hot or Warm means call now. Ellie hands off completely at that point. If the seller texts again, you reply.

  4. Pending Review means Ellie prequalified the lead but was not sure where it belongs. Read the conversation and move it to Hot, Warm, a follow up sequence, or Dropped.

  5. Sellers who opt out are marked Do Not Disturb (DND) and moved to the Dropped pipeline.

  6. Leads that never reply go through the full sequence and are then dropped automatically as no response. To try them again later, text support.

Part 5: If the AI is not texting

Check these in order.

  1. Is it inside the 11am to 4pm window, Monday through Saturday?

  2. Is your A2P approved, and does your wallet have funds?

  3. Is AI Lead Manager set to ON in Custom Values?

  4. Does the lead have a blocking tag? The tags "ai dead lead," "ai prequal complete," and "human engaged" stop the AI.

  5. Is the lead on DND? Leads who replied STOP are not texted.

  6. Is the lead in ☎️ Manual Outreach (landlines) or ⭕️ Needs Skip trace (bad numbers)? The AI skips those stages.

  7. Did the import create opportunities? Contacts without an opportunity never reach the AI.

Part 6: Stopping or pausing

  1. To stop the AI for one lead, turn on DND for that lead or move it out of the AI stages.

  2. To stop Ellie from replying to anyone, set AI Lead Manager to OFF in Custom Values.

  3. To pause or restart whole campaigns, text support to pause. Please do not change anything inside a workflow.

Common mistakes

  1. Following an older training video. If your screen does not match, bring it to the live support call and we will walk you through it.

  2. Editing Prospector 1 or any other system workflow. These are connected behind the scenes, and small changes can break your account. Ask us instead.

  3. Texting a lead yourself while it sits in AI Active Conversations.

  4. Importing at 5pm and wondering why nothing went out. It starts in the next window.

  5. Expecting changes to apply to leads already in a sequence. Changes only apply to leads added after the change.

  6. Turning off the AI Lead Manager to pause outreach. That stops Ellie from answering replies. To pause outreach only, text support to pause and leave the AI Lead Manager on.

  7. Importing contacts only. Without opportunities, leads never reach the AI.

When to contact support

  1. Your A2P is approved, and no texts went out after a full sending window.

  2. A lead has been stuck in AI Active Conversations for more than two days.

  3. Ellie said something wrong to a seller.

  4. You want to pause or restart a campaign.

Text the CRM Support Line at 623.323.7862 with the sequence name and two or three sample lead names. Send screenshots or screen recordings to [email protected].

Priority: HIGH if this is blocking your launch (setup blocker). NORMAL after you are live.

Support hours are Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm MST. Live support calls are every Monday and Thursday at 2pm MST on Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83832641648

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