Manage leads, send broadcasts, grow your business
Everything a business owner or supplier needs to know about receiving leads, responding to RFQs, sending product catalogs, and managing your dashboard notifications.
Dashboard Overview
Your business dashboard is the command centre for all Cannbus.org activity. You access it after logging in at cannbus.org/dashboard/.
What you can see at a glance
The notification bell badge
The bell icon in the top navigation bar shows a red number badge when you have unread notifications. Clicking it opens a dropdown with three tabs:
- All — every notification in reverse chronological order
- Leads — only lead-related notifications (new leads, RFQ replies)
- Broadcasts — only broadcast-related notifications
Click any notification to go directly to the relevant lead or broadcast. The badge count decrements automatically. Click Mark all read to clear all notifications at once.
Lead Inbox
The Leads inbox at /dashboard/leads/ is where all buyer inquiries arrive. It shows inquiries from single-form submissions and multi-vendor RFQs.
Inbox layout & navigation
The inbox has six status tabs across the top:
Each tab shows only leads in that status, with a count badge. Clicking a tab filters the list instantly. The All tab shows everything that is not spam or archived.
Searching and filtering the inbox
- Search box — type a name or email address (searches by SHA-256 hash — email is never stored in plain text). Results update after 300ms.
- Date filter — set a From and To date and click Filter to narrow results to a date range.
- Masked email display — for privacy, the inbox list shows
j***@example.com. The full email is visible inside the lead detail view.
Bulk actions
Tick the checkboxes on the left of multiple leads to select them. A blue action bar appears:
- Mark as spam — removes leads from the inbox (does not notify the visitor)
- Archive — hides leads from the active view without deleting them
- Change status — move multiple leads to a new status in one action
- Clear — deselect all and hide the action bar
Lead status workflow
Move leads through the pipeline to track where each prospect is in your sales process.
| Status | Meaning | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| New | Just arrived — not yet reviewed | Default for all incoming inquiries. Leads in New count as unread for quota purposes. |
| Contacted | You have replied or called the visitor | Move here immediately after your first response. Signals internal follow-up has begun. |
| Qualified | The prospect is a genuine opportunity | Use after confirming the visitor's needs match what you offer and they are likely to buy. |
| Converted ✓ | Deal closed — new customer | Move here when the prospect becomes a paying customer. Tracked in your monthly stats. |
| Closed | Not a fit — no deal | Use when a lead is disqualified, unresponsive after follow-up, or withdrew their inquiry. |
Inside the lead detail view
Click any lead row to open its full detail page. You will see:
- Contact details — full name, unmasked email, phone, company
- Message — their full inquiry text
- Status dropdown — change status in one click (updates without page reload)
- Source badge — Organic (direct form), RFQ (multi-vendor request), or Broadcast reply
- Activity timeline — chronological log of status changes, notes added, and assignments
- Add note — private internal notes visible to your team only
- Assign to staff — delegate follow-up to a team member
- UTM tracking — source, medium, campaign (if set in the visitor's URL)
Notes, spam & archiving
Scroll to the Notes section. Type your note and click Add note. Notes appear in the activity timeline with your name and timestamp. Staff can also add notes.
Use for leads that are clearly fake or irrelevant. Spam leads are removed from the active inbox but kept in the database for audit purposes. Spam does not count toward your quota.
Use for genuine leads that are no longer active (e.g. the prospect went silent). Archived leads are hidden from the main inbox view but can be retrieved.
Understanding Your Monthly Quota
Each plan includes a monthly allocation of leads and broadcasts. Quotas reset on the 1st of each month (midnight UTC).
Quota by plan
| Plan | Leads / month | Broadcasts / month |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Limited (plan-specific) | 0 (cannot send) |
| Basic | Plan allocation | 0 (cannot send) |
| Pro | Plan allocation | 3 per month |
| Enterprise | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Quota bar — reading the indicator
- Green (0–79%) — normal, no action needed
- Amber (80–99%) — approaching limit, warning email sent once per 24h
- Red (100%) — new inquiries paused until next month or plan upgrade
What happens when quota is reached
When your leads quota is full, new visitors who try to contact you see a friendly "not accepting inquiries at this time" page. Your existing leads are unaffected. Upgrading your plan immediately restores acceptance.
Responding to RFQ Leads
An RFQ (Request for Quote) lead arrives when a buyer selected your business alongside other vendors. Speed and quality of response determine whether you win the business.
Identifying an RFQ lead
In your leads inbox, RFQ leads show a blue RFQ source badge instead of "Organic". Inside the lead detail, you will see:
- The RFQ source label
- A count showing how many other vendors were also contacted (e.g. "also sent to 2 other vendors") — never their names
How to reply to an RFQ
Click the RFQ lead in your inbox to open the detail page.
The reply form opens below the lead details. This sends directly to the buyer — not to the other vendors.
Include: your pricing or price range, availability, lead time, any compliance information relevant to the buyer's request. Be specific — generic replies lose to specific ones.
The buyer receives an email with your message and your full contact details (name, email, phone, location). They can then contact you directly to continue negotiations.
Creating & Publishing a Product Catalog
A catalog is your digital product list on Cannbus.org. You must publish at least one catalog before you can send a Product Broadcast — the catalog is the "what" you are sharing with potential buyers.
Catalog states: Draft vs Published
| State | Visible to buyers? | Available for broadcast? |
|---|---|---|
| Draft | No — private to your dashboard | No — must publish first |
| Published | Yes — linked from broadcasts and listings | Yes |
How to create and publish a catalog
Click "My Catalogs" in the sidebar navigation or visit /dashboard/catalogs/.
Fill in the title (required), description, and optionally upload a cover image. Click Save — the catalog is created as a Draft.
Edit the title, description, or cover image if needed. You can update a catalog as many times as you like while in Draft.
Click the Publish button. The catalog is now available to be included in broadcasts and linked from your listing page.
Sending a Product Broadcast
A Product Broadcast lets you push your catalog and/or files to up to 50 selected member businesses simultaneously. This is the reverse of an RFQ — you are reaching out to buyers, not waiting for them to find you.
Before you can send a broadcast
- You must have an active paid subscription (Pro or Enterprise plan). Free accounts cannot send broadcasts.
- You must have a published catalog OR at least one file to attach. Message-only broadcasts are not allowed.
- You must have remaining broadcast quota for the current month.
Sending a broadcast — the 3-step wizard
Browse /business/directory/. Tick checkboxes on member businesses you want to reach. A floating panel appears showing how many you have selected (maximum 50). When ready, click "Send product list to N members".
The wizard opens and shows your published catalogs as selectable cards. Click a catalog to select it. If you want to send attachments only, click "Skip — send attachments only".
Drag and drop files or use the file picker. Files are validated immediately — see the rules below. Click Continue when ready. Continue is disabled if neither a catalog nor any files have been selected.
Review your selected catalog and attached files. Add an optional personal message (max 500 characters — counter shows remaining). Review the recipient count and your monthly quota. Click "Send to N members".
The wizard shows how many members received the broadcast and how many were excluded (opted out or inactive). Opted-out members are never shown by name.
File attachment rules
| Rule | Limit | What to do if exceeded |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum files per broadcast | 3 files | Combine documents into a single PDF before uploading |
| Maximum file size | 10 MB per file | Compress images; optimise PDFs using free tools like Smallpdf |
| Allowed file types | PDF, JPEG, PNG, WebP, Excel, CSV | Convert other formats to PDF before upload |
Who receives your broadcast
Not every member you select will receive the broadcast. Cannbus.org automatically applies these filters:
- ✅ Member has an active subscription
- ✅ Member has receive_broadcasts enabled (the default)
- ✅ Member's listing is published and active
- ❌ Your own business — you cannot broadcast to yourself
- ❌ Members who have opted out of broadcasts in their notification settings
The confirmation screen shows the delivered count and excluded count. Opted-out members are not named — privacy is respected in both directions.
Broadcast Inbox — Broadcasts You've Received
When another Cannbus.org supplier sends you a product broadcast, it appears in your Broadcast inbox at /dashboard/broadcasts/.
Received tab — reading a broadcast
Unread broadcasts appear with a blue dot and bold text. Each broadcast entry shows:
- Sender business name
- Catalog title (if attached)
- Number of file attachments
- Sender's optional personal message
- Date received
For each broadcast you have four actions:
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| View catalog → | Opens the supplier's published catalog in a new tab. Marks the broadcast as viewed. |
| Files dropdown | Lists all attached files with their names and sizes. Each file links to the secure download. |
| Reply | Opens a reply form. Your reply creates a lead in the supplier's dashboard and notifies them automatically. |
| Dismiss | Hides the broadcast from the default view. You can reveal dismissed broadcasts by clicking "Show dismissed (N)". |
Downloading attachments
Click a file name in the Files dropdown to download it. You must be logged in to download attachments. Download links expire 30 days after the broadcast was sent.
Sent tab — your broadcast history
The Sent tab shows every broadcast you have sent. For each broadcast you can see:
- Catalog title and date sent
- Total recipients
- How many recipients viewed the broadcast
- How many replied (creating leads in your inbox)
Opting out of receiving broadcasts
If you do not want to receive product broadcasts from other members, go to /dashboard/settings/notifications/ and turn off "Receive product broadcasts". You will be silently excluded from all future broadcasts. You can re-enable at any time.
Notification Settings
Manage how and when Cannbus.org contacts you at /dashboard/settings/notifications/.
Email notifications
| Notification | When sent | Can be turned off? |
|---|---|---|
| New lead alert | Within 60 seconds of a new inquiry | Yes |
| RFQ confirmation | Sent to buyers who submitted an RFQ (not to you) | N/A |
| Vendor RFQ reply | When you reply to a buyer's RFQ | N/A (system) |
| Broadcast received | When another supplier sends you a product broadcast | Yes (toggle receive_broadcasts) |
| Broadcast reply | When a member replies to your broadcast | No (core business alert) |
| Quota warning | When you reach 80% of monthly leads or broadcasts | No (compliance alert) |
| Payment receipt | After successful billing | No (billing — always on) |
| Payment failed | When a payment fails | No (billing — always on) |
| Daily digest | Morning summary of yesterday's activity | Yes |
SMS notifications (opt-in)
Enable text message alerts for time-sensitive notifications like new leads and broadcast replies. SMS is completely opt-in — it is off by default.
/dashboard/settings/notifications/
A phone number field appears below the toggle.
Use E.164 format: +15551234567 (country code + area code + number, no spaces or dashes). US numbers: +1 then the 10-digit number.
SMS alerts are active immediately. Standard messaging rates from your carrier may apply.
Daily Digest Email
The daily digest is a morning summary of your previous day's activity, sent only when there was something to report.
What the digest contains
| Section | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Leads | New leads received, leads you followed up, leads still awaiting reply, total converted this month |
| Broadcasts | Broadcasts received, broadcasts you sent, broadcast replies received |
| Monthly quotas | Leads used / total, broadcasts used / total — with upgrade link if above 80% |
Delivery timing
Digests are processed at midnight UTC each day. Depending on your timezone they arrive early morning. To turn the digest off, go to Notification Settings and disable the Daily activity digest toggle.