How do I know where a contact came from?
Say you ran a stall at a trade show, then opened a waiting list, then bought in an old mailing list. A year on, you ask yourself where Jo Bell came from. Bernard keeps the answer for every contact.
The prompt
“Note that [contact’s name or email] came from [how you met, for example: I met her at an event called [event name]] on [my site].”
Signed in, Get my prompt fills in your site for you. Otherwise press Copy and fill in the [bracketed] parts. First time? Connect your AI to bernard once: Use your own AI (opens in a new tab).
The history on each person
Open a person’s page from the Contacts tab. The Where they came from card lists each way they came in, newest first. The original one is marked.
A way in can be:
- a form on your site
- a purchase
- a course enrolment
- another tool sending them in
- an import
- added by hand
- a referral
- an event
- another way
Seen, or told
Each entry says how bernard knows it.
- Seen by bernard. Bernard saw it happen: a form, a purchase, a course enrolment, or another tool sending the person in.
- Reported. Bernard was told about it: an import, a member of your account, or you through Bernard.
The original source
The history only grows. Nothing is replaced, so a person who first filled in a form and later bought a course shows both.
The original source is the earliest entry that bernard saw. Only when bernard saw none is it the earliest entry it was told about.
This means an import can be the original source only for a person bernard never saw arrive. If someone is on your old list and later fills in your form, the form becomes their original source, because bernard saw it. See What does my mailing list import report mean? for what an import report tells you.
Tell Bernard how you met someone
Bernard cannot see a handshake. You can tell it:
I met Jo Bell at Rail Live 2026.
Bernard adds that to her history as something you told it. Saying the same thing twice adds nothing, so you cannot clutter a person’s history by repeating yourself.
Filter by it
The Contacts page has a filter for where they came from. It sits beside the search and the other filters. Where do the people who buy, join or ask end up? covers the page, and Can I say which of us looks after each contact? covers who in your team looks after each person.
Questions people ask
- If I tell Bernard how I met someone, does it replace what is there?
- No. The history only grows. Your note is added beside the others and nothing is replaced. If you tell Bernard the same thing twice, the second one adds nothing.
- Does a note about where someone came from change what they agreed to?
- No. It is only a record. Emails still go only to people who agreed, and any change to your website still waits for your approval.
- Why does a person I imported show a form as their original source?
- Because bernard saw them arrive through that form, and bernard trusts what it saw over what it was told. An import is only the original source for someone bernard never saw arrive.
- Can I filter my contacts by where they came from?
- Yes. The Contacts page has a filter for where they came from, beside the search and the other filters.