So you want to automate your B2B lead generation but don’t want to burn hours on mindless copy-paste or pay for another overhyped “AI” tool. Good. This guide is for people who want results, not just more busywork.
I’ll walk you through setting up a real workflow using Texau, a tool built for scraping, automating, and wrangling web data across platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and more. This isn’t a magic bullet (spoiler: there isn’t one), but it can save you a ton of time if you set it up right—and don’t get distracted by shiny features you don’t need.
Let’s keep it practical. Here’s how to automate a basic B2B lead gen workflow, step by step.
1. Decide what “lead” actually means for you
Before you touch any tool, get clear on what a “lead” is for your business. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a spreadsheet full of random names and emails you’ll never use.
Ask yourself: - What type of company am I targeting? (Industry, size, location) - Who’s the right contact? (Role, seniority, function) - What info do I need? (Name, email, LinkedIn profile, company info, etc.)
Pro tip: If you can’t describe your ideal lead in a single sentence, spend more time here. Automation only saves time if you’re automating the right thing.
2. Pick your target source and search strategy
Texau can pull leads from lots of places, but let’s be real—LinkedIn is where most B2B lead gen happens. You can adapt this guide for other sites, but I’ll focus on LinkedIn since that’s what most people actually use.
What you need to know: - Texau works by running “recipes” (their word for workflows) on web data. - You must have a LinkedIn account, ideally Sales Navigator. Don’t use your main personal account for scraping—get a burner if you can. - Decide what search you want. Example: “Marketing Managers in SaaS companies, United States.”
How to prep: - Run your LinkedIn search manually first. - Save the search URL. This is what Texau will use as input.
3. Set up your Texau account and workspace
If you haven’t already, sign up for Texau. The UI’s not the prettiest, but it gets the job done.
To get started: - Create an account at Texau. - Download and install the Texau desktop app if you want to run scrapes from your computer (it’s faster and less likely to get blocked). - Connect your LinkedIn account (Texau will ask for cookies or credentials—follow their docs).
Honest take: If you’re not comfortable sharing cookies, Texau probably isn’t for you. That’s how most web automation tools work these days.
4. Build your first lead scraping workflow
Now for the fun part. You’ll build a workflow (“recipe”) to take a LinkedIn search and pull out the profiles.
a. Choose the right Texau recipe
- Start from “LinkedIn Search Export” (sometimes called “LinkedIn Search Scraper”).
- Paste in your LinkedIn search URL from Step 2.
- Set how many profiles you want to extract (don’t get greedy—100-200 per run is safer).
Don’t: Try to scrape thousands of profiles in one go. LinkedIn will throttle or block you.
b. Run the recipe and export the data
- Kick off the workflow.
- When it’s done, download the CSV with your leads (names, profile URLs, job titles, etc.).
Heads up: You won’t get emails at this stage—just public profile info.
5. (Optional) Enrich your data to find emails and company info
Scraping LinkedIn gives you names and job titles, but not emails. Texau can help here, but the quality varies.
a. Use Texau’s enrichment recipes
- Chain a “Find Email using LinkedIn Profile” recipe.
- Input: LinkedIn profile URLs from your previous export.
- Output: Usually a mix of work emails, personal emails, or nothing (expect 40-60% success).
Reality check: Email finding is hit-or-miss. Texau uses third-party APIs; sometimes you get direct emails, sometimes generic ones, sometimes nothing. Don’t expect 100%.
b. (Optional) Add company data
- Use company enrichment recipes for info like size, industry, website.
- This helps with sorting and filtering later, but don’t overcomplicate at first.
6. Clean and filter your lead list
If you automate garbage in, you’ll automate garbage out. Before you move on:
- Remove duplicates and irrelevant contacts (e.g., students, interns, recruiters).
- Filter by company size, location, or whatever else matters for your campaign.
- Sanity check emails (no, “[email protected]” is not a real lead).
Honest tip: Most people skip this, then wonder why their response rates suck.
7. (Optional) Automate outreach—but don’t be that spammer
Texau can automate sending LinkedIn connection requests or messages. It works, but don’t turn it on unless you’re confident in your targeting and your message.
- Use “LinkedIn Auto Connect” or “LinkedIn Message Sender” recipes.
- Personalize your connection notes or messages. Generic blasts = ignored (or worse, reported).
- Limit yourself to 50-100 actions per day, max. More is risky.
What works: Personal, relevant, short messages.
What doesn’t: “Hi {First Name}, I’d like to add you to my network.” Yawn.
Pro tip: If you’re just getting started, do this part manually for the first batch. See what works before you automate.
8. Push your leads to your CRM or email tool
No point scraping leads if they just sit in a spreadsheet.
- Texau can connect to Google Sheets, Airtable, or zap data into CRMs like HubSpot and Pipedrive.
- Set up an export step in your workflow to push new leads directly where you’ll work them.
Don’t: Overbuild this with zaps, webhooks, and five tools at once. Start simple—a Google Sheet is fine until you outgrow it.
9. Maintain and tweak your workflow
Automation isn’t “set and forget,” especially with lead gen.
- Check for broken recipes: Websites and selectors change. If Texau stops working, update your workflow.
- Watch for account blocks: If LinkedIn warns you, slow down. Use more conservative settings.
- Tweak your targeting: If you’re getting junk leads, adjust your search or filters.
Ignore: Fancy dashboards and “AI copywriting” unless you’ve nailed the basics.
What to watch out for (and what to skip)
Let’s be straight: Texau is powerful, but it has limits.
What works: - Scraping targeted lists from LinkedIn and similar sites. - Automating repetitive research and enrichment tasks. - Integrating with other tools (Sheets, CRMs) for seamless workflows.
What doesn’t: - Finding verified emails for every profile—hit rates are variable. - Sending mass outreach without getting flagged—LinkedIn catches on fast. - “Set it and forget it” automation—manual review is still needed.
Skip or delay: - Multi-step, cross-platform monster workflows until you’ve got one source working well. - Paying for extra enrichment credits or “AI” upgrades until you know your ROI.
Wrapping up: Keep it simple, iterate, and don’t believe the hype
B2B lead gen is hard work, even with tools like Texau. The best results come from tight targeting, small experiments, and regular cleanup—not just more automation.
Start with a clear definition of a lead, build a simple workflow, and improve it as you go. Don’t get distracted by features you don’t need.
And remember: What matters isn’t how many leads you scrape, but how many real conversations you start.
Keep it simple. Test. Tweak. Repeat. That’s how you actually win at B2B lead gen with automation.