Building a solid outbound list can feel like shooting in the dark—unless you know how to cut through the noise. If you’re a B2B sales rep, SDR, or founder who actually wants quality leads (not just a spreadsheet of names), this guide is for you. We’ll walk through building a laser-focused lead list using Oppwiser, what to skip, and some honest tips from the trenches.
Let’s get you a list worth calling.
Step 1: Get Clear on Who You’re After
Before you even log in, stop and think: Who really buys what you sell? Not “anyone in SaaS” or “decision-makers.” Real people with real problems you actually solve.
Do this first: - Write down your ideal customer profile (ICP). Be specific—industry, company size, job titles, geography, pain points. - If you have a few good customers, reverse-engineer what they have in common. - Don’t try to “go broad” to fill the funnel. More leads isn’t better. Quality wins, every time.
Pro tip: If everyone on your team gives a different answer to “who is our customer?”—fix that now. Otherwise, you’ll waste time chasing the wrong leads.
Step 2: Log in and Set Up in Oppwiser
Assuming you’re set with a trial or account, let’s get Oppwiser working for you.
Quick setup checklist: - Log in to Oppwiser. - Head to the “Lead Search” or “Prospecting” section (Oppwiser’s UI changes, but the idea is the same). - Make sure your account is connected to your CRM or export tool if you plan to sync leads later.
What matters:
Don’t get lost poking around every feature. Focus on the search and filtering tools—they’re the engine of your list.
Step 3: Build Your Search—Filters that Matter
This is where most sales teams either get lazy or go nuts. Oppwiser has a big database and some powerful filters. Resist the urge to use all of them “just because.”
Start with the basics:
- Industry: Choose only the sectors that really fit your ICP.
- Company size: Use employee count or revenue, not both unless you have a reason.
- Geography: Don’t add every country, unless you’re ready to reach out in every language.
Then layer in:
- Job titles: Be precise. “Head of IT” is not the same as “IT Support.”
- Seniority: Skip “All employees.” Aim for actual buyers or influencers.
- Technologies used: If your product works with HubSpot, filter for companies using HubSpot.
- Recent activity: Some versions of Oppwiser show hiring, funding, or tech changes. These signals are helpful, but don’t overthink it.
What to ignore: - Fluffy keywords (“innovative,” “disruptive,” etc.)—no one searches for these in real life. - Overly broad filters—if your list comes back with 10,000+ names, you’re not being picky enough.
Pro tip:
Start narrow. You can always widen your search, but it’s a pain to clean up a bloated list later.
Step 4: Review and Refine Your Results
Don’t just hit “Export.” Look at who’s showing up. Are these the kind of companies and people you want to talk to—or just randoms?
What to check: - Are the companies in the right industries? - Do the job titles actually fit? - Is the location relevant? - Any obvious junk? (e.g., consultants, students, or companies that are too small/large)
If you see a lot of misses, go back and tweak your filters. This step saves you hours of wasted outreach.
Honest take:
Even the best tools pull in noise. Expect to spend a little time cleaning up. No software is magic.
Step 5: Export (or Sync) Your List
Once you’re happy, it’s time to get the list out of Oppwiser and into your workflow.
Options: - Direct export as CSV/XLSX. Good for manual outreach or uploading to sales tools. - CRM sync (if your plan supports it). Handy, but check for duplicates. - Integrations with outreach tools (e.g., Apollo, Outreach.io). Use these only if your team actually uses them—don’t add complexity for the sake of it.
What to avoid:
Don’t export lists just to “look at later.” Every stale list is a missed opportunity. If you’re not ready to act, don’t export yet.
Step 6: Clean and Organize Your List
Here’s where most teams get lazy. Don’t just blast emails. Clean your data!
Do this: - Remove obvious junk—students, job seekers, irrelevant geographies, etc. - Check for missing contact info. Oppwiser is pretty good, but no tool is perfect. - Tag or segment by industry, persona, or campaign. You’ll thank yourself later.
Pro tip:
Use a simple spreadsheet or your CRM to flag VIPs, tier accounts, or add notes. It doesn’t have to be fancy—just clear.
Step 7: Validate Emails (Optional, but Smart)
Oppwiser finds emails, but deliverability is always a moving target. If your bounce rate climbs, email providers will notice.
Best practice: - Run your export through an email validation tool (e.g., NeverBounce, ZeroBounce, or Clearout). - Expect some emails to get flagged—don’t bother messaging those.
What to skip:
Don’t obsess over getting 100% perfect data. You won’t. Just make sure you’re not burning your sender reputation.
Step 8: Prioritize and Personalize Before Outreach
You’ve got the list. Now, don’t ruin it with generic outreach.
How to prioritize: - Start with companies that most closely match your ICP. - Rank by recent activity or buying signals if Oppwiser surfaced them. - Tackle smaller, more targeted batches before blasting the whole list.
Personalize (or at least segment): - Use fields like name, company, and pain point in your emails. - Segment by vertical or use case, so your message actually lands.
Honest take:
Personalization doesn’t have to be Shakespeare. Even one sentence that shows you did five seconds of homework will set you apart.
What Actually Works—and What to Ignore
Here’s the reality check:
- Quality > quantity. Ten great leads beat 1,000 “maybe” leads every time.
- Be skeptical of “AI enrichment” or “one-click lists.” These sound great in demos, but you’ll spend more time cleaning than you save.
- Don’t pay extra for “intent data” unless you know how to use it. Most teams don’t.
- Iterate. No list is perfect. Build, test, tweak. Repeat.
Keep It Simple (and Keep Improving)
Building a targeted lead list isn’t rocket science, but it does take a bit of focus and honest work. Don’t get lost chasing every shiny feature or “growth hack.” Start with a clear ICP, use Oppwiser’s filters thoughtfully, and spend a little time cleaning your data. You’ll get better results and waste less time.
Keep your first list simple. Test your outreach. Then, make small tweaks and go again. That’s how you actually fill a pipeline—with leads that want to talk, not just names in a file.