If you're in outbound sales, you know the drill: spray-and-pray lists waste time, annoy prospects, and make your team look bad. You need leads that fit your ideal customer profile, not just anyone with a business email. This guide is for B2B sales folks who want to use Clearbit to build lead lists that actually have a shot at converting—without burning hours sorting junk data.
Let’s get practical and talk through exactly how to do it.
Step 1: Get Clear on Who You Actually Want
Before you even open Clearbit, get specific about your ideal customer. Seriously. If you skip this, you’ll just end up with a giant, unmanageable list and a frustrated sales team.
Ask yourself: - What industry or industries do you want? - What company size (employees, revenue) is your sweet spot? - Any “must-haves” or “deal-breakers” (e.g., must use Salesforce, must be US-based)? - What job titles or seniority levels do you actually sell to?
Pro tip: Write this down. If you can’t summarize it in a couple of sentences, you’re not ready.
Step 2: Set Up Your Clearbit Account and Tools
Assuming you’ve already picked a plan, log into Clearbit and get familiar with the main features you’ll use: Prospector and Enrichment.
- Prospector: Lets you search for companies and people matching your criteria.
- Enrichment: Fills in the blanks on leads you already have.
What to ignore: Don’t get distracted by the “cool” features you don’t need right now, like intent data or website visitor tracking. You’re here for targeted list building.
Step 3: Build a Company List That Actually Fits
Start with the company, not the contact. If you fill your pipeline with random contacts—even with the right titles—you’ll get nowhere if the company’s a bad fit.
- Go to Prospector > Companies.
- Set your filters:
- Industry: Pick from Clearbit’s categories, but don’t be afraid to stack a few together.
- Employee count: Be realistic—don’t just pick “5000+” unless you have proof that’s your sweet spot.
- Location: Only add countries or regions you actually serve.
- Technologies: Target companies using (or not using) specific tech if it matters (e.g., using Shopify, not using HubSpot).
-
Other filters: Funding round, revenue, etc.—but don’t overcomplicate.
-
Review your results before you export. Spot-check a few companies. Do they look right? If not, tweak your filters.
What doesn’t work: Don’t try to build a “master list” of every possible target. You’ll end up with clutter. Keep it focused.
Step 4: Find the Right People at Those Companies
Now that you have a company list, drill down to the actual humans you want to talk to.
- In Prospector, switch to People Search.
- Load your company list, or use the same filters.
- Add contact filters:
- Job titles: Be specific. Don’t just search “VP”—search “VP Marketing” or “Director of IT Security.”
- Seniority: Use filters for C-level, Director, Manager, etc.
-
Department: Marketing, Engineering, Finance, etc.
-
Toggle “Has Email” so you’re not chasing ghosts.
-
Export your list. Most teams do this to CSV, or push directly to your CRM.
Pro tip: Always spot-check your contacts. Clearbit’s data is solid, but not perfect. LinkedIn is your friend here.
Step 5: Clean, De-duplicate, and Sanity Check
Even the best tools spit out some junk. Don’t skip this step.
- Remove obvious junk: Test emails, generic “info@” addresses, or people who haven’t worked there in years.
- Deduplicate: Especially if you’re merging with other lists or uploading to your CRM.
- Check for “poison pills”: These are contacts at companies you absolutely don’t want to call (like current customers, competitors, or companies with NDAs).
What works: A quick manual review is worth it. No tool will catch everything.
Step 6: Slice and Prioritize Your List
Not all leads are equal. Prioritize based on fit and likelihood to engage.
- Tier 1: Your dream accounts. Perfect fit, right industry, right size, right contact.
- Tier 2: Good fit, but maybe not perfect.
- Tier 3: Worth a shot, but don’t spend a ton of time.
Sort your spreadsheet or CRM accordingly. Don’t waste your best outbound messages on Tier 3.
Step 7: Sync with Your Outreach Tools (Without Breaking Everything)
Push your cleaned, prioritized list into your CRM or sales engagement tool. Most teams use Salesforce, HubSpot, Outreach, or Salesloft.
- Match fields: Make sure company names, domains, and contact info line up.
- Tag your imports: So you know which campaign or list they came from.
- Avoid duplicates: This is where data gets messy fast if you’re not careful.
Pro tip: Do a test import with 10-20 records before you push the whole thing.
Step 8: Track Outcomes and Adjust
This is where most people drop the ball. If you don’t track what happens with your leads, you’ll just keep repeating the same mistakes.
- Assign clear owners to each batch of leads.
- Track replies, meetings, and conversions—not just opens or clicks.
- Adjust your filters next time based on what actually works.
What to ignore: Open rates. They’re a vanity metric. Focus on meetings and pipeline.
Honest Takes: What Works, What Doesn’t
What Works
- Specific filters. The more you narrow down, the better your responses.
- Manual review. Automated lists are a starting point, not the finish line.
- Iterating. Your first list won’t be perfect—and that’s fine.
What Doesn’t
- Giant catch-all lists. These clog your CRM and annoy your SDRs.
- Relying only on titles. Job titles are messy. Always pair with seniority and department.
- Assuming 100% accuracy. No data provider is perfect. Always double-check.
Keep It Simple, Iterate, and Don’t Overthink It
Building a solid B2B lead list with Clearbit isn’t rocket science, but it does take a little discipline. Don’t try to build the “perfect” list on your first try. Start small, get feedback from your team, and keep tuning your filters and process. The goal isn’t to build a huge list—it’s to build a list that actually delivers meetings and pipeline.
Now, close this tab and go find your next great customer.