If you’ve ever wasted hours scraping junk leads, you know there’s a big difference between a huge list of names and a genuinely useful one. This guide is for anyone who wants to build a focused, high-quality B2B lead list using Bettercontact—whether you’re running your own outreach, managing a sales team, or just tired of sifting through noise. No fluff, no magic hacks—just real steps you can actually use.
Step 1: Know Exactly Who You Want To Target
Don’t skip this. The single biggest mistake people make in lead gen is not being specific enough about who they want to reach. Before you even log into Bettercontact, answer these:
- What kind of companies are you targeting? (Industry, size, location, tech stack, funding stage, etc.)
- Who inside those companies do you actually want to talk to? (Job titles, seniority, departments)
- Are there any dealbreakers? (Industries you can’t sell to, company sizes that are too small or too big, etc.)
Write it down. Seriously. If you start vague (“SaaS companies in the US”), you’ll end up with a list you have to clean later. The more precise you are, the less work you’ll do down the line.
Pro tip: If you’re not sure, pull up your last 10 best customers. What do they have in common? Start there.
Step 2: Set Up Your Bettercontact Account
If you’re already using Bettercontact, skip ahead. If not, here’s what matters:
- Use a real work email—some features (like export) are limited on throwaway accounts.
- Don’t get sucked into the “14-day free trial” FOMO. Kick the tires, but don’t buy until you’ve run a real search and know the data fits your needs.
- Set up any integrations (CRM, email tools) after you’ve built your first list. Otherwise, you’ll spend more time troubleshooting than prospecting.
Step 3: Build a Search That Doesn’t Suck
This is where most folks go wrong: they try to build one giant search. Instead, break it into manageable chunks.
3.1 Start Broad, Then Layer On Filters
- Company filters: Industry, company size, location, revenue, funding, technologies used.
- Contact filters: Job titles, departments, seniority (e.g., “VP Marketing,” “Head of IT”).
- Other filters: Keywords, hiring signals, recently funded, etc.
Don’t turn on every filter right away. Start with the must-haves, see how many results you get, then tighten up.
What works:
- Using combinations like “SaaS companies, 50-200 employees, US, using HubSpot.”
- Being specific about titles—“Head of Marketing” is better than just “Marketing.”
What doesn’t:
- Vague searches like “Tech companies, Any size, Global.” You’ll get garbage.
- Stacking too many filters at once. You’ll end up with 3 leads and have no idea why.
Ignore:
- Vanity filters like “Fortune 500” unless you’re actually selling enterprise products.
3.2 Use Boolean Logic (But Don’t Overthink It)
Bettercontact lets you use AND/OR/NOT logic for titles and keywords. This is useful, but don’t get cute:
- Good:
("VP Marketing" OR "Head of Marketing") AND "SaaS" - Bad:
("Growth Ninja" OR "Brand Evangelist" OR "Chief Happiness Officer")(unless you’re selling to startups with too much VC money)
Pro tip: Preview your search results before saving. If the first page is full of irrelevant companies, tweak your filters.
Step 4: Review and Clean Your Results
Don’t just mass-export. This is where quality beats quantity.
- Scan the company list: Do these actually fit your targets? Are any obviously wrong?
- Look at the contact list: Are the titles right? Is the seniority what you want?
- Spot check a few records: Click through to LinkedIn or company sites to make sure the info isn’t outdated.
What works:
- Spending 10-15 minutes to gut-check your results. Saves you hours later.
- Removing obviously off-target companies before exporting.
What doesn’t:
- Blindly trusting any lead database. Even the best tools have junk data.
- Relying on outdated signals (“recently funded” can mean 18 months ago).
Step 5: Export and Format Your Lead List
Bettercontact lets you export leads in CSV or push them directly to your CRM. Here’s what to keep in mind:
- Only export what you need. More leads ≠ better results.
- Check export limits—some plans cap the number of leads per month.
- Clean up columns after export. Delete junk fields you don’t need (like “fax number”—nobody’s using that).
Pro tip: Keep a master copy of your lead list. Make a new version for each campaign so you can track what’s working.
Step 6: Double-Check Compliance
This part isn’t fun, but it matters.
- Make sure you have a legitimate business reason to contact these leads (consult your local laws—GDPR, CAN-SPAM, etc.).
- If you’re emailing Europe, don’t add people to a newsletter without consent.
- Always include an unsubscribe link in your outreach.
Ignore:
- Anyone who tells you “it’s fine, everyone does it.” When you get blacklisted, you’re on your own.
Step 7: Prioritize and Personalize Your Outreach
A giant list is useless if you treat everyone the same. Break your list into tiers:
- Tier 1: Ideal fit, high potential—personalize heavily.
- Tier 2: Good fit, worth a shot—use light personalization.
- Tier 3: Maybe, maybe not—use templates, but don’t expect much.
Start with Tier 1. Win a few deals, then work your way down.
Pro tip: Personalization doesn’t mean writing a novel. Mention something specific (their tech stack, recent funding, etc.) so you don’t sound like a spam bot.
Step 8: Keep Your Data Fresh
Lead lists age fast. People change jobs. Companies pivot.
- Re-run your search every month or two.
- Remove bounced emails and update contact info when you notice it’s stale.
- Don’t hoard old lists and blast them six months later—you’ll hurt your sender reputation and annoy people.
What To Ignore—And What To Focus On
Ignore anyone promising “10,000 leads overnight.” It’s about quality, not bulk. Don’t get lost in the weeds with endless filters and integrations. The best lists are small, focused, and actually used.
Focus on: - Getting clear on who you want. - Checking your results before you export. - Personalizing your outreach to the top leads.
Everything else is noise.
Building a targeted B2B lead list in Bettercontact isn’t rocket science, but it does take a bit of discipline. Keep it simple. Be specific. Don’t try to be everywhere at once. A small, high-quality list you actually use will always beat a bloated database you never touch. Iterate, adjust, and don’t be afraid to delete leads that don’t fit. Your future self will thank you.