If you’re working in B2B sales or marketing, you know the drill: your contact database is full of holes. People change jobs, emails bounce, and your outreach gets ignored because you’re missing the details that actually matter. This guide is for folks who want to stop guessing and start getting real, workable contact data—without turning it into a six-month IT project.
Leadonion’s data enrichment features promise to fill in the blanks. But how well do they actually work? Let’s walk through how to use them, what to expect, and where you might hit snags.
Why Bother Enriching B2B Contact Data?
Before we dive in, let’s be blunt: most B2B databases are junk drawers. You’ve got some gold, a lot of junk, and—if you’re honest—not a lot of context. Enriching your data is just about making it useful:
- Get better response rates: Emails with the right context land better.
- Stop chasing ghosts: Weed out contacts who left their jobs two years ago.
- Segment for smarter campaigns: Target by industry, company size, or tech stack—not just job title.
- Save your team’s time: No more manual research (at least, not as much).
Enrichment won’t fix bad strategy or spammy messaging, but it will help you stop wasting time on dead ends.
Step 1: Prep Your Data
Enrichment tools are only as good as what you feed them. Garbage in, garbage out.
What to Have Ready
- A clean(ish) spreadsheet: At minimum, you need names and company emails. More columns help, but don’t overthink it.
- Remove obvious duplicates: Enrichment isn’t a de-duplication tool.
- Double-check permissions: Make sure you’re allowed to process this data, especially if you’re in the EU or handling sensitive info.
Pro tip: If your export is full of personal emails (like Gmail or Yahoo), don’t expect miracles. Most enrichment tools—including Leadonion—work best with business domains.
Step 2: Upload Contacts to Leadonion
Once you’re set, it’s time to get your data into Leadonion.
How to Upload
- Log in to your Leadonion dashboard.
- Navigate to the “Contacts” or “Data Enrichment” section (the UI moves around—if in doubt, search for “import”).
- Choose your upload method:
- CSV upload: Easiest for most people. Make sure your columns are labeled clearly.
- CRM sync: If you’re feeling fancy and your CRM is supported.
- Map your columns to Leadonion’s fields. Double-check this—bad mapping means bad results.
- Start the import.
Heads up: Large files (more than 10,000 rows) can take a while. Don’t refresh the page and go make coffee.
Step 3: Kick Off the Enrichment Process
Here’s where the magic (or sometimes, mild disappointment) happens.
What Leadonion Tries to Add
- Job titles and seniority: Useful for targeting.
- Company details: Size, industry, location, revenue, and tech stack.
- Social profiles: LinkedIn, Twitter, sometimes others.
- Email verification: Flags emails likely to bounce.
You usually get to choose which enrichment fields you want—don’t just select everything if you don’t need it. More fields = more cost (if you’re on a pay-per-enrichment plan).
How to Run Enrichment
- Select which contacts or lists you want to enrich.
- Pick your enrichment options (fields you want).
- Hit “Enrich” and wait. This can take minutes or hours, depending on volume.
Leadonion will show you a progress bar or status updates. If it’s stuck for hours, something’s probably wrong—contact support.
Step 4: Review the Results (Don’t Skip This)
This is the step most people skip, and it’s where a lot of the value (or problems) show up.
What You’ll Usually See
- Accuracy varies: Some contacts will be rich with info, others will be blanks.
- Old data: People change jobs fast. If someone moved recently, enrichment might not catch it yet.
- Partial fills: You might get a company website but not a phone number, or vice versa.
- Social links: LinkedIn is usually most reliable, but don’t expect every profile to match.
What to Watch Out For
- Obvious mismatches: Sometimes, data goes to the wrong row (mapping issues or weak matching).
- Weird titles: “Owner” can mean anything. Take seniority guesses with a grain of salt.
- Data privacy: If you see personal info you shouldn’t have, delete it.
Pro tip: Spot check a handful of rows manually before you push enriched data back into your CRM or email tools.
Step 5: Put the Data to Work
Enriched data is only valuable if you actually use it. Here’s how to make the most of it:
Segment and Target
- By job function or level: “VP of Marketing” gets a different pitch than “Marketing Assistant.”
- By industry: Tailor your messaging for tech, finance, healthcare, etc.
- By company size: Startups and enterprises have different needs.
Personalize Outreach
Use enriched details to:
- Reference recent company news or tech stack.
- Mention a prospect’s city or region.
- Avoid embarrassing mistakes (like using an old company name).
Clean Your CRM
- Update stale records with fresh info.
- Remove bounces and dead contacts.
- Add missing LinkedIn URLs for future research.
Don’t Overdo It
A little personalization goes a long way. Don’t turn your emails into a Frankenstein’s monster of tokens (“Hi {FirstName} from {Company}, I see you use {TechStack}…”). It’s obvious, and most people delete those anyway.
What Works Well (and What Doesn’t)
You’re probably wondering: Does Leadonion actually deliver?
The Good
- Business emails: Usually solid at finding and verifying work email addresses.
- Basic firmographics: Company size, industry, and location are generally accurate.
- LinkedIn URLs: Decent hit rate, especially for mid-level and above.
The Meh
- Phone numbers: Sometimes there, sometimes not. Don’t expect miracles, especially for U.S. prospects.
- Job titles: Good if your original data is close, but can be generic or outdated.
- Tech stack info: Better for SaaS and tech companies, hit-or-miss elsewhere.
What to Ignore
- “Intent data” in enrichment: Sounds fancy, but rarely actionable at the contact level.
- Overly granular segmentation: If you get too cute with filters, your audience shrinks fast.
Common Pitfalls (So You Don’t Waste Time)
- Expecting 100% completion: Even the best enrichment tools fill in maybe 30-60% of your blanks, not everything.
- Skipping review: Pushing enriched data straight to sales is a recipe for embarrassment.
- Not updating regularly: Data goes stale fast. Plan to enrich every few months if you care about accuracy.
- Paying for what you don’t use: If you’re charged per record, only enrich what you actually plan to work.
Keep It Simple and Iterate
You don’t need a perfect database—just one that’s good enough to help your team do real work. Don’t get obsessed with filling every field or chasing the latest “AI-powered” features. Start with the core details you actually use, enrich small batches, and adjust as you see what comes back.
Remember: Even the best tools won’t save you from bad lists or bad messaging. But smart enrichment with Leadonion can help you spend more time talking to real people—and less time stuck in spreadsheet hell.