If you’re tired of working with half-baked lead lists and dead-end contacts, this guide is for you. We’re cutting through the noise to show how to actually enrich B2B leads with something that works: Proxycurl. No hype, just clear steps to get better data and make your sales outreach less of a crapshoot.
This isn’t a magic bullet, but if you want to stop guessing about who you’re reaching out to, let’s get into it.
Why Lead Enrichment Matters (and Why Most Tools Disappoint)
You’ve probably noticed: most lead lists are full of old emails, missing company details, and job titles that haven’t been updated since 2021. That’s a waste of time for anyone in sales.
Lead enrichment—adding fresh, reliable info to your leads—should solve this. In reality, a lot of tools just slap on whatever data they can scrape together, and you’re left with the same problems: bounced emails, unanswered calls, and a lot of manual research.
Here’s what actually matters:
- Accurate contact details (so you’re not guessing or spamming)
- Current job titles and company info (people move around a lot)
- Social links and signals (to personalize outreach or qualify faster)
- Fast, repeatable process (not a one-off data dump)
Proxycurl stands out here because it focuses on up-to-date, person-level and company-level data pulled directly from public sources, not stale databases.
Step 1: Get Your Raw Leads Together
Before you throw tools at the problem, get your starting list in order. This is the step most people rush past.
What you need: - A CSV or spreadsheet with whatever data you’ve got (names, emails, LinkedIn URLs, company names). - Make sure you have at least a first name and a company, or a LinkedIn URL. If you have less than that, you’ll be gambling.
Honest tip: If your list is mostly just scraped emails with no context, consider starting over. Enrichment tools can’t spin gold from garbage.
Step 2: Sign Up for Proxycurl and Set Up API Access
Proxycurl isn’t free, but you can test it out with credits before paying. No one likes signing up for things, but here’s what you need to do:
- Go to Proxycurl and create an account.
- Head to the dashboard and grab your API key.
- Read the docs (they’re actually pretty clear) to see what endpoints do what.
Why Proxycurl?
The short version: it pulls live data from LinkedIn and the public web, so you’re not relying on cold-storage databases.
Pro tip: Don’t share your API key around. Treat it like a password.
Step 3: Decide What Data You Actually Need
You don’t need every scrap of info Proxycurl can fetch. More data isn’t always better—it’s just more to manage.
Most useful enrichment fields: - Current job title and company - Company size and industry - Work email (if available) - LinkedIn profile link - Location
Maybe skip:
- Random social profiles (unless you’re doing deep personalization)
- Education history (unless you sell to alumni networks)
- Outdated job history
Decide what you’ll actually use in your outreach or qualification process. Otherwise, you’ll drown in columns you never look at.
Step 4: Run Enrichment in Batches
Now the meat of it: sending your leads through Proxycurl and getting better info back.
How to do it:
- Format your leads so you have a unique identifier (email, LinkedIn URL, or name + company).
- Use Proxycurl’s “Person Lookup” or “LinkedIn Profile” endpoints to fetch enriched data.
- If you have LinkedIn URLs: use the LinkedIn Profile endpoint.
- If you have just a name and company: use the Person Lookup endpoint, but expect lower accuracy.
- Automate this with a script (Python, Zapier, or whatever you like), or use Proxycurl’s CSV upload if you’re non-technical.
Don’t do this:
- Don’t blast 10,000 leads at once unless you want to hit rate limits or blow your budget.
- Don’t expect perfect results from just a name (there are a lot of “John Smiths” out there).
Example Python snippet: python import requests
api_key = "YOUR_API_KEY" headers = {"Authorization": f"Bearer {api_key}"} linkedin_url = "https://www.linkedin.com/in/your-lead"
response = requests.get( f"https://nubela.co/proxycurl/api/v2/linkedin", headers=headers, params={"url": linkedin_url} ) print(response.json())
Pro tip: Test on a few leads first to check data quality, then scale up.
Step 5: Clean and Merge the Results
Enrichment doesn’t magically fix messy lists. Proxycurl’s data is pretty clean, but you’ll still get:
- Some missing fields (not everyone puts everything on LinkedIn)
- Duplicate people (especially if you enrich the same person twice)
- Old info if profiles aren’t updated
What works: - Use spreadsheets or a CRM to merge enriched data back into your original list. - Prioritize new info over old. - Flag leads where enrichment failed (so you don’t keep chasing ghosts).
What to ignore: - Don’t obsess over filling every field. It’s normal for 10-20% of leads to lack some info. - Don’t bother with manual research unless it’s a high-value target.
Step 6: Use the Data (Don’t Just Collect It)
It’s easy to get stuck in “data hygiene” mode and never actually use your leads. Here’s how to get moving:
For sales prospecting: - Personalize your outreach using current job titles and company info. - Segment by company size or industry to prioritize. - Filter out job hoppers or folks who just left their role.
For marketing: - Sync enriched leads to your CRM for campaigns. - Build more accurate lookalike audiences.
Pro tip: Don’t send cold outreach right after enrichment. Let the dust settle, review the data, and do a quick sanity check.
What Proxycurl Does Well (and Where It Falls Short)
The good: - Pulls live, up-to-date info from LinkedIn and the web. - Handles both people and companies. - API is fast, docs are solid, and support is real.
The limits: - Can’t get private emails or info not publicly available (no tool can—if they claim otherwise, run). - Sometimes returns sparse data for less-active profiles. - Costs can add up if you’re enriching thousands of leads at once.
Ignore the hype about “100% accuracy.”
No enrichment tool is flawless. Use Proxycurl to get you 80% there, then focus your time on the best leads.
Keeping It Simple (and Not Overthinking It)
You don’t need another 10 columns in your CRM—you need correct names, emails, and roles. Proxycurl gets you most of the way, but the real value comes from acting on the enriched data, not just collecting it.
Start small, fix obvious gaps, and don’t expect any tool to replace basic human sense. Iterate as you go. If something’s not working, tweak your inputs or your process.
And remember: the best leads are the ones you actually reach out to, not the ones sitting in a spreadsheet waiting for “perfect” data.