How to enrich your CRM data with Peopledatalabs for improved sales outreach

If you're staring at half-empty CRM records and wondering how reps are supposed to send relevant outreach, you're not alone. Most CRMs are packed with stale or missing info. If you want to actually personalize sales outreach—and not just pretend to—you need better data. This guide is for sales ops, RevOps folks, or anyone wrangling CRM data who wants actionable steps, not fluff. We'll walk through using Peopledatalabs to fill in the gaps, plus what to skip and why.

Why Enrich CRM Data? (And What Actually Matters)

Let’s get real: Most CRMs are graveyards for half-baked contacts. If you’re still working off just a name and a company, you’re basically cold calling in the dark. Enriching CRM data means pulling in missing info—job titles, work history, social links, company details—so you can:

  • Personalize outreach (for real).
  • Weed out junk leads.
  • Route deals to the right reps.
  • Cut busywork for your sales team.

But not all data is equally useful. You don’t need 50 fields. Focus on what reps will actually use to qualify, segment, or personalize. Usually, that’s:

  • Current job title and function
  • Company size and industry
  • LinkedIn profile
  • Work email
  • Location (for time zones or territory)

Anything else? Nice-to-have, but don’t let it slow you down.

Step 1: Get Your CRM Data Ready

Before you jump into enrichment, take a minute to clean your data. Garbage in, garbage out.

  • Export your CRM contacts. Pull a CSV or spreadsheet with the fields you already have—email, name, company, etc.
  • Remove obvious junk. Delete test records, fake emails (like asdf@asdf.com), and outdated contacts.
  • Standardize fields. Make sure columns have clear headers: first_name, last_name, email, company.
  • De-dupe. If you have the same person twice, pick the most complete record.

Pro tip: If your CRM has thousands of records, start with a sample. No need to boil the ocean right away.

Step 2: Set Up Peopledatalabs

Peopledatalabs is a B2B data provider—think of it as a giant directory of professional info you can use to fill in the blanks. They offer an API, bulk enrichment, and integrations with tools like Salesforce and HubSpot. Here’s how to get rolling:

  • Create an account. You’ll need an API key. (They have a free trial, but serious enrichment usually means a paid plan.)
  • Read their docs. Don’t skip this—the API is powerful but a bit technical. Get familiar with what data you can pull and the rate limits.
  • Decide on enrichment method:
  • API: Good if you want to enrich records one at a time, or build enrichment into an automated workflow.
  • Bulk upload: Best for one-off projects—upload a CSV, get enriched data back.
  • CRM integration: Use if you’re on Salesforce or HubSpot and want to keep things simple.

Reality check: The API is flexible but requires some coding knowledge. If you’re not technical, stick to the bulk upload or direct CRM integration.

Step 3: Match Your Data

Enrichment only works if Peopledatalabs can match your contacts. The more unique info you provide (email, full name plus company, LinkedIn URL), the better your results.

  • Email is king. If you have a business email, match rates will be highest.
  • Fallback: Name + company. Less accurate, but still usable.
  • Don’t bother with just names. You’ll get too many false matches.

Tip: Include as many identifiers as you can in your upload—think of it like giving the data tool a head start.

Step 4: Enrich and Review

Now, actually run the enrichment:

If you’re using the API:

  • Build a script (Python is popular) that hits the /person/enrich endpoint.
  • Loop through your contacts, sending each one’s info.
  • Collect the enriched data—Peopledatalabs will return JSON blobs with whatever info they can find.

If you’re using a bulk upload:

  • Upload your CSV with the columns mapped to the right fields.
  • Wait for processing. (Times vary, but it’s usually pretty quick.)
  • Download the new CSV, which now includes enriched columns.

If you’re using a CRM integration:

  • Connect your CRM account.
  • Set the mapping—tell Peopledatalabs which CRM fields go where.
  • Trigger enrichment (some tools do this automatically, others let you pick which records).

Once you have the data back:

  • Spot-check for accuracy. No enrichment tool is perfect. Review a random sample to see if the data looks right.
  • Watch for weirdness. Outdated job titles, wrong locations, or mismatched social links happen. Don’t blindly trust every field.
  • Don’t overwrite good data. If your CRM already has a verified phone number, don’t let enrichment replace it with something less reliable.

Step 5: Import Back to Your CRM (Without the Mess)

Here’s where most enrichment projects go sideways—dumping new data into your CRM and making a bigger mess.

  • Back up your CRM first. Seriously, don’t skip this.
  • Map new fields carefully. Only import the fields your team will actually use. (If you add 20 new columns, no one will read them.)
  • Merge, don’t overwrite. Set up your import to only fill empty fields or update outdated info. Most CRMs let you pick import rules—use them.
  • Test with a small batch. Try 100 records first and see how it looks.

Skip the urge to import everything. “More data” isn’t always better—focus on what’s actionable.

Step 6: Put Enriched Data to Work

You didn’t do all this just to stare at fancier records. Here’s how to use your new data:

  • Segment leads by role, company size, or industry. Route enterprise prospects to your best reps. Send SMBs to a different workflow.
  • Personalize outreach. Use titles and LinkedIn links to write messages that don’t sound like spam.
  • Set up alerts for job changes. If someone switches jobs, reach out before your competitor does.
  • Clean up old lists. Now that you know which emails are valid, prune dead leads.

Don’t overcomplicate it. Even basic personalization (“Saw you’re the Director of Marketing at Acme Corp...”) beats generic blasts.

What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Ignore

What works: - Enriching with business emails, titles, and LinkedIn URLs. These have the highest match rates and are the most useful. - Bulk enrichment for cleaning up big lists fast. - Tight CRM integrations—less manual work, fewer mistakes.

What doesn’t: - Relying on enrichment for every piece of data. Some info (like direct dials) is often missing or out of date. - Over-enriching. More fields = more noise. Reps won’t use 90% of what tools pull in. - Expecting 100% accuracy. Data vendors are good, but they’re not magic.

Ignore: - Vanity fields like “Twitter follower count” or “favorite color.” If it doesn’t help you qualify or personalize, skip it. - Trying to enrich contacts with just a name. The match rates will be terrible.

Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate, and Don’t Chase Perfection

Enriching your CRM data with Peopledatalabs can make sales outreach a lot less painful—and a lot more effective. But don’t get lost in the weeds. Start with a small batch, focus on fields that matter, and watch what actually moves the needle. If it helps your team have better conversations with the right people, keep going. Otherwise, trim the fat and try again. Simple beats fancy every time.