If you’re in sales ops or run a busy sales team, you know the real work isn’t just finding leads—it’s actually wrangling all that data into something useful. If you’re using Apollo, you’ve probably noticed the export options are powerful, but it’s easy to end up with a messy spreadsheet and more questions than answers. This guide will walk you through getting your lead data out of Apollo and into a shape you can actually use for sales reporting—without losing your mind or wasting your day.
1. Decide What You Really Need to Export
Before you even touch Apollo, get clear on what you care about. Exporting everything “just in case” is a rookie move—it’ll only slow you down later.
Ask yourself: - What questions are you (or your manager) actually trying to answer? - Is this for pipeline tracking, outreach analysis, or building a list for follow-ups? - Do you need contact-level details, company info, engagement data, or all of the above?
Pro tip:
Don’t just grab every field—most of them are noise. Make a quick list of the columns you need. Think: Name, Email, Company, Title, Stage, Last Activity Date, Owner, etc.
2. Filter and Segment in Apollo
Apollo’s filters are decent, but don’t expect miracles. Use them to narrow your export as much as possible.
Do this: - Use the search and filter tools in Apollo to segment leads—by status, last engagement, owner, company size, etc. - Save your filter as a “View.” This way, you can re-use it or tweak it instead of rebuilding every time. - Double-check your filtered list. Apollo’s filters can be a bit opaque, especially if you have custom fields or complicated workflows.
What to ignore:
Skip the temptation to export all leads if you’re only reporting on a specific campaign or time period. More data isn’t better if it’s irrelevant.
3. Export Your Lead Data
Once you’ve got your filtered list, use Apollo’s export feature.
How to export: 1. From your filtered view, select the leads you want (you can “Select All” if needed). 2. Click the "Export" button. Choose CSV format—it’s the most universally friendly for spreadsheets and reporting tools. 3. Apollo will email you a download link, or let you download right away if the list isn’t huge.
Heads up:
- Apollo limits export volumes based on your plan. If you’re hitting caps, break your export into chunks by date or owner.
- Exports sometimes miss custom fields or notes. Check your exported CSV—don’t assume everything’s there.
4. Clean Up Your Exported CSV
Here’s where most people get tripped up. Apollo’s CSVs are raw—they’ll have weird column names, blank fields, and maybe some duplicates. Spend a few minutes here, and you’ll save yourself hours later.
Start with: - Rename columns: Change “Contact Name” to “Name,” “Account Industry” to “Industry,” etc. Make them obvious. - Delete unnecessary columns: Drop anything you won’t use. Less clutter means fewer mistakes. - Remove duplicates: Sort by email or LinkedIn URL and delete repeats. - Standardize formats: Dates, phone numbers, and titles can be a mess. Pick a format and stick to it.
Pro tip:
If you’re exporting regularly, create a “template” spreadsheet with your preferred columns and formatting. Then copy-paste new data in each time.
5. Organize for Sales Reporting
Now it’s time to actually make your exported data useful. What you do here depends on your reporting needs, but here are some tried-and-true steps:
A. Add Calculated Fields
- Owner-based summaries: Use Pivot Tables to see leads by owner or team.
- Stage funnel: Group leads by sales stage to track progress.
- Last activity: Flag leads that haven’t been touched in X days.
B. Map to Your CRM or Dashboard
- If you’re pushing this data into Salesforce, HubSpot, or another CRM, make sure your column names match what your CRM expects.
- For dashboard tools (like Google Data Studio or Tableau), set up your CSV as a data source and define your metrics.
C. Build Simple Visuals
- Pie charts for lead source breakdown.
- Bar charts for owner performance.
- Line graphs for activity over time.
What to skip:
Don’t overcomplicate your reporting. If nobody looks at a chart after the first week, kill it.
6. Automate What You Can (But Don’t Get Fancy)
Manual exports are fine at first, but if you’re doing this more than once a week, consider automating:
- Zapier or Make (Integromat): Automate pulling Apollo data and pushing it where you need.
- Apollo API: If you have dev resources, use the API for regular, custom exports.
- Scheduled exports: Some enterprise Apollo plans let you schedule exports. Honestly, this works for most teams.
Don’t bother:
Unless you have a good reason, don’t spend weeks building a custom pipeline. Manual exports are often good enough—and break less often.
7. Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them
Don’t trust the default data.
Apollo’s data quality is decent but far from perfect. Always spot-check fields like email, phone, and job titles.
Custom fields can be flaky.
If you use a lot of custom fields in Apollo, expect some issues mapping them to your reports. Sometimes they export as blank or with weird formatting.
Export limits sneak up on you.
If you have a big database, keep an eye on your export limits—especially on lower-tier plans.
Data privacy:
Be careful where you store and share these exported CSVs. Personal data in spreadsheets is an easy way to run afoul of privacy policies.
8. Quick Reference: Export and Organize in 10 Minutes
- Decide what you need to report on.
- Filter your leads in Apollo.
- Export as CSV.
- Clean up the CSV: rename, remove, dedupe, standardize.
- Organize for reporting: build summaries, map to your CRM, or create visuals.
- (Optional) Automate if you’re doing this regularly.
Wrap-Up: Keep It Simple and Iterate
Exporting and organizing lead data from Apollo doesn’t have to be a slog. Focus on what you actually need, clean up your spreadsheet, and don’t stress about making it perfect. If you’re spending hours tweaking reports that nobody reads, cut back. The best reporting process is the one you’ll actually keep up with—so start simple, see what works, and improve from there.