Stop me if this sounds familiar: you’ve got a shiny new list of leads sitting in LeadGenius, but getting them into your CRM—cleanly, without duplicates or junk—feels like a hassle. If you’re tired of half-baked exports and want something that actually works, this guide’s for you. Whether you’re in sales ops, marketing, or just the unlucky soul who drew the short straw, let’s walk through exporting high-quality leads from LeadGenius to your CRM, minus the headaches.
Step 1: Get Clear on What a "High Quality" Lead Actually Means
Before you even think about exporting, nail down what “high quality” means for your team. It sounds obvious, but most headaches start here.
- Define your ideal customer profile (ICP): Industry, company size, job titles, location—whatever matters most.
- Decide on must-have fields: What do your reps need? Email, phone, LinkedIn, company revenue? Be picky.
- Set filters in LeadGenius: Don’t trust default lists—refine them. Use their filters to zero in on the leads that match your ICP.
Pro tip: If you’re working with a custom list built by the LeadGenius team, double-check the sample before they deliver the whole batch. It’s way easier to fix things up front.
Step 2: Clean and Deduplicate Your List (Don’t Skip This)
Garbage in, garbage out. Most CRMs are graveyards for duplicate, outdated, or just plain weird data. Here’s how to dodge that fate:
- Use LeadGenius’s built-in deduplication: They claim to weed out repeats, but don’t take it on faith.
- Export a sample first: Download a small batch and check for:
- Obvious duplicates
- Placeholder emails (e.g., “info@” or “test@”)
- Blank or nonsensical fields
- Run your own dedupe check: Toss the sample into Google Sheets, Excel, or a dedupe tool like Dedupely or OpenRefine. Sort by email or LinkedIn URL—anything that should be unique.
- Clean up junk fields: If a lead’s website is “n/a” or their phone number is 555-5555, drop it or flag it for review.
What doesn’t work: Hoping your CRM’s import process will magically clean things up. Most CRMs are terrible at this, and once bad data’s in, it’s a pain to fix.
Step 3: Map LeadGenius Fields to Your CRM
This is where a lot of exports go off the rails. If you don’t map fields correctly, you’ll end up with missing info, broken automations, or angry reps.
- Download the LeadGenius CSV: Get the full export—not just what you see on the dashboard.
- Compare field names: Your CRM might call it “Work Email,” but LeadGenius says “Email Address.” Build a quick map.
- Create custom fields if needed: Sometimes the data you want (like “LinkedIn Profile URL” or “HQ Location”) doesn’t have a home in your CRM. Set up those fields now.
- Drop unused columns: Don’t import stuff you don’t need. More noise = more confusion.
Pro tip: Keep a master mapping doc for future imports. Saves time and sanity.
Step 4: Choose Your Import Method—Manual vs. Automated
There’s no “best” way—just what fits your workflow and tech stack.
Option 1: Manual (Good for Small Batches)
- Download the CSV from LeadGenius.
- Open your CRM’s import tool: Most have a “bulk import” or “data upload” menu.
- Upload and map columns: Use your field mapping doc from Step 3.
- Preview the import: Double-check that fields line up and sample data looks right.
- Run the import: Then spot-check a few records in your CRM.
Option 2: Automated (Best for Ongoing or Large Lists)
- Native integrations: Some CRMs (like Salesforce or HubSpot) have built-in connectors or third-party tools (Zapier, Workato) that can automate imports.
- Set up the integration: Follow their setup guide—usually involves API keys and a lot of clicking.
- Test with a small batch: Never go all-in on the first try. Always test with 10–20 records.
- Schedule regular syncs: If your team needs fresh leads daily or weekly, set up recurring imports.
What doesn’t work: Rushing the first import. Take 10 extra minutes to check your mapping and sample data. It’ll save hours cleaning up later.
Step 5: Validate and Enrich Your Imported Leads
Don’t assume every field is perfect post-import. Even the best data vendors mess up.
- Spot-check 10-20 random leads: Check for missing emails, weird job titles, or companies that don’t match your ICP.
- Run a data enrichment tool (optional): If your CRM has built-in enrichment (like Clearbit or ZoomInfo), run it now to fill in missing info.
- Assign leads to the right owners: Use automated assignment rules if you have them—don’t dump everything into a generic bucket.
- Tag or segment imported leads: Mark them as “LeadGenius Import” or similar, so you can track performance later.
Pro tip: If you find consistent gaps (e.g., lots of missing phone numbers), flag it with your LeadGenius rep. They’ll usually redo those records if you ask.
Step 6: Watch for Common Pitfalls
Here’s where most exports run into trouble:
- Duplicates: Even with dedupe, some slip through. Schedule a monthly clean-up.
- Stale data: LeadGenius is generally solid, but B2B data decays fast. If you wait months to import, expect bounce-backs.
- Field mismatch: Small typos in mapping (like “First Name” vs “Firstname”) can break automations or forms.
- Permission issues: Sometimes, your CRM locks down field editing or import access. Make sure you’ve got what you need before starting.
What to ignore: Don’t obsess over every single optional field. Focus on the core data that actually moves the needle for your team.
Step 7: Track Results and Iterate
The best import in the world doesn’t matter if your leads don’t convert. Set up a simple feedback loop:
- Monitor lead performance: Use CRM reports to see if LeadGenius leads are opening emails, booking meetings, or converting.
- Get rep feedback: Ask sales or SDRs if the data’s actually helpful—or if something’s off.
- Tweak your filters: Go back to Step 1 and adjust your criteria if you’re getting too many duds.
- Document what works: Every team is different. Build your own playbook as you go.
Keep It Simple—And Don’t Overthink It
Exporting leads from LeadGenius to your CRM doesn’t have to be a slog. Get clear on what you want, clean your list, map your fields, and double-check your import. Ignore the bells and whistles you don’t need. Start small, see what works, and tweak as you go. Most of the time, that’s all it takes to keep your CRM healthy and your team happy.