If you’re tired of sifting through endless LinkedIn profiles trying to find the right decision makers—people who can actually make things happen—you’re not alone. Sales, recruiting, partnerships... whatever your goal, the time sink is real. This guide is for anyone who wants to cut through the noise and use LinkedIn smarter, with the help of Skrapp, a tool that promises to make finding and filtering decision makers a whole lot easier.
Below, I’ll walk you through how to use Skrapp’s advanced search to zero in on the people who matter, skip the fluff, and avoid common mistakes that waste your time (and patience).
Why Filtering Decision Makers Matters
Let’s be blunt: Not everyone on LinkedIn is worth your time if you need to reach the person who can actually say “yes.” Chasing the wrong contacts is not just inefficient—it’s demoralizing. If you want better response rates and fewer dead ends, you need to target the people with real authority.
Skrapp’s advanced search claims to help you do just that. But there are some caveats, and a few tricks you need to know to get the most out of it.
Step 1: Get Set Up with Skrapp and LinkedIn
Before you can do anything, you’ll need accounts for both platforms.
- Sign up for Skrapp. There’s a free plan, but it limits the number of leads per month. If you’re serious about prospecting, consider the paid options—but don’t upgrade blindly. Try the free tier first to see if it fits your workflow.
- LinkedIn account. You probably have one. If you want to use LinkedIn’s advanced filters, a LinkedIn Sales Navigator subscription helps, but it’s not strictly required for basic Skrapp use.
Pro tip: Skrapp works as a Chrome extension and via its web app. The Chrome extension is handy for scraping leads directly from LinkedIn search results. If you’re not using Chrome, you’ll have to stick with the web app, which is a bit less seamless.
Step 2: Define What “Decision Maker” Means for You
Not all “decision makers” are created equal. For some, it’s the VP. For others, it’s a team lead or a founder. Get specific before you start searching, or you’ll end up with a bloated, unfocused list.
Questions to ask yourself: - Which titles typically have the authority I need? - Is company size or industry a factor? - Do I care about geography?
Common decision maker titles: - CEO, Founder, Owner - VP, Director, Head of [Department] - Chief [Role] Officer (CMO, CTO, COO, etc.)
Don’t overthink this. Start with a few obvious titles—you can always refine later.
Step 3: Use LinkedIn to Build Your Search
Even though Skrapp has its own search, you’ll get better results by combining LinkedIn’s search filters with Skrapp’s tools.
How to do it: 1. Open LinkedIn (ideally Sales Navigator if you have it). 2. Use filters like: - Title: Add relevant keywords (e.g., “VP Sales,” “Head of Marketing”). - Company Size: If you care about startups vs. enterprises, set this. - Industry: Filter to your target verticals. - Location: If geography matters, set it. 3. Run your search. Scroll through to make sure you’re seeing the right kinds of people.
What to ignore: Don’t get too hung up on every filter. Too many filters can kill your results. Focus on titles and industries; the rest is icing.
Step 4: Activate Skrapp and Start Filtering
Now comes the part where Skrapp earns its keep.
Using the Skrapp Chrome Extension
- Install and log in to Skrapp’s Chrome extension.
- On your LinkedIn search results page, you’ll see Skrapp’s widget pop up.
- Bulk-select profiles (Skrapp lets you choose all on the page, or pick individuals).
- Skrapp will scrape their names, titles, companies, and—if available—their email addresses.
- Save to a list in Skrapp for later outreach.
Using Skrapp’s Web App
If you already have a list of companies or people, you can search directly in Skrapp’s web app. This is less dynamic than grabbing people straight from LinkedIn, but it works if you’re starting with a CSV or want to enrich existing lists.
Step 5: Refine Your List in Skrapp
Once you’ve imported a batch of leads, don’t just blast them all with emails. Take a minute to clean up your list.
- Check titles: Sometimes Skrapp pulls in people with similar—but not relevant—titles. Prune anyone who’s clearly not a decision maker.
- Check company size and industry: If you see outliers (e.g., a “Head of Marketing” at a 2-person consulting shop when you want big SaaS companies), remove them.
- Deduplicate: Skrapp usually catches duplicates, but it’s worth a quick scan if you’re merging lists.
Pro tip: Quality beats quantity every time. It’s better to email 25 people with real authority than 500 random middle managers.
Step 6: Export and Outreach (But Don’t Spam)
Skrapp lets you export your filtered list as a CSV. Most people just want those sweet email addresses, but don’t get greedy.
- Export your list (CSV or integration with your CRM).
- Personalize your outreach. You can use mail merge tools, but if you want replies, don’t send the same generic pitch to everyone.
- Mind your frequency. Outreach tools make it easy to blast hundreds of emails, but that’s a great way to get marked as spam. Start small, tweak your approach, and scale up once you know what works.
What doesn’t work: Sending the same message to every “decision maker.” Senior folks have seen it all—they’ll ignore generic pitches.
What Skrapp Does Well (and Where It Falls Short)
The Good
- Saves hours over manual copy-paste prospecting.
- Finds emails that aren’t always public on LinkedIn.
- Bulk processing is smooth; you can grab dozens of leads at once.
The Bad
- Accuracy isn’t perfect. Not every email will be valid. Some companies have catch-all addresses or clever spam traps.
- Title filtering is only as good as your search. Skrapp isn’t magic—it can’t read minds. If your LinkedIn search is sloppy, so are your results.
- Free tier limits. You’ll burn through free credits fast if you’re doing serious prospecting.
What to Ignore
- Overly broad lists. “VP” at every company is not your buyer.
- Promises of “verified” emails. No tool is 100%. Always expect some bounces.
Pro Tips & Common Pitfalls
- Always double-check your list. It’s easy to get lazy, but one wrong contact can waste days.
- Don’t pay for more Skrapp credits until you’ve tested small batches. See if people actually reply before you go big.
- Remember LinkedIn’s limits. Too many searches or profile views can trigger warnings. Stay under the radar.
- Check for compliance. Don’t violate privacy laws or LinkedIn’s terms. Nobody likes getting banned.
Keep It Simple, Iterate, and Don’t Overthink
Filtering decision makers on LinkedIn with Skrapp isn’t rocket science, but it’s easy to get lost in the weeds. Start with a clear idea of who you want, use LinkedIn to narrow the field, and let Skrapp do the heavy lifting from there. Don’t stress about perfection—just build, test, and improve as you go. Simpler is almost always better.