If you’re using Salesloft to wrangle your sales prospects, you already know: the tool's only as good as the lists you feed it. A bloated, outdated prospect list wastes your time and can tank your results. This guide is for anyone—SDRs, AEs, ops folks—who wants to keep their prospects lists sharp and up to date, without getting bogged down in busywork or bells and whistles that don’t actually help you sell.
Below, you'll find a step-by-step approach to managing and updating your Salesloft prospect lists. We’ll cover what actually works, what’s just hype, and give you some shortcuts so you spend less time clicking around and more time closing deals.
1. Get Your Lists in Order Before You Touch Salesloft
Before you even log in, take a minute to think about what should (and shouldn’t) be on your list. A little prep goes a long way.
- Define what a “prospect” really means for your team. Be specific. If you’re adding every Tom, Dick, and Harry from LinkedIn, you’ll end up with a list that’s impossible to work.
- Decide what info matters. Don’t collect everything just because you can. At minimum, you’ll want name, company, email, phone (if you have it), and maybe a note on their role or segment. Ditch vanity fields.
- Clean your data before import. Export your prospects from whatever source you’re using (spreadsheets, LinkedIn, another CRM), and run a quick cleanup:
- Remove duplicates and obvious junk
- Standardize formats (emails lowercase, phone numbers consistent, etc.)
- Make sure you’re not importing old contacts who are no longer relevant
Pro Tip: The less clutter you have going in, the less time you’ll spend fixing things later. If your list is already a mess, carve out an hour to do a one-time cleanup.
2. Importing Prospects: Do It Right, Do It Once
Now you’re ready to get your prospects into Salesloft. Don’t just drag-and-drop a CSV and hope for the best.
- Use the import wizard, not manual entry. Salesloft’s importer lets you upload a CSV, map your columns, and preview before you commit. It’s faster and less error-prone than adding records one by one.
- Map fields carefully. Double-check that your columns line up with Salesloft fields. If you mismatch “Company” and “Title,” you’ll be chasing your tail later.
- Set tags or custom fields as you go. If you want to segment by vertical, region, or campaign, add those fields now. It’s a pain to do it after the fact.
What to ignore: - Don’t bother with “enriching” your data with every possible field. More data doesn’t mean better results; it means more stuff to keep updated. - Avoid auto-mapping if your CSV columns are messy. Take the minute to do it right—saves hours of fixing later.
3. Keep Your Lists Tidy: Make Maintenance a Habit
Updating your prospects is not a “set it and forget it” job. But you also don’t need to babysit your lists every day.
- Schedule a regular cleanup. Once a week or biweekly, block 30 minutes to:
- Remove bounced emails and hard invalids
- Update changed job titles or companies (if you spot them)
- Archive or delete unresponsive prospects after X months (define what “dead” means for your workflow)
- Use filters and bulk actions. Salesloft lets you filter by activity, last touched date, cadence status, etc. Use bulk select to update, tag, or archive in batches.
- Don’t obsess over perfection. If you miss a few, it’s fine. The goal is progress, not zero defects.
Pro Tip: Set up saved filters for “Never Contacted,” “No Response in 30 Days,” or similar buckets. Makes bulk cleanups a breeze.
4. Update as You Go (But Don’t Let It Kill Your Flow)
Salesloft gives you plenty of ways to update prospects on the fly. Here’s what’s worth your time—and what isn’t.
What to do: - Update key fields during calls or emails. If you learn someone’s changed jobs or isn’t a fit, update or remove them right away. - Add notes sparingly. Only record info you’ll actually use later (e.g., “asked to call back in September,” not “likes coffee”). - Tag new segments as needed. If you’re suddenly targeting a new industry, tag a handful of prospects—don’t try to retroactively tag everyone in your database.
What to skip: - Don’t get sucked into “just organizing” as a way to procrastinate real outreach. - Don’t fuss with updating every single field for every prospect. Focus on what helps you move deals forward.
5. Use Automation—But Don’t Trust It Blindly
Salesloft offers a bunch of automations, like rules to move prospects between cadences, assign owners, or flag bounced emails. Use them, but keep your eyes open.
- Set up auto-remove for bounced emails and hard opt-outs. There’s no reason to work dead contacts.
- Auto-tag based on actions. For example, tag prospects who’ve replied or clicked links.
- Review automations monthly. Sometimes, rules break or don’t catch everything. Don’t assume automation is foolproof.
What not to do:
Don’t let automations run wild. If you start seeing prospects mis-tagged or dropped from cadences, scale back and tighten your rules.
6. Integrate—But Only If It Truly Saves Time
Salesloft integrates with CRMs like Salesforce, and email tools. Integrations can be a time-saver or a time sink.
- Sync only what you need. Don’t turn on every integration “just because.” Only sync the fields and objects you’ll actually use.
- Watch for duplicate creation. Integrations can spit out duplicates if mappings aren’t tight. Check for this during your weekly cleanup.
- Keep it simple. If you’re a small team, you might not need every integration out there. Start basic, add more only if you’re drowning in manual updates.
Pro Tip: If you notice data is out of sync, pause and check your mapping. Most sync issues are fixable, but you need to catch them early before your lists get messy.
7. Reporting and List Health: Don’t Get Lost in the Weeds
Salesloft has dashboards and reports, but don’t obsess over vanity metrics.
- Track what matters. See how many prospects are active, how many are stuck, and which lists are getting results.
- Ignore “engagement score” if it’s not actionable. If it doesn’t help you change your outreach, move on.
- Use reports to spot broken processes. If you see a list growing stale, or a segment with zero replies, that’s a sign to adjust your targeting or messaging.
8. Common Pitfalls (And How to Dodge Them)
- Over-segmenting. If you break lists into too many micro-groups, you’ll spend all your time sorting and none selling.
- Letting old prospects rot. Make archiving or deleting dead contacts part of your routine.
- Relying on one person. If only one person knows how to update lists, you’re one vacation away from a mess. Share knowledge and document your process—nothing fancy, just a quick doc.
Keep It Simple—And Iterate
The best Salesloft users aren’t the ones who know every feature—they’re the ones who keep their prospect lists clean, up to date, and focused on real opportunities. Don’t stress about having a “perfect” workflow. Start with the basics, make small improvements, and cut anything that feels like busywork.
Remember: a sharp, lean list beats a giant, bloated one every time. Keep things simple. Review your process every month or so, adjust as needed, and get back to selling.