If you spend more time than you'd like re-running the same searches in your sales tools, you're not alone. Whether you're a B2B sales rep, SDR, or sales ops person, recurring prospecting is real life—and so is the risk of wasting your energy on clunky workflows. This guide is for anyone who wants to set up and manage saved searches in Vainu so you can cut out the busywork and focus on what actually moves the needle.
Let's get practical. I'll walk you through setting up, tweaking, and getting the most out of saved searches in Vainu, including some hard truths about what works and what to skip. No fluff, no filler—just what you need to know.
1. Why Saved Searches Matter (and When They Don’t)
Before you start clicking around, let’s be clear: saved searches are great for recurring prospecting, but they’re not a magic bullet. They help you avoid building the same filters over and over, and keep your target lists fresh. But if your prospect criteria change every week, or you’re looking for one-off weird cases, saved searches won’t save you much.
Saved searches are most useful when: - You run the same search (with minor tweaks) regularly. - You have clear, repeatable criteria (e.g., “UK SaaS companies with 50-200 employees”). - You want to get notified about new or updated companies matching your criteria.
If you’re just poking around or experimenting, skip the saved search for now and only set one up once you know it’ll stick.
2. Step-by-Step: Setting Up Your First Saved Search in Vainu
Let’s get hands-on. Here’s how to actually create and save a search in Vainu:
Step 1: Build Your Search
- Start with your core criteria. Use filters like industry, company size, location, tech stack, funding, and whatever else fits your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile).
- Be specific, but not too narrow. If you add 7 filters and get 3 results, you’re probably being too picky.
- Check your results. Before saving, scroll through a few pages. Are these the kinds of companies you want? If not, tweak.
Pro tip: Don’t get lost in the filter rabbit hole. Start broad, then add more filters if you’re drowning in results.
Step 2: Save Your Search
- Look for the “Save search” button. Usually at the top or near the search bar.
- Name it clearly. Use a name that means something three months from now, like “UK SaaS, 50-200 emp, updated monthly.”
- Decide if you want notifications. Vainu lets you get notified when new companies match your search. If you’re prospecting regularly, this is worth turning on.
Step 3: Test Your Saved Search
- Open the saved search and check the results. If it’s pulling in weird companies, edit the filters.
- Try running it on a different day. Sometimes company data updates, and you’ll see new results.
Don’t overthink it—most people spend too long “perfecting” their search. Good enough is good enough, especially in sales.
3. Managing and Updating Saved Searches
A saved search isn’t set in stone. Here’s how to keep it useful:
Renaming and Editing
- Click into your saved search. There should be an “Edit” or “Manage” button.
- Change filters as your ICP evolves. If your company pivots or you learn something new, update the search.
- Rename for clarity. Don’t let your saved searches turn into “Untitled Search (2)” territory.
Deleting Old Searches
- Be ruthless. If you haven’t used a search in months, delete it. Clutter kills productivity.
- No shame in pruning. It’s normal to outgrow searches as your strategy shifts.
Organizing (If You Have Lots)
- Folders or tags (if Vainu supports them). Use these to group searches by territory, vertical, or rep.
- Don’t go overboard. If you only have a handful of searches, organization isn’t worth the effort.
4. Using Saved Searches for Recurring Prospecting
So you’ve saved your searches—now what? Here’s how to actually use them for recurring prospecting instead of letting them rot.
Scheduling Time to Review
- Block a recurring slot on your calendar. (Example: “Check Vainu saved searches, Mondays at 9am.”)
- Review new matches. If you set up notifications, check the new companies and add the good ones to your CRM or outreach list.
- Skip the duplicates. Some companies will pop up repeatedly. Don’t waste time re-qualifying the same ones.
Exporting or Syncing to Your CRM
- Export to CSV. If you don’t have an integration, export results and upload to your CRM.
- Use integrations if available. Vainu can push leads directly into Salesforce, HubSpot, or others (depending on your plan). This can save a ton of manual work, but double-check that you’re not flooding your CRM with junk.
Keeping Your Lists Fresh
- Regularly review your criteria. Companies change—your saved search should too.
- Test variations. Create a duplicate search and tweak one or two filters to see if you pull in better leads.
- Kill searches that aren’t producing. If a saved search hasn’t given you a good lead in a while, it’s probably not worth keeping.
5. Honest Tips: What Works, What Doesn’t
Here’s what I’ve seen after watching lots of teams use saved searches in Vainu:
What actually helps: - Clear, simple search logic. Complicated saved searches rarely outperform straightforward ones. - Scheduled review time. If you leave it to “when I have time,” you’ll forget. - Pruning and adjusting. The best users are ruthless about keeping only useful searches.
What to ignore: - Over-customization. Spending hours building the “perfect” search is a waste—criteria change, and you’ll need to adjust anyway. - Dozens of overlapping searches. More searches don’t mean more leads—they just mean more noise.
Potential pitfalls: - Data quality. Sometimes company info is outdated or wrong. Don’t blindly trust every match—spot-check before reaching out. - Notification overload. If you turn on alerts for everything, you’ll start ignoring them. Be selective.
6. Troubleshooting Common Headaches
Even with a good setup, stuff breaks. Here’s a quick hit-list for the usual pain points:
- Seeing too few results?
- Loosen your filters one at a time. Company size and industry are the usual suspects for being too strict.
- Getting junk companies?
- Double-check your filters. Sometimes a sneaky “OR” instead of “AND” blows up your logic.
- Can’t find the saved search?
- Check if you’re logged into the right workspace/account. Saved searches are often tied to your login.
- Notifications not coming through?
- Look in your spam/promotions folder. Also, verify your notification settings in Vainu.
And if all else fails, reach out to Vainu support. The product’s not perfect, but their support usually responds quickly.
7. Keep It Simple and Iterate
If you take one thing away: don’t overcomplicate this. Saved searches in Vainu are a tool, not a strategy. Start with a couple of simple searches, use them regularly, and make small tweaks as you go. The point is to make your recurring prospecting easier—not harder.
Set it up, try it out, and adjust only when you actually need to. Sales is messy enough—no need to make it messier with endless filter tweaking. Happy prospecting.