If you’re in sales, recruiting, or just trying to get in front of the right people, you know the pain: endless lists full of folks who can’t actually say yes. Tools like Apollo promise to help, but only if you know how to cut through the noise. This guide is for anyone tired of burning hours on dead-end contacts and wants a no-nonsense way to use Apollo filters to find the real decision makers in their industry.
No fluff, no magic bullets—just a clear process that works (and a heads-up on what doesn’t).
1. Know What “Decision Maker” Really Means for You
Before you even touch a filter, you need to define what a decision maker looks like for your specific goals.
- Titles aren’t everything. “Director” at a tiny company could have more power than a “VP” at a big one.
- Department matters. Are you selling to Marketing, HR, IT? C-level isn’t always your best bet.
- Seniority ≠ authority. Sometimes, the person who controls the budget isn’t the person with the fanciest title.
- Company size changes the game. In startups, the founder decides; in enterprises, it’s rarely that simple.
Pro tip: Write down your “must-haves” before you start searching—department, title, company size, industry. Don’t wing it.
2. Set Up Your Apollo Filters: The Basics
Apollo’s search is powerful if you use it right. Here’s how to get started:
A. Go to the People Search
- From the dashboard, click “Search” and choose “People.”
- Ignore “Companies” for now; you want individuals.
B. Filter by Industry
- Use the “Industry” dropdown.
- Don’t get too broad (“Information Technology” will drown you in noise).
- Go niche where you can (“Cybersecurity,” “EdTech,” etc.).
What works: Stacking multiple related industries if your ideal customer spans a couple of niches.
What to skip: “All industries” is a waste of time unless you’re selling coffee.
C. Filter by Company Size
- Use “Number of Employees.”
- Think about who has the pain point you solve. Under 50? 51–200? 1,000+?
- Don’t default to “Any” unless you really mean it.
Caution: Some companies fudge their size. Always sanity-check a few results.
D. Filter by Department
- Use “Department” for Marketing, Engineering, HR, etc.
- Apollo’s department filter isn’t perfect, but it’s better than nothing.
Ignore: The “Function” field. It sounds smart, but it’s just another view on department and can dilute your results.
E. Filter by Seniority
- Pick “Director,” “VP,” “C-Level,” or whatever fits your definition.
- Stack a couple if you’re not sure (e.g., both “VP” and “Head”).
Real talk: “Owner” and “Founder” can be gold at small companies, totally useless at the enterprise level.
F. Use Title Keywords (Carefully)
- Use the “Title” field to include or exclude keywords.
- Example: Include “Marketing,” exclude “Assistant.”
What works: Boolean logic (AND, OR, NOT) to fine-tune. Example: “VP OR Head OR Director” AND “Marketing.”
What to avoid: Getting too clever—if you add too many keywords, you’ll miss legit matches.
3. Advanced Filters That Actually Help
Apollo throws a lot of filters at you. Most aren’t worth your time, but a few can make a real difference:
A. Location
- Useful if you’re limited by geography (e.g., only North America).
- Use country, state, or city as needed.
Trap: Don’t forget remote companies—many “US-based” execs live elsewhere.
B. Technologies Used
- If you sell software or services tied to a tech stack, filter by “Technologies.”
- Example: Only want companies using Salesforce or AWS.
Heads-up: This data isn’t always up-to-date. Double-check before pitching.
C. Hiring Status
- “Currently hiring” can signal budget and growth.
- Useful if you want to sell to expanding teams.
Reality check: Hiring filters are hit-or-miss. Good for trends, not gospel.
D. Exclude Current Customers or Competitors
- Use “Exclude domains” to cut out people you shouldn’t contact.
- You don’t want to cold pitch your own clients (awkward).
4. Spot-Checking: Don’t Trust, Verify
Filters help, but Apollo’s data isn’t perfect. Here’s how to double-check before you start blasting emails:
- Google them. A 10-second search can confirm if someone’s still at the company, or if they’re even real.
- Check LinkedIn. Sometimes titles in Apollo are outdated or creatively inflated.
- Look for recent activity. Are they posting, hiring, speaking at events? That’s a good sign they’re “real.”
Pro tip: If you’re building a big list, spot-check every 10th contact. Patterns of bad data show up fast.
5. Save and Reuse Your Filters
Don’t reinvent the wheel every time. Once you’ve got a good filter set:
- Click “Save Search” in Apollo.
- Name it clearly (“US SaaS VPs of Marketing, 200-500 employees” beats “List 1”).
- Set reminders to rerun your searches weekly or monthly.
Why bother? People change jobs all the time. Saved searches keep your pipeline fresh without extra work.
6. Export and Work Your List (Without Spamming)
Now you’ve got your decision makers—don’t blow it by treating them like a faceless list.
- Export only what you’ll actually use. No one needs 10,000 cold contacts.
- Add context: What problem do you solve for this type of decision maker?
- Personalize, even a little. “Saw you’re leading growth at X, curious how you…” goes further than “Hi, I sell software.”
Blunt truth: Most people ignore generic outreach. If you can’t say why you’re reaching out, don’t hit send.
7. What Not to Waste Time On
Some Apollo features sound cool but rarely help you find decision makers faster:
- “Intent” filters: The idea is nice—find companies “in market.” But the data is often vague.
- Enrichment add-ons: Don’t pay extra just to fill in missing fields unless you know it’ll move the needle.
- Overly complex filters: Every extra filter is a chance to exclude someone you want. Start simple, add only what’s needed.
8. Keep It Simple—and Iterate
You don’t need 17 filters or a PhD in Boolean logic. Start with your basics: industry, size, department, seniority, and a couple of title keywords. Run the search. Spot-check. Adjust. Repeat.
Finding decision makers with Apollo isn’t rocket science, but it does take a little discipline. Build your filters, check your results, and don’t overcomplicate it. The more you use and refine your process, the easier it gets—and the fewer dead ends you’ll hit.
Now go find the people who can actually say “yes.” And if you hit a wall, don’t be afraid to tweak and try again. Simpler is almost always better.