Finding the right people to talk to is half the battle in sales and business development. If you've ever spent hours digging through LinkedIn or generic lead lists, only to end up with a bunch of folks who can't say yes to anything, you know the pain. This guide is for anyone who wants to cut through the noise and use Seamless filters to find actual decision makers in the industries that matter to you.
I'm not here to hype up Seamless or pretend it's magic (it's not). But with the right approach, you can use its filters to get way better results—without turning prospecting into a full-time job.
Step 1: Know What You're Actually Looking For
Before you even open Seamless, get clear on who counts as a decision maker for you.
- Titles: Don’t just look for “CEO.” Depending on your product or service, the decision maker might be a VP of Operations, Head of IT, or even a Director.
- Company Size: A “Director” at a 10-person startup is not the same as a Director at a Fortune 500.
- Industry: Be specific. “Tech” could mean anything from SaaS to semiconductor manufacturing.
Pro tip: Write down your target persona. If you can’t describe them in one sentence, you’re not ready to start filtering.
Step 2: Log In and Get to the Filters
Once you’re clear on your criteria, log in to Seamless and head to the search dashboard. The filters are where the real work happens.
Key filter categories you’ll see:
- Job Title
- Company Name
- Industry
- Company Size
- Seniority Level
- Location
Don’t just fill in everything at once. Start broad, then narrow down step by step. Otherwise, you might accidentally filter out good leads.
Step 3: Set Up Job Title and Seniority Filters (But Be Smart About It)
This is where most people mess up. They type “CEO” or “Owner” and call it a day. Here’s why that’s a mistake:
- People use different titles: Not every company calls their top person “CEO.” There are Managing Directors, Principals, Partners, Founders, etc.
- Seniority matters: Use the “Seniority” filter to weed out the interns and middle managers. But keep in mind, “senior” doesn’t always mean “decision maker” in big companies.
How to do it better: - Use variations: “VP,” “Vice President,” “Head of,” “Director of,” “Chief,” etc. - Watch out for fluff titles. “Evangelist” or “Ninja” probably isn’t your buyer. - Combine job title with seniority for tighter results.
What to ignore: Don’t get hung up on every possible title variation. If you’re spending more time brainstorming titles than actually searching, you’re overthinking it.
Step 4: Narrow by Industry (Don’t Trust the Defaults)
Industry filtering is useful, but Seamless (like most tools) uses broad buckets. “Information Technology” could mean a cybersecurity firm or an IT staffing agency.
- Use sub-industries if available: Some versions of Seamless let you get more granular. Use those options.
- Cross-check with company names: Sometimes the filter puts companies in the wrong bucket. If you see weird results, sanity check them.
- Ignore “catch-all” industries: Buckets like “Professional Services” or “Other” are often a waste of time.
Pro tip: If your target industry is niche, consider uploading a custom list of target companies and filtering within that.
Step 5: Filter by Company Size and Location
These filters help you avoid barking up the wrong tree.
- Company size: Use employee count ranges. If you’re selling enterprise software, don’t bother with companies under 100 employees.
- Location: Only filter by geography if it matters to your sales process. Otherwise, you might cut out remote decision makers.
What doesn’t work: Filtering by revenue is hit-or-miss, since revenue data is often estimated and can be way off.
Step 6: Use Keywords to Weed Out the Wrong People
Most people skip the keyword box, but it’s one of the fastest ways to filter out junk.
- Add must-have keywords: If you need someone with “logistics” in their title or description, add it.
- Add “anti-keywords”: Use exclusions to skip over “assistant,” “intern,” or other non-decision makers.
- Test and tweak: Keywords can pull in some weird results, so don’t be afraid to experiment.
Pro tip: Don’t try to get it perfect on the first try. Run a sample search, check the results, and adjust.
Step 7: Run the Search and Sanity Check the Results
This is where you separate signal from noise.
- Look at the first page of results: Are these people actually in your target audience?
- Spot-check a few profiles: Open a couple in LinkedIn (or wherever you verify) to make sure the titles and companies match up.
- Adjust filters as needed: If you’re seeing too many off-target results, tighten up your filters. If you’re seeing too few, loosen them.
What to ignore: Don’t obsess over getting 100% perfect results. As long as the majority fit your target, you’re good.
Step 8: Save Your Filtered Search for Next Time
If you think you’ll be running this search again, save your filter set. Seamless lets you save searches, so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time.
- Give your saved search a clear name (e.g., “US SaaS CTOs 100-500 emp”).
- Set a reminder to revisit: Filters that work today might not work next quarter as companies and titles change.
Step 9: Export and Sanity Check Again
Just because Seamless says someone is a decision maker doesn’t mean they actually are. Before you start reaching out:
- Export your list
- Spot-check 10-20 names: Look them up on LinkedIn or company sites. Are they still in that role? Does their responsibility match your needs?
- Remove obvious mismatches: No tool is perfect. Clean your list before you load it into your CRM.
Pro tip: If you notice a recurring mismatch (like a bunch of “Assistant to the CEO” types), go back and refine your filters.
What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Ignore
What works: - Combining filters (title + seniority + industry) gives you way better results than using just one. - Using keywords to exclude time-wasters. - Regularly reviewing and updating your searches.
What doesn’t: - Blindly trusting Seamless’s industry or title mapping. - Obsessing over tiny details—aim for “good enough to start.”
What to ignore: - Overly broad filters (“Manager” in “Technology”)—you’ll drown in noise. - Fancy features like “AI recommendations” unless they actually save you time. Test them, but don’t rely on them.
Keep It Simple—And Iterate
The whole point is to spend less time finding people and more time actually talking to them. Don’t fall into the trap of over-engineering your filters or chasing perfection. Run a search, check your results, and tweak as you go. The most productive people I know keep their prospecting simple, review what’s working every month or so, and don’t sweat the small stuff.
Remember: The best filter setup is the one that gets you talking to real decision makers—today, not someday.