Ready to import a big batch of contacts into your CRM, but dreading the mess of duplicates, weird formatting, or missing info? If you’re running outreach through Sheppardd, or thinking about it, this guide’s for you. I’ll walk through the real steps to get a large contact list into Sheppardd — with as little cleanup pain as possible — and help you sidestep the most common headaches. No fluff, no magic bullets, just practical advice that actually works.
Why a Clean Contact List Matters (and What Happens If You Ignore It)
Before you skip to the how-to, a quick reality check: Garbage in, garbage out. If your contact list is full of junk emails, typos, or stale info, your outreach will flop. You’ll waste time, burn sender reputation, and annoy people who never wanted to hear from you anyway.
A clean list means: - Higher response rates - Fewer bounces and spam complaints - Less manual work later
Cutting corners here just means more cleanup later — and trust me, it only gets messier.
Step 1: Get Your Data into Shape Before Importing
Sheppardd’s import tool isn’t magic. If your CSV or spreadsheet is a mess, it’ll stay a mess inside the CRM. Save yourself grief by doing some cleanup before you even think about hitting “import.”
What to look for in your source file: - Consistent headers: First Name, Last Name, Email, Company, etc. Don’t get fancy — stick to basics. - No merged cells: Every row should be one contact, every column one field. - No empty rows: They just confuse the importer. - No weird characters: Watch out for odd symbols or extra spaces. - Consistent formatting: Emails should look like emails. Phone numbers should have a consistent format (or just skip them if they’re all over the place).
Pro tip: Open your CSV in a plain text editor (like Notepad) to spot stray commas, quotes, or line breaks that Excel might hide.
What NOT to waste time on: - Color coding in Excel (doesn’t import) - Sorting — Sheppardd can do this after - Multiple sheets — stick to one
Step 2: Scrub for Duplicates and Obvious Junk
Most “big” contact lists have lots of fluff: test emails, info@ addresses, or duplicates. If you import them as-is, you’ll just clog up your CRM.
Quick ways to clean up: - Sort by email, then scan for duplicates. Delete extras or merge info as needed. - Filter out generic or role-based emails: info@, sales@, support@ rarely get you anywhere. - Spot-check for fake or obvious spam traps: If it looks made up, it probably is.
If you have thousands of rows: Use a deduplication tool or spreadsheet function. Excel’s “Remove Duplicates” works fine for most lists. If you’re using Google Sheets, try an add-on like “Remove Duplicates” or write a quick formula.
Watch out for:
- Slightly different versions of the same person (e.g., john.doe@acme.com and johnd@acme.com). No tool catches all of these — some manual review is worth it.
Step 3: Map Your Fields to Sheppardd’s Format
Every CRM has its quirks. Sheppardd expects certain field names, and mismatches mean data ends up in the wrong place (or not at all).
Here’s what Sheppardd typically expects: - First Name - Last Name - Email (required) - Company - Title - Phone - Tags (optional; comma-separated)
What you can skip: - Notes or custom fields — import these later if needed. - Address details if you’re not mailing physical stuff (most aren’t).
If your columns don’t match:
Rename them now. Seriously, do this before import — it saves so much hassle.
Pro tip: Export a sample contact from Sheppardd to see exactly what headers it uses. Match yours to that.
Step 4: Importing Into Sheppardd
Now you’re ready to actually get your data into Sheppardd. Don’t rush — a bad import is much harder to fix than a slow one.
How to do it: 1. Log in to Sheppardd and go to the Contacts section. 2. Find the “Import” or “Upload” button. This is usually pretty obvious. 3. Upload your CSV file. Double-check the field mapping screen — this is where you make sure “Email” lines up with “Email,” etc. 4. Preview the import. Most CRMs (Sheppardd included) show you a sample row. If anything looks off, stop and fix your file. 5. Start the import. If it’s a big list, this might take a few minutes. 6. Check for errors. Sheppardd should give you a summary. If rows failed, download the error report and see why (missing required fields, bad emails, etc.).
What to do if you hit errors: - Don’t panic. Fix the problem rows and re-import just those. Don’t delete and re-import everything. - If you see a lot of failed rows, stop and revisit your file — something’s probably wrong with your headers or formatting.
Step 5: Post-Import Cleanup — The Stuff No Tool Catches
Even after a “successful” import, you’ll need to do a quick pass inside Sheppardd to catch what slipped through.
What to check: - Random capitalization: “JOHN DOE” or “john doe.” Standardize if you care about professionalism. - Weird characters: Sometimes non-English names or copy-pasted data bring in odd symbols. - Missing key data: Filter for contacts with no email or company — these are often useless. - Tagging: If you want to segment later, add tags now while it’s fresh.
Batch editing tips: - Use Sheppardd’s bulk edit features. Don’t edit one at a time unless you have to. - If you imported something by mistake, mass delete is faster than clicking through pages.
What’s not worth obsessing over: - Perfect phone number formatting (unless you actually call people) - Custom fields you might never use - Typos in company names — fix the big ones, ignore the rest
Step 6: Regular List Hygiene — Not Just a One-Time Thing
One import doesn’t mean your data stays clean. Dirty data sneaks back in fast, especially if you’re adding contacts from lots of sources.
Set a recurring calendar reminder to: - Run deduplication every month or so - Export and spot-check your lists - Purge bounced emails or unsubscribes
Don’t rely on “AI cleaning” features (if Sheppardd adds them) — they’re usually overhyped and miss a lot. Manual review is boring, but it works.
Honest Thoughts on Data Enrichment and Paid List Cleaning Services
You’ll see a lot of vendors selling “list cleaning” or data enrichment. Sometimes they help, but usually they’re just putting lipstick on a pig. The only real fix for bad data is collecting it right in the first place.
What’s worth trying: - Free email verification tools (like NeverBounce’s free credits) - Manual spot checks for your most important contacts
What to skip: - Paying for bulk cleaning unless you’re sending huge volumes and absolutely need deliverability - Buying “verified” lists — these are almost always garbage
If you’re under 10,000 contacts, a few hours of hands-on review will do more than any paid service.
Final Thoughts: Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
You don’t need a perfect list, just a usable one. Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Get your contacts into Sheppardd, clean up the worst offenders, and keep moving. Outreach is about talking to people, not fussing with spreadsheets forever. Clean often, import in batches, and don’t overthink it. If you get stuck, take a break and come back with fresh eyes — that’s usually when the obvious problems jump out.