Optimizing your sales pipeline with advanced filters in Echobot

If your sales pipeline is clogged with dead leads and irrelevant accounts, you’re not alone. Most CRMs, left unchecked, turn into graveyards of wishful thinking. This guide is for salespeople, SDRs, and anyone tired of sifting through garbage data. We’ll look at how to use advanced filters in Echobot to cut through the noise, focus on the right prospects, and actually move deals forward.

Let’s skip the fluff. Here’s how to make Echobot work for you — and what to avoid.

Why Most Sales Pipelines Get Messy (and How Filtering Helps)

Before you start clicking filters, it’s worth being honest about why pipelines get unwieldy:

  • Too many leads, not enough quality: Every “potential” company gets dumped in, even if they’re a terrible fit.
  • Old data: Things change fast. Contacts leave, companies pivot, priorities shift.
  • Spray-and-pray prospecting: When everything is a “target,” nothing is.

Advanced filters aren’t magic, but they’re the best way to slice out the junk and get your list down to people you’d actually want to call.

Step 1: Get Clear on Who You Actually Want

Don’t start filtering without a plan. Take five minutes and answer:

  • What does your best customer look like? (Industry, size, location, tech stack, etc.)
  • Who’s a waste of time? (Startups with no revenue, companies outside your region, etc.)
  • Is there a dealbreaker? (For example: “Must use Salesforce” or “Only companies with 100+ employees”)

Write this down. If you skip this, all the filters in the world won’t save you from chasing the wrong leads.

Pro tip: Don’t get too cute with your criteria. Three to five core filters is a good start. You can always refine later.

Step 2: Navigating Echobot’s Filtering Options

Echobot’s filtering tools are genuinely robust — but also a bit overwhelming at first. Here’s what matters (and what doesn’t):

Core Filters That Actually Move the Needle

  1. Industry/Segment: Narrow by industry codes (NACE, SIC, etc.), but check that the codes match your real-world targets. These codes can be messy.
  2. Company Size: Use employee count or revenue bands, but remember: reported numbers are often out of date or rounded.
  3. Location: Filter by country, region, or even specific cities. Don’t forget to exclude regions you don’t serve.
  4. Tech Stack/Keywords: If you sell into companies with specific software, use Echobot’s tech filters or keyword search in company descriptions.
  5. Growth/Signals: Echobot tracks recent hires, funding, press releases, and more. Use these as “intent” signals — but don’t treat them as gospel.

Filters That Sound Cool, But Often Waste Time

  • Very niche custom tags: Unless you’ve got a rock-solid data entry process, these get inconsistent fast.
  • “Contact role” filters: Echobot’s contact data is hit-or-miss. Use it, but don’t expect perfection.
  • Hyper-granular filters (e.g., “companies founded between 2010-2012”): Fun for slicing data, rarely useful for real sales.

Bottom line: Stick to core business metrics and real buying signals. The fancier the filter, the more likely you’re just making your pool smaller for no reason.

Step 3: Building Your First Filtered List

Let’s walk through a typical workflow. Assume you sell B2B SaaS and want mid-sized manufacturing firms in Germany that recently hired a new head of IT.

  1. Industry: Apply the relevant manufacturing NACE/SIC codes.
  2. Location: Set geography to Germany (or specific regions if you only sell locally).
  3. Company Size: Filter to, say, 100–500 employees.
  4. Recent Activity: Use Echobot’s “new hires” or “team growth” signals. Add “IT” or “technology” keywords if you can.
  5. Tech Keywords: If your SaaS integrates with SAP, filter for companies mentioning SAP.

Run the search. You’ll probably get a smaller list than you hoped. That’s normal — and good. A focused list of 30 is better than 500 random companies you’ll never reach.

Pro tip: Save your filter set as a segment or smart list in Echobot so you can revisit and tweak it later.

Step 4: Sanity-Check Your Results

Don’t blindly trust any automated list. Before you start hammering out emails:

  • Spot-check a handful of results. Look up a few companies on LinkedIn or their own site. Do they fit your criteria?
  • Check for weird data gaps. Missing employee counts, generic company names, or duplicate entries are a red flag.
  • Are the “signals” real? Sometimes Echobot pulls in noisy or outdated news. Don’t base your outreach on a single mention.

If something looks off, adjust your filters. It’s normal to go through a few iterations.

What to ignore: Don’t waste hours perfecting your list. Good enough is fine — you’ll never get 100% accuracy.

Step 5: Using Filters to Prioritize Outreach

Not all filtered leads are created equal. Use your filters to sort and prioritize:

  • Recent signals: Companies with recent funding, hiring, or expansion activity should go to the top of your call list.
  • Firm fit: Companies that hit all your core criteria get “A” priority. Looser matches go lower.
  • Contact data quality: If Echobot has direct emails or phone numbers, bump those up.

You can tag or color-code these in your CRM or export lists for your team. Just don’t let the “perfect” be the enemy of “done.”

Step 6: Keeping Your Lists Fresh

Here’s the harsh truth: no list stays accurate for long. People leave, companies change, and last quarter’s hot lead goes cold. Here’s how to keep things from getting stale:

  • Rerun your saved filters monthly. New companies pop up, and old ones drop off.
  • Update your criteria. If you notice you’re never closing deals with a certain segment, cut them out.
  • Flag bounces/bad data. If you hit lots of dead emails, mark those companies so you don’t waste time again.

Pro tip: Don’t rely on Echobot alone. Cross-check with LinkedIn, company sites, or other data sources if a deal really matters.

What Actually Works (and What’s Overhyped)

Works: - Starting with a clear ICP (ideal customer profile) and filtering hard to match it - Using growth and hiring signals as a tie-breaker, not the only criteria - Regularly refreshing your lists and criteria

Doesn’t work: - Chasing every “possible” lead just because they show up in a filter - Falling for “AI” or “smart” signals without sanity-checking - Spending more time perfecting lists than actually talking to prospects

Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate Often

Don’t let the bells and whistles of advanced filters distract you. The whole point is to spend more time selling to people who might actually buy, and less time sorting through junk. Set up a few strong filters, test your results, and be ruthless about what works and what doesn’t.

Keep your process simple. Adjust as you learn. The best sales teams aren’t the ones with the fanciest filters — they’re the ones who actually pick up the phone.

Now go clean up that pipeline.