Looking to get notified when a new lead pops up in your target market—without sifting through a mountain of irrelevant emails? This guide is for sales folks, founders, or anyone else tired of “alerts” that just create more work. I’ll show you how to set up targeted, reliable new lead alerts using Seamless, but the approach works with most modern tools. No fluff, no silver bullets—just what actually gets the job done.
Why Alerts Fall Flat (And How to Make Them Useful)
Let’s get real: most lead alerts are either too broad or too narrow. Too broad, and you’re stuck with notifications about leads you’ll never contact. Too narrow, and you miss good ones. The trick is finding the sweet spot—alerts that actually tell you about real opportunities, in your market, without pinging you all day.
A good alert system does three things: - Tells you about leads you actually care about—no junk. - Notifies you where you’ll see it (email, Slack, whatever works for you). - Is easy to tweak as your needs change.
Here’s how to set up alerts that fit your market segment, without drowning in noise.
Step 1: Define Your Preferred Market Segment (For Real)
Before you even log in, get specific about who you want to hear about. “Tech companies” is not a segment. “B2B SaaS companies with 50–200 employees in North America” is. The more specific you get here, the less junk you’ll deal with later.
Key questions: - Industry: What verticals actually buy from you? - Company size: Employees, revenue, or both? - Geography: Where do you do business? - Tech stack: Are there tools or platforms your best customers use? - Job titles: Who are the real decision-makers?
Pro tip: Don’t overthink this. Start specific, but not so narrow you’ll never get an alert. You can always tweak it later.
Step 2: Build a Precise Search in Seamless
Now, jump into Seamless and use their search filters to match your segment. The filters you choose here are what drive your alerts—so take the time to get this right.
What to do: - Use the advanced filters. Don’t just type in a keyword. - Filter by industry, company size, location, and any other must-haves. - Add job titles or roles if you only want alerts for certain contacts. - Save your search with a clear name (e.g., “US SaaS 50-200 Employees”).
Things to watch out for: - Don’t trust default filters—they’re usually too broad. - Watch for “category creep.” Sometimes, a filter like “Software” pulls in every IT services firm under the sun. - Test your search. Scroll through the first two pages of results. If you see lots of junk, tighten your filters.
If Seamless doesn’t have a filter you need: You’re not alone. Try adding a keyword, or use company descriptions as a workaround. Not perfect, but better than nothing.
Step 3: Set Up Alerts (and Control the Firehose)
With your search dialed in, set up alerts so you’re notified when new leads match your criteria. In Seamless, this usually means saving the search and turning on notifications.
How to do it: - Find the “alerts” or “notifications” option next to your saved search. - Choose where you want alerts delivered (email, Slack, browser, etc.). - Pick how often you want updates: real-time, daily, weekly. (Start with daily—you don’t need pings for every trickle.) - Double-check notification settings so you don’t miss messages or get flooded.
Pro tip: Avoid real-time alerts unless you’re in a super-competitive market where speed really matters. Otherwise, daily summaries are plenty.
Honest take: Seamless (and similar platforms) sometimes miss new leads or double up on old ones. Don’t expect perfection. This is a filter, not a crystal ball.
Step 4: Test and Tweak Your Alerts
Don’t just “set and forget.” The first week is your chance to see if your alerts are actually useful—or just another inbox headache.
What to do next: - Open every alert for the first few days. Are you seeing the right types of companies and contacts? - If you’re getting junk: Go back and sharpen your filters. Sometimes one bad setting opens the floodgates. - If you’re missing good leads: Loosen up a filter or add a new job title. - Ask yourself: “Would I really reach out to these leads?” If not, change something.
What not to do: - Don’t ignore your alerts for a week and hope they get better on their own. - Don’t add so many filters you never get notified—unless your market is truly that niche.
Pro tip: Block 10 minutes each week to review and tweak your alert settings. It’s the difference between “useful tool” and “just more noise.”
Step 5: Plug Alerts Into Your Workflow (So You Actually Use Them)
An alert is only useful if you see it—and act on it. Figure out where you’re most likely to notice new leads, and set things up so they land there.
Options: - Email: Good if you check it all day, bad if you already drown in emails. - Slack/Teams: Great for fast-moving sales teams, but can get lost in chat if your channel’s busy. - CRM integration: If Seamless (or your tool) allows, feed leads straight into your CRM. One less step.
Automation tip: Use tools like Zapier or native integrations to send leads wherever you want. Just watch out for over-complicating things—sometimes simple email is best.
Reality check: No matter where your alerts go, you still need to act on them. Set aside time daily or weekly to actually review and reach out.
What to Ignore (Unless You Like Wasting Time)
- “AI Recommendations”: These sound cool, but usually surface the same stuff as your filters—just less transparent.
- Default “Hot Leads” lists: These are generic and often full of irrelevant contacts. Build your own.
- Overly complex automations: If you need a flowchart to explain your alert system, it’s too much. Start simple.
Common Pitfalls (and How to Dodge Them)
- Too many alerts: More isn’t better. You’ll just start ignoring them.
- Never updating your filters: Markets change. Your criteria should too.
- Letting alerts pile up: If you’re not acting on them, turn them off or fix your filters.
If you find yourself ignoring alerts: Pause them. Go back and fix the root cause, or drop them entirely. There’s no shame in pruning.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Stay Nimble
The goal isn’t to have the fanciest alert system—it’s to actually find new leads you care about, when you care about them. Start with a focused search, test your alerts, and don’t be afraid to tweak or even turn them off if they’re not working. Most importantly: keep it simple, review regularly, and don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. If your alerts save you time and surface real opportunities, you’re doing it right.