If you're running B2B sales and need to actually reach the right people—not just dump a list into another tool—this is for you. This guide will walk you through getting your leads into Emelia and sorting them into groups that actually make sense for your team. No fluff, just what works, what to skip, and where people get tripped up.
Why bother segmenting leads at all?
Before we get into the how, let’s be clear on the why: lumping every contact into a “leads” bucket is lazy and makes your outreach weaker. Segmenting lets you send the right message to the right folks. It also stops your reps from stepping on each other’s toes. Yes, it takes a bit more time upfront, but it saves you hours (and awkward follow-ups) later.
Step 1: Get your leads ready
Emelia won’t magically fix a messy spreadsheet. Garbage in, garbage out. Before you even open the app:
- Clean your data. Remove duplicates, empty rows, and contacts missing key info like email or company name. Quick tip: Excel’s “Remove Duplicates” and “Filter” are your friends.
- Standardize columns. Make sure your spreadsheet columns are clearly named. Use “First Name,” “Last Name,” “Company,” “Email,” “Industry,” etc.—not weird abbreviations or internal codes.
- Double-check emails. If you’re importing a big batch, run them through a free email checker first. Nothing tanks deliverability faster than a bunch of bounced emails.
Pro tip: Keep a “Source” column. Knowing where your leads came from (LinkedIn, event, inbound, purchased list) will help you segment better later.
Step 2: Import leads into Emelia
Once your file’s ready, importing into Emelia is straightforward, but there are a few things to watch for.
- Log in to Emelia.
- Head to the “Leads” or “Contacts” section—Emelia sometimes tweaks the wording, but you’re looking for your main contact list.
- Look for the “Import” or “Add leads” button. This usually lets you upload a CSV or Excel file.
- Upload your file. Emelia will prompt you to map your spreadsheet columns to its internal fields. Take your time here:
- Make sure “Email” lines up with “Email,” “First Name” with “First Name,” etc.
- If a column doesn’t match, either map it to a custom field or skip it.
- Review the import preview. Double-check that everything looks right. This is your last chance to catch mistakes before a thousand bad records hit your CRM.
- Import. Hit confirm. Emelia will churn for a bit and (hopefully) give you a summary of how many leads were imported, skipped, or flagged with errors.
What can go wrong here?
- Bad formatting: Emelia will reject rows if emails are missing or formatted weirdly.
- Duplicate records: Depending on your settings, Emelia might ignore duplicates or just stack them. Check your import summary.
- Custom fields: If you use columns Emelia doesn’t recognize, you’ll need to set those up as custom fields. Don’t ignore these—they’re gold for segmentation later.
Step 3: Segment your leads (this is where the magic happens)
Now you’ve got leads in Emelia, but they’re just a pile. Let’s sort them into groups that actually help you work.
What actually matters for segmentation?
Don’t overthink it. Start simple—segment on what will change your messaging or workflow. For most B2B teams, these are the basics:
- Industry: Tech, Finance, Healthcare, etc.
- Company size: SMB, Mid-market, Enterprise. (You can estimate with employee count if you have it.)
- Job title or function: Decision-makers vs. end users vs. champions.
- Lead source: Where you got them (events, inbound, scraped, referrals).
- Stage in pipeline: New, contacted, demo booked, etc.
How to segment in Emelia
- Use Filters or Views: In Emelia, you can set up filters based on any field. For instance, filter for “Industry = SaaS” or “Employee count > 500.”
- Create Groups or Tags: Most CRMs (Emelia included) let you tag leads or drop them into static groups. Use tags like “Q3 event,” “CFO,” “High Priority,” etc.
- Save Segments: Good tools let you save these filters as reusable segments. For example, “Enterprise Healthcare Leads” becomes its own clickable list.
- Automate (where it makes sense): Some versions of Emelia let you set up rules. E.g., “If industry = Finance, add tag ‘Finance’.” Don’t go wild automating everything—start with what you’ll actually use.
Honest take: Don’t bother segmenting on data you’ll never use. If “Favorite Sandwich” is a field but you never plan to personalize by it, skip it.
When to re-segment
Your segments aren’t set in stone. As you learn what messaging works (or doesn’t), tweak your segments. Maybe “SMB” is too broad—split it into “1-10 employees” and “11-50” if your approach is different.
Step 4: Assign leads to owners or campaigns
Segmenting’s great, but if you don’t assign leads, you end up with “too many cooks in the kitchen.” Here’s how to get organized:
- Bulk assign by segment: In Emelia, select a segment and assign all leads to a rep or a campaign in one go. Don’t assign by hand unless you hate free time.
- Use tags for ownership: Some teams tag by owner (“Owned: Sam”), which makes reassigning easy if roles change.
- Set up campaigns based on segments: This is where segmentation pays off. Different messaging for “Enterprise CTOs” vs. “Startup founders” gets better results.
Pro tip: Review assignments weekly. Leads slip through the cracks when no one’s looking. Don’t let the “unassigned” pile grow.
Step 5: Keep your segments clean
It’s tempting to “set and forget” your segments. That’s how you end up with a mess a year from now. Stay on top of it:
- Review segments monthly. Archive what’s outdated.
- Merge duplicates. Emelia isn’t perfect—duplicates happen, especially if you import from multiple sources.
- Update fields. If you learn more about a lead (e.g., job title changes), update their record. Better data = better targeting.
What to ignore (and what to double down on)
Don’t waste time on:
- Overly complex segment trees. No one needs a “Marketing Managers at 51-53 person SaaS companies in Nebraska who attended our 2022 webinar.” Keep it actionable.
- Fields you’ll never use. If you’re not going to personalize by “Fax Number,” don’t bother importing it.
Focus on:
- Segments that change your approach. If you write different emails to CEOs than to VPs, that’s worth a segment.
- Lead source. It’s easy to forget, but knowing where leads came from is huge for tracking ROI.
Quick troubleshooting
- Import errors? Nine times out of ten, it’s a formatting issue. Open your CSV in Notepad to spot hidden characters.
- Weird duplicates? Check if emails are being used as the unique identifier. If not, that’s your culprit.
- Segments not saving? Emelia’s support docs are okay, but their help chat is usually quicker for bug-type issues.
Wrapping up: Keep it simple, iterate as you go
There’s no perfect way to import and segment leads, but if you keep it simple and tweak as you learn, you’ll stay ahead of the teams who just dump everyone into one list. Don’t let perfect get in the way of done. Clean data, clear segments, and regular upkeep beat fancy features every time.
Now go import, segment, and actually reach the right people.