How I Actually Find Quality Leads That Convert

I've been refining my lead generation workflow lately, and this current approach has been working really well for a client I'm working with. It's not revolutionary, but it's reliable and honestly, that's what matters when you're trying to hit your numbers.

Here's the thing: everyone talks about "quality over quantity," but nobody really explains how to get there systematically. So I'm breaking down my actual process, complete with the boring parts that make all the difference.

Step 1: Apollo Search (The Foundation)

I start every campaign in Apollo, but I've learned that your filters make or break everything downstream. I'm pretty specific here:

• Industry keywords that actually matter (not just broad categories)

• Job titles and seniority levels that align with who actually makes decisions

• Company size that fits what we're selling

• Location parameters that make sense for the campaign

The magic number for me is 1,000 contacts minimum before I even think about moving forward. Anything less and I'm probably being too narrow, or I don't have enough volume to make the campaign worthwhile.

Step 2: Clay for Cleanup (The Critical Part)

Once I export from Apollo, everything goes into Clay for cleanup. This is where I get the list ready for enrichment.

My cleanup checklist:

• Deduping (more duplicates than you'd think)

• Email verification (bounces kill your sender reputation)

• Company name normalization (Apollo sometimes gets creative with naming)

Here's the part that took me too long to learn: I filter for "safe to send" emails only. I don't care how perfect a lead looks on paper-if the email's risky, they're out. Your deliverability is worth more than any single contact.

Step 3: Enrichment (Where the Magic Happens)

This is where things get interesting, and honestly, where most of the ROI lives. The enrichments I use depend entirely on what I'm trying to accomplish, but here's where AI has completely changed the game.

For my current client, I use GPT to research company websites and summarize their mission, plus flag any past or upcoming events they've mentioned. Then I take that research and feed it into Claude with a custom prompt that suggests relevant event ideas or ways to enhance their upcoming events using my client's product.

The results are... well, let's just say they're oddly specific and weirdly compelling. I'm getting suggestions that are creative enough to grab attention but practical enough that prospects can actually see themselves implementing them.

Here's what blew my mind: The AI personalization has been a game-changer. Each prospect gets their own custom event idea tailored to their company's mission and context. It's not just "Hey, saw you're in tech", it's "I noticed your organization focuses on youth education, and you mentioned your upcoming annual gala. Here's a specific way our platform could help you create an interactive donor engagement experience that showcases student success stories in real-time."

The client feedback has been telling: prospects are actually responding because these suggestions hit real pain points and show we understand their business. One prospect literally replied, "How did you know we were struggling with exactly this?"

The Personalization at Scale Breakthrough

Here's what I love about this approach: I can generate genuinely creative, relevant suggestions for hundreds of prospects without manually brainstorming for each one. The AI does the heavy lifting of connecting company missions to event possibilities, while I focus on the strategy and execution.

It's like having a creative brainstorming session with someone who's researched every single prospect, never gets tired, and somehow always has ideas that are just left-field enough to be memorable but practical enough to actually work.

What I've Learned Along the Way

Volume matters, but not how you think. Starting with 1,000+ contacts isn't about sending to all of them, it's about having enough quality options after cleanup and enrichment.

Cleanup isn't optional. Many people rush through this step. Big mistake. Better to send to 800 verified contacts than 1,200 unverified ones, your deliverability and response rates will thank you.

Enrichment should match your message. Don't enrich data just because you can. Figure out what your campaign actually needs, then enrich for that. Otherwise you're just creating busy work.

AI-generated personalization hits different. When the suggestions are genuinely creative and relevant, people notice. It's not just about using their company name, it's about showing you understand their world.

The Bottom Line

The real breakthrough here has been achieving personalization at scale. I can now generate genuinely relevant, specific suggestions for hundreds of prospects without manually researching each one. And in a world where everyone's inbox is drowning in generic outreach, having a systematic approach to actually meaningful personalization is becoming the only way to stand out.