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  • Sales
  • v1.0.0
  • prospecting

List building tips

Use this skill when building B2B prospect lists, mixing data sources, running enrichment workflows, improving email coverage and bounce rates, cleaning and verifying lists before a campaign, or diagnosing data quality and prospecting efficiency problems.

By Alex VaccaLicense MITView source on GitHub ↗

SKILL.md

List Building Pro Tips

Core Principles

1. Mix Sources

  • Don't rely on just one data provider
  • Each source has different strengths/coverage
  • Combine for maximum coverage

2. Scraping = Step 1

  • Raw scraped data is just the beginning
  • Still need Clay enrichment for:
    • Email verification
    • Phone numbers
    • Company data
    • Custom signals

3. Templates Are Modular

  • Start with proven templates
  • Adjust for specific campaign goals
  • Don't rebuild from scratch

4. Don't Reinvent the Wheel

  • Use existing Clay templates
  • Modify rather than create
  • Learn from what works

Data Quality Hierarchy

1. Verified email (bounced < 2%)
2. Direct phone number
3. Recent activity signal
4. ICP fit confirmed
5. Company enrichment complete

Efficiency Benchmarks

Task Manual Time With Clay
100 prospects 8-10 hours 30 min
500 prospects 40+ hours 1-2 hours
1000 prospects 80+ hours 2-3 hours

Quality Checklist

Before launching any campaign:

  • Email bounce rate < 2%
  • At least 70% email coverage
  • ICP criteria verified
  • Recent signals tagged
  • Duplicates removed
  • Competitor customers flagged
  • Do-not-contact list checked

Common Mistakes

  1. Single source reliance - Limits coverage
  2. Skipping verification - Kills deliverability
  3. Over-filtering - Shrinks TAM too much
  4. Under-filtering - Wastes outreach on bad fits
  5. Ignoring signals - Missing hot prospects

Combines with

Skill Why
lead-sources-guide Choose right sources
clay-enrichment-9step Full enrichment workflow
email-metrics-benchmarks Track deliverability
clay-buying-signals-5 Add signals to lists

Example prompts

Review my list building workflow against the quality checklist.

What's the fastest way to build a 500-prospect list for fintech CFOs?

How do I diagnose why my email bounce rate is above 2%?

Part of Frontal — free, open GTM skills for your AI agent. Browse the library →

Files

1 file ship with this skill. They are installed beside the SKILL.md.

NOTICE1.4 KB
List building tips
Imported from the GTM Skills library by Swan (https://www.gtmskills.com), skills/alex-vacca/list-building-tips
at https://github.com/swan-gtm/gtm-skills/commit/5d786aad0c7b2ca59b1abf1f601f9407ca261996. Written by Alex Vacca (https://linkedin.com/in/alex-vacca).
The skill is shared under the MIT License below; this notice must stay with any copy.

MIT License

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