Why cleaning matters
Every bad row costs you: a bounce hurts deliverability, a wrong-fit email wastes a send and annoys someone, and emailing an existing client looks careless. Clean lists get more replies from fewer emails.
Step 1: Remove duplicates
The same business can appear under several keywords or cities, and chains share emails across locations. Prospect Cheap removes duplicate businesses when searches merge; also check for the same email on several rows before exporting.
Step 2: Check categories
Sort by the Category column. Keyword searches sometimes bring in neighbouring niches ("dentist" can pull in dental labs). Remove what doesn't fit.
Step 3: Remove chains and franchises
Unless you sell to them, chains usually decide centrally. Filter by name patterns or look for businesses with many locations.
Step 4: Remove existing customers and past conversations
Compare against your CRM by website or email.
Step 5: Handle emails carefully
- remove rows without an email from your email campaign (keep them for calls)
- check the email status column and drop risky ones
- prefer personal emails over role emails when both exist
- verify large lists before sending — see verifying emails
Step 6: Check names
If you personalise with first names, scan for odd values (company names in the name field, initials). Use a fallback greeting where the name is missing or uncertain; the owner confidence column helps.
Step 7: Standardise
Consistent capitalisation in names and cities makes merge fields look natural ("Austin", not "AUSTIN").
Step 8: Segment and export
Split into segments and export each to its own campaign.
A quick checklist
- duplicates removed
- categories checked
- chains removed (if needed)
- existing customers removed
- emails filtered and verified
- names checked, fallbacks set
- segmented