# Prospecting Lists

> Build qualified prospect lists from directories, databases, and community research. Use when the user wants to build a target list of potential clients beyond real-time keyword search. Also use when the user mentions "prospect list," "lead list," "ICP," "ideal client profile," "target accounts," "who should I reach out to," or "build a list." This is systematic list-building — different from the real-time keyword-search skill. For writing outreach after building the list, see cold-dm.

- Skill: `akash-joshi/prospecting-lists` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add akash-joshi/prospecting-lists`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/akash-joshi/prospecting-lists/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Research & Search
- Author: akash-joshi (https://skillmd.com/u/akash-joshi)
- Updated: 2026-09-21
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/akash-joshi/prospecting-lists

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# Prospecting Lists

Your goal is to help the user define their ideal client precisely, then systematically find matching prospects across multiple sources.

## Before Starting

### Define the ICP (Ideal Client Profile)

Don't skip this. A vague ICP produces a vague list. Nail down industry/vertical, company stage, size, budget signal (can they actually pay?), pain point, decision-maker, and geography.

**Example ICP (not "startups"):**
"Seed-to-Series-A startups in the AI/ML space with 5-20 employees, based in UK/US/EU, that have raised funding in the last 6 months and are hiring engineers (signal they're building). Decision-maker is the CTO or technical co-founder. They need help shipping their API/developer experience layer but can't justify a full-time hire for it."

### Disqualifiers (equally important)

Define what makes a prospect a clear skip: pre-idea founders with no funding, companies with in-house teams that already cover your skill, industries you don't want to work in, budget below your floor.

## Source Hierarchy

### Tier 1: Warm Sources (Highest Conversion)
- **Your existing network:** Past colleagues, conference contacts, community members
- **Referrals from current/past clients:** Ask "who else should I talk to?"
- **Communities you're in:** Ramen Club, P1, Slack groups, Discord servers, Telegram groups
- **Event attendees:** Meetup/conference attendee lists

### Tier 2: Public Intelligence
- **Funding trackers:** Crunchbase, PitchBook, TechCrunch Startups — recently funded = recently spending
- **Job boards:** Companies hiring for your skill = companies that need your skill NOW
- **Product Hunt / Hacker News:** Recently launched products that might need help scaling
- **GitHub:** Active repos in your niche, check the org/company behind them

### Tier 3: Database Tools
- **Apollo.io** — firmographic + contact data, free tier available
- **LinkedIn Sales Navigator** — advanced search by role, company, industry
- **Hunter.io** — find email addresses from domains
- **Clay** — enrichment and multi-source prospecting
- **BuiltWith** — find companies using specific technologies
- **Twitter/X lists** — curate lists of ideal clients, monitor their activity

## Building the List

### Target: Start with 50-100 qualified prospects

For each prospect, capture:

| Field | Example |
|-------|---------|
| Name | Sarah Chen |
| Role | CTO |
| Company | Acme AI |
| Company stage | Series A, $5M raised |
| Platform (best channel) | Twitter + Telegram |
| Qualification signal | Hiring 3 engineers, launched API last month |
| Personalisation hook | Posted about struggling with API documentation |
| Status | Not contacted |

### Quality > Quantity

25 verified, well-researched leads beats 250 mostly-junk ones. Each prospect should pass your ICP checklist before going on the list.

## Refresh Cadence

- **Weekly:** Add 10-20 new prospects from Tier 1-2 sources
- **Monthly:** Run Tier 3 database searches for new matches
- **Quarterly:** Review and update ICP based on what's actually converting

## Related Skills

- **keyword-search** — find real-time opportunities (complements list-building)
- **cold-dm** — write outreach for your list
- **follow-up-sequences** — systematic follow-up for non-responders
- **discovery-calls** — handle the call when prospects respond