Qualify New LinkedIn Connections

Automatically research and qualify every new LinkedIn connection with AI. This workflow scores each person's potential as a lead (1-10), researches their company and profile via LinkedIn API, and saves enriched data to Google Sheets—helping you prioritize which connections to engage with first.

Why teams use it

• Never miss a warm lead: Automatically qualify new connections while they're still engaged
• AI-powered research: Web search + LinkedIn API for comprehensive profile and company data
• Lead scoring (1-10): Prioritize high-fit prospects for immediate follow-up
• Batch processing: Qualify 100+ connections in one run
• Export to CRM: Save enriched data to Google Sheets for import into Salesforce, HubSpot, or Attio

How it works

1. Export LinkedIn connections to Google Sheets (Connections.csv from LinkedIn)
2. Load connections from Google Sheets into the workflow
3. Parse CSV data into structured format (First Name, Last Name, Company, Position, Connected On)
4. AI web research gathers information about each person:
   • Recent professional activity
   • Published content or articles
   • Company news or achievements
   • Relevant context for qualification
5. LinkedIn company lookup via LinkedIn API:
   • Full company profile
   • Employee count
   • Industry and specialties
   • Company size and growth stage
6. LinkedIn member profile lookup:
   • Current role and experience
   • Skills and endorsements
   • Education and certifications
7. Lead qualification scoring AI rates each person 1-10:
   • 7-10: Strong fit with clear use case and buying intent
   • 4-6: Medium potential, requires nurturing
   • 1-3: Low qualification, unlikely to convert
8. Save to Google Sheets with enriched data:
   • Qualification score
   • Reasoning for score
   • Company details (size, industry)
   • Profile summary

How to get your LinkedIn connections

LinkedIn allows you to export your connection data:

1. Go to linkedin.com/mypreferences/d/download-my-data
2. Select "Connections" from the data export options
3. Request the export (LinkedIn will email you when ready, usually within 10 minutes)
4. Download the Connections.csv file
5. Upload to Google Sheets at the URL specified in the workflow

Expected columns: First Name, Last Name, Company, Position, Connected On

What makes a high-quality lead?

The AI qualification scores based on:

7-10: High Priority (Immediate Follow-up)

• Role fit: Decision-maker, operations leader, growth/marketing role
• Company size: 10-500 employees (sweet spot for B2B SaaS)
• Industry: Technology, SaaS, consulting, agencies
• Buying signals: Posts about automation, productivity, or AI tools
• Clear use case: Job role matches your product's ideal use case

4-6: Medium Priority (Nurture)

• Some potential: Right industry but junior role
• Company stage: Very early startup or enterprise (slower sales cycle)
• Generic fit: Could benefit but not obvious high-value use case
• Requires education: Not familiar with automation or your product category

1-3: Low Priority (Archive)

• Wrong industry: No clear fit for your product
• Wrong role: Individual contributor with no buying power
• Company stage: Too early (pre-product) or too large (enterprise buying process)
• No use case: Job function doesn't align with your solution

Google Sheets output format

The workflow writes enriched data back to Google Sheets:

Setup (10-15 minutes)

1. Export LinkedIn connections following the guide above
2. Upload to Google Sheets (input sheet for raw data)
3. Create output Google Sheet for enriched data (or use the same sheet)
4. Connect integrations:
   • Google Sheets (for reading and writing data)
   • LinkedIn API (for company and profile lookups)
5. Update Google Sheets URLs in the workflow:
   • Input: "Get Values in Range" node
   • Output: "Update Multiple Rows" node
6. Customize qualification criteria in the AI system prompt:
   • Define your ideal customer profile
   • Specify what makes a high-quality lead for your business
   • Adjust scoring thresholds
7. Test with 5-10 connections before running full batch
8. Run manually or schedule weekly to process new connections

Tips for best results

• Process in batches: Start with your 50 most recent connections to test scoring accuracy
• Customize the qualification prompt: Update the AI system prompt to match your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile)
• Add filtering: Use a code node to skip already-processed connections
• Enrich with more data: Add Clearbit, Apollo, or ZoomInfo nodes for additional enrichment
• Connect to your CRM: Use Zapier or Make.com to push qualified leads (score 7+) directly to Salesforce/HubSpot
• Schedule weekly runs: Process new connections automatically every Monday morning
• A/B test scoring: Track conversion rates by score to refine your qualification criteria

What makes this workflow powerful

Unlike manual qualification or basic LinkedIn searches:

• AI research at scale: Researches each person with web search + LinkedIn API (would take hours manually)
• Consistent scoring: AI applies the same criteria to every connection (no bias or fatigue)
• Rich context: Combines web research, LinkedIn profile, and company data for comprehensive qualification
• Batch processing: Qualifies 100+ connections in 10-15 minutes
• CRM-ready output: Structured data ready to import into your sales tools
• Runs in parallel: Processes multiple connections simultaneously for speed

Use cases

Sales teams

• Qualify inbound LinkedIn connections from content marketing
• Score event attendees who connected on LinkedIn
• Prioritize which warm leads to reach out to first

Founders

• Identify which connections might become customers, investors, or partners
• Research connections before 1:1 meetings
• Build a qualified pipeline from organic LinkedIn growth

Recruiters

• Qualify candidates who connect after job postings
• Research potential hires before outreach
• Prioritize which passive candidates to engage with

Business development

• Score partnership opportunities from LinkedIn connections
• Research potential integration partners
• Identify warm introductions to target accounts

FAQ

How accurate is the lead scoring? The AI is as accurate as your qualification criteria. Start by testing with 10-20 connections and refining the system prompt based on results. Most teams achieve 80-90% accuracy after tuning.

Do I need LinkedIn Premium? No. The workflow uses LinkedIn's public API for company and profile lookups, which doesn't require Premium. However, LinkedIn Premium can help you gather more connections to qualify.

Can I customize the scoring criteria? Yes. Edit the system prompt in the "Lead Qualification" AI node to define what makes a good lead for your specific business.

How do I handle connections without company data? The LinkedIn API lookup will return partial data if available. You can add a filter node to skip connections without sufficient data, or adjust the qualification prompt to handle missing information.

Can I re-run this on the same connections? Yes. The workflow doesn't track which connections have been processed. Add a "Status" column to your Google Sheet and use a code node to skip already-processed rows.

What if I have 1,000+ connections? Process in batches of 100-200 at a time to avoid API rate limits. You can add a filter node to process rows 1-100, then 101-200, etc.

Does it work with LinkedIn Sales Navigator? Yes. Export your connections from Sales Navigator using the same LinkedIn data export process, then upload to Google Sheets.

Can I use this for other lead sources? Absolutely. Adjust the Google Sheets input to match any data source (CSV uploads, Zapier, API imports) as long as you have company name and person's name.

Ready to automatically qualify your LinkedIn network? Open the template and start scoring your connections in minutes.