Qualify Leads with Deep Research
Automate lead qualification by using AI to analyze spreadsheet data, update records, and notify your team via email, ensuring everyone stays informed effortlessly.
Last updated
October 1, 2025
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Key Takeaways
- AI-powered lead qualification - Uses GPT-4.1 to evaluate each lead in your spreadsheet and determine relevance automatically
- Google Sheets integration - Reads lead data from a spreadsheet, processes it, and writes results back to the same sheet
- Parallel processing - Runs AI evaluation and row lookup simultaneously, then merges results before updating
- Email notifications - Sends a Gmail notification to your team once the research is complete
- No manual review needed - The AI makes true/false relevance decisions so your team only focuses on qualified leads
What This Workflow Does
This Needle workflow automates lead qualification by reading data from a Google Sheets spreadsheet, running each entry through an AI evaluation using GPT-4.1, and writing the relevance results back to the sheet. Once all leads are processed, it sends an email notification to keep your team informed. Instead of manually researching each lead, the AI handles the evaluation and your spreadsheet stays up to date automatically.
Use cases:
- Qualifying inbound leads from a spreadsheet before sales outreach
- Scoring and filtering large lists of prospects against your ideal customer profile
- Automating repetitive lead research that would otherwise take hours of manual work
How It Works
| Step | What Happens |
|---|---|
| 1. Manual Trigger | You start the workflow manually when you have new leads to process |
| 2. Google Sheets: Get Values | Fetches all data from your lead spreadsheet |
| 3. Code (JavaScript) | Parses the raw sheet data into structured key-value pairs using headers |
| 4. AI Agent (GPT-4.1) | Evaluates each lead and returns a true/false relevance decision |
| 5. Google Sheets: Find Row | Locates the matching row for each lead in the spreadsheet |
| 6. Transform + Merge | Combines the AI relevance result with the row data |
| 7. Google Sheets: Update Rows | Writes the relevance values back to the spreadsheet |
| 8. Gmail: Send Email | Sends a notification email that the research is complete |
Workflow Nodes
| Node | Role |
|---|---|
| Manual Trigger | Starts the workflow on demand |
| Google Sheets: Get Values in Range | Reads lead data from your spreadsheet |
| Code (JavaScript) | Converts raw rows into structured objects with headers as keys |
| AI Agent (GPT-4.1) | Evaluates each lead for relevance, returning true or false |
| Google Sheets: Find Row | Finds the specific row for each lead item |
| Transform (clean row) | Removes the index field from the found row data |
| Transform (wrap result) | Wraps the AI relevance result into a structured object |
| Merge | Combines the AI evaluation and row lookup results into one dataset |
| Google Sheets: Update Multiple Rows | Writes relevance values back to the "Relevant" column |
| Google Sheets: Update Row | Updates individual rows as needed |
| Gmail: Send Email | Sends a notification email when processing is complete |
Setup Instructions
- Add the "Qualify Leads with Deep Research" workflow template to your Needle workspace
- Connect your Google Sheets account so the workflow can read and update your spreadsheet
- Connect your Gmail account for sending notification emails
- Update the Google Sheets URL in the nodes to point to your own lead spreadsheet
- Adjust the AI prompt to match your specific qualification criteria and ideal customer profile
Customization
| What You Can Change | How |
|---|---|
| Qualification criteria | Edit the AI Agent's system prompt to define what makes a lead relevant to your business |
| AI model | Change the model in the AI Agent node (default is GPT-4.1) |
| Spreadsheet source | Update the Google Sheets URL in the Get Values and Find Row nodes |
| Notification recipient | Change the email address in the Gmail Send Email node |
| Column to update | Modify the Update Multiple Rows instructions to target a different column |
| Processing mode | For large datasets, use the Update Row node instead of Update Multiple Rows for better reliability |
FAQ
Q: How many leads can this workflow process at once? A: The workflow processes all rows in your spreadsheet. For very large datasets, the sticky note in the template recommends using the single Update Row node instead of Update Multiple Rows for better reliability.
Q: What format does my spreadsheet need to be in? A: Your spreadsheet should have column headers in the first row. The Code node automatically maps headers to values, so any column structure works as long as the first row contains headers.
Q: Can I change the AI evaluation from true/false to a score? A: Yes. Edit the AI Agent's system prompt to return a numeric score or any other format you prefer, and adjust the Transform and Update nodes accordingly.
Q: Does the workflow run automatically on a schedule? A: By default it uses a Manual Trigger, so you start it when ready. You can replace the Manual Trigger with a Scheduled Trigger if you want it to run on a recurring basis.
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