Deep Research Lead Qualifier
Automate lead qualification by using AI to analyze spreadsheet data, update records, and notify your team via email, ensuring everyone stays informed effortlessly.
Want to automatically research and qualify leads before outreach? This tutorial shows how to build a deep lead research workflow in Needle that investigates prospects and scores their potential.
Overview
The workflow takes a lead's company name, researches them across web, news, and social media, and generates a qualification report—turning hours of manual research into automated intelligence in minutes.
Key Actions
- Lead Input – Provide company name or LinkedIn URL from Google Sheets or CRM
- Company Research – Searches web for company information, news, and social presence
- AI Analysis – Evaluates company fit, buying signals, and pain points
- Lead Scoring – Assigns qualification score based on ICP match
- Report Generation – Creates structured research brief with outreach recommendations
What You'll Need
- Lead List – Google Sheets with company names or LinkedIn URLs Tip: Include industry and company size if already known to improve accuracy
- ICP Definition – Your ideal customer profile criteria
- Output Destination – Google Sheets, CRM (HubSpot/Salesforce), or Notion
How It Works
For each lead in your list:
- The workflow searches the web for the company name
- Multiple research streams run in parallel:
- Company Website: Extracts products, services, team size
- News Search: Finds recent company news, funding announcements
- LinkedIn: Finds company page and key decision makers
- Job Postings: Identifies hiring patterns (indicates growth)
- AI analyzes gathered data to determine:
- ICP Fit (Score: /100): How well they match your ideal customer
- Buying Signals: Recent funding, hiring, technology adoption
- Pain Points: Identified challenges your product solves
- Decision Makers: Key contacts and their roles
- Competitive Intel: Current solutions they're using
- A research brief is generated with:
- Company overview (size, industry, location)
- Recent developments
- Buying signals detected
- Recommended outreach angle
- Key contacts to target
- Lead is scored and routed:
- A-tier (80-100): Immediate sales outreach
- B-tier (60-79): Nurture campaign
- C-tier (<60): Disqualify or long-term nurture
Wrap-up
With this Needle workflow, sales teams can research and qualify dozens of leads daily without manual Googling—ensuring reps only spend time on high-potential prospects with personalized, informed outreach. Perfect for SDRs, BDRs, and sales teams running outbound campaigns.