The End of Manual Research: How Smart Columns Change Prospecting Forever

The End of Manual Research: How Smart Columns Change Prospecting Forever

Ask any SDR what they spend most of their time doing and you’ll get the same answer.
Research.

Finding company details. Reading LinkedIn profiles. Skimming websites.
It’s slow, repetitive, and mentally draining.

The irony is that most of that work is the same every day. Everyone’s searching for the same things: company size, industry, job title, maybe what tools they use.

Cleanlist built Smart Columns to remove that grind completely.
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The Real Prospecting Problem

Prospecting isn’t hard because there aren’t enough leads.
It’s hard because understanding who’s actually worth contacting takes forever.

You export a list, then jump between LinkedIn, Crunchbase, Google, and a dozen open tabs just to find one useful fact.
By the time you finish, your list is smaller and your motivation is gone.

Most data tools give you contact info but no context.
You get a name, an email, and maybe a phone number. But nothing that tells you who this person is, what their company does, or why they might be a fit.

That’s where Smart Columns step in.
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What Smart Columns Actually Do

Smart Columns are Cleanlist’s way of adding instant context to your data.
They don’t just fill blanks. They explain your leads.

When you enrich a list inside Cleanlist, Smart Columns automatically populate with insights about each person and company.
The goal is simple: give every rep the research they need before they even start looking.

Here are some of the most used Smart Columns:

• ICP Match (%): Scores each contact on how closely they fit your ideal customer profile.
• LinkedIn Research: Summarizes what the person actually does, not just their job title.
• Website Summary: Gives a clear, one-line overview of what the company does.
• Competitor Companies: Lists who they compete with, so you can personalize your pitch.
• Tech Stack: Identifies which tools and platforms they use.
• Growth Signals: Flags recent hiring, funding, or expansion.

The result is a list that feels alive. Every row tells a story.
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Before and After Smart Columns

Before:
You spend your morning scrolling LinkedIn, checking websites, copying notes into a spreadsheet, and trying to guess which prospects are worth your time.

After:
You upload your CSV to Cleanlist, turn on Smart Columns, and get a list that already tells you who fits your ICP, what each company does, and where to start the conversation.

That difference might sound small, but it changes everything.
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How It Works Behind the Scenes

Here’s what happens when you run Smart Columns:

1. Base Enrichment: Cleanlist starts by verifying basic contact info like email, phone, and company domain.
2. Signal Collection: It scans public sources such as company websites, professional profiles, and industry databases.
3. AI Interpretation: The system summarizes what that data actually means. For example, instead of “Uses HubSpot,” it says “Company manages marketing automation with HubSpot.”
4. Scoring: The AI evaluates how strong each data point is and updates the relevant Smart Column.

In about a minute, you have a list that’s fully researched and ready for action.
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Why This Changes Prospecting Forever

Smart Columns make personalization effortless.
You can sort by ICP score, see who’s growing, and add specific details to your outreach in seconds.

That means:

• You stop wasting time researching low-fit leads.
• Every email and call feels more personal.
• Your CRM becomes more valuable over time.
• You build campaigns on facts, not guesses.

For revenue teams, this is what scalable personalization actually looks like.
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A New Way to Prospect

Prospecting used to be a trade-off between quality and speed.
You could move fast and sound generic, or move slow and sound smart.

With Smart Columns, you finally get both.

Reps can open Cleanlist, see a list enriched with real insights, and start connecting immediately.
Marketing teams can use those same insights to build targeted campaigns without manual research.

Everyone gets to spend time on what matters: having conversations instead of collecting data.
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Why It Matters Right Now

In 2025, sales efficiency is the difference between hitting quota and missing it.
Budgets are tighter, buying cycles are longer, and teams can’t afford wasted effort.

That’s why automation that actually improves quality — not just speed — is so important.

Smart Columns don’t replace human judgment.
They give you the information you need to make it faster.
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Key Takeaways

• Manual research slows down every part of prospecting.
• Smart Columns automate research directly inside your data.
• Each column adds real context like ICP fit, LinkedIn insights, and company summaries.
• You move from raw data to ready-to-contact leads instantly.
• Sales and marketing teams save hours and convert more.

Smart Columns are how modern teams do research — without ever opening a new tab.