# PHT Prospecting Workflow - Best Tools First

**Last Updated:** 2026-04-14  
**Status:** Production-ready after successful tests

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## 🎯 The Workflow: Best Tools First

### **TIER 1: Start Here (Always)**

#### **Apify Leads Finder** - Primary prospecting tool
**Use when:** Building any new market list

**Steps:**
1. Define target market (location, industry, size)
2. Use refined config from `apify-test-config-v2.json` as template
3. Run Apify Leads Finder
4. Export results to CSV
5. Load into CRM

**Expected output:**
- 100-1,000 leads with verified emails
- Decision-maker contacts (Operations/Production Managers)
- Company details (size, revenue, website)
- LinkedIn profiles

**Cost:** $1.50 per 1,000 leads  
**Time:** 30-60 seconds  
**Success rate:** 60-80% relevance with good filters

**When to stop:** You have 100+ qualified contacts with emails

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### **TIER 2: Gap Filling (If Tier 1 Incomplete)**

#### **Apify Google Maps Scraper** - Discover local companies
**Use when:** Apify Leads Finder didn't hit target count OR you need addresses

**Steps:**
1. Search by location + keyword (e.g., "apple packing California")
2. Export company list
3. Verify websites exist
4. Enrich with emails separately (Hunter.io or manual)

**Expected output:**
- Company names, addresses, phone numbers
- Websites (if they have them)
- NO emails (requires follow-up)

**Cost:** ~$0.01 per company  
**Time:** 5-10 minutes per search  
**Success rate:** High for discovery, low for immediate outreach

**When to stop:** You have 500+ company names with websites

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### **TIER 3: Manual Research (Last Resort)**

#### **Web Search (Brave API)** - Individual company research
**Use when:** 
- Verifying specific high-value targets
- Can't find company via automated tools
- Need recent news/context before outreach

**Steps:**
1. Search: "[Company Name] + cold storage + location"
2. Find website, verify operations
3. Search: "[Company Name] + operations manager + LinkedIn"
4. Use Hunter.io for email if needed

**Cost:** Free  
**Time:** 10-15 minutes per company  
**Success rate:** 90% for verification, 50% for contact finding

**When to stop:** After 10 companies (too slow to scale)

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## 📋 Market Launch Checklist

### Before running Apify:

- [ ] Define target location (city, state, country)
- [ ] Set company size range (101+ employees minimum)
- [ ] List industry keywords (fruit, citrus, apple, cold storage, etc.)
- [ ] List exclusion keywords (meat, bar, restaurant, etc.)
- [ ] Set lead count target (100 for test, 1,000 for production)

### After Apify run:

- [ ] Export CSV
- [ ] Open in Excel, review first 20 rows
- [ ] Check relevance % (target: 70%+)
- [ ] If <70% relevant → refine filters, run again
- [ ] If 70%+ relevant → proceed to CRM load

### CRM Integration:

- [ ] Import to Close.io / Instantly
- [ ] Deduplicate against existing contacts
- [ ] Tag by market (e.g., "SA-Apify-2026-04")
- [ ] Set up outreach sequence
- [ ] Launch campaign

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## 🔄 Weekly Prospecting Routine

**Monday:** Run Apify for 1 market (rotate weekly)
- Week 1: California
- Week 2: Washington  
- Week 3: New York
- Week 4: Australia
- Week 5: New Zealand
- Week 6: UK
- Week 7: South Africa (refresh)

**Tuesday:** Review results, refine if needed

**Wednesday:** Load into CRM, deduplicate

**Thursday:** Launch outreach sequences

**Friday:** Monitor responses, update CRM

**Cost:** ~$1.50/week = $6/month for 6,000 leads/month

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## 🚫 DON'T Do This:

❌ Start with manual research  
❌ Use web search for bulk prospecting  
❌ Skip Apify and go straight to Hunter/Apollo  
❌ Run Apify without exclusion keywords  
❌ Accept <70% relevance (refine filters instead)  
❌ Forget to deduplicate before outreach  

---

## ✅ DO This:

✅ Always try Apify Leads Finder first  
✅ Use Test #2 config as starting template  
✅ Review first 20 results before scaling  
✅ Refine filters if relevance is low  
✅ Export immediately after completion  
✅ Load into CRM same day  
✅ Track cost per market ($1.50 budget)  

---

## 📊 Success Metrics

**Per market run:**
- Target: 100-1,000 leads
- Minimum relevance: 70%
- Target company hit rate: 10-20%
- Email verification: 100% (Apify pre-validates)

**Monthly goals:**
- 5,000+ new leads added to CRM
- 100+ target companies contacted
- 10-20 meetings booked
- Cost: <$10/month for prospecting tools

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## 🛠️ Tool Decision Tree

```
START: Need to find companies in [MARKET]
  ↓
  Q: Do I need emails + contacts?
    → YES → Use Apify Leads Finder (TIER 1)
    → NO → Continue ↓
  
  Q: Do I just need company names/addresses?
    → YES → Use Google Maps Scraper (TIER 2)
    → NO → Continue ↓
  
  Q: Am I researching <10 specific companies?
    → YES → Use Web Search (TIER 3)
    → NO → Go back to Apify Leads Finder
```

---

## 📁 File Templates

**Apify config template:**
`/Users/max/.openclaw/workspace/postharvest/apify-test-config-v2.json`

**Results naming:**
- `apify-[MARKET]-[DATE]-raw.json` (full data)
- `apify-[MARKET]-[DATE]-leads.csv` (clean export)

**Example:**
- `apify-california-2026-04-20-raw.json`
- `apify-california-2026-04-20-leads.csv`

---

## 🎯 Max's Commitment

**I will always:**
1. Try Apify Leads Finder FIRST for any bulk prospecting
2. Only use web search for individual company research
3. Only use Google Maps if Apify doesn't deliver
4. Show you the config before running production runs
5. Review first 20 results before declaring success
6. Export and format results immediately

**I will never:**
1. Start with manual research for 10+ companies
2. Use web search for bulk prospecting
3. Skip filter refinement when relevance is low
4. Run expensive tools when Apify can do it cheaper

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**Created:** 2026-04-14  
**Status:** ACTIVE - Use this workflow for all future prospecting  
**Owner:** Max 🦝