Prospecting List Builder
A skill that builds a clean, verified B2B prospecting list. Every firm matched to your exact customer and ready for outreach.
If you don't have the Claude desktop app, you'll need it first, so download it here.
(You'll also need Claude Pro, around $20, and a free Apollo account.)
Install Cowork
Download the Claude desktop app and sign in on a paid plan. It has to be the desktop app, not the browser, because that is the version that can read your files and connect to your tools.
Open Cowork and give it a folder
Cowork is where Claude actually does work on your computer, not just chat. Get in and point it at one folder:
- Open the desktop app and switch to Cowork, the middle of the three modes at the top.
- Click New Task, then Work in a Project, then Choose a folder.
- Make a fresh, empty folder (I call mine Claude Playground).
Claude only ever sees that one folder, nothing else on your computer, and it uses it to save your lists and your data. So it stays private and tidy.
Install the skill
A skill is a saved set of instructions Claude follows every time. You install it once, then it's yours.
Download the skill- It saves a small file, vet-then-scrape-coldlist.skill, to your Downloads.
- In a new Cowork task, drag the file into the chat, then click the Save skill button that appears on it.
- Check it worked: click + at the bottom of the chat, then Skills. You should see it listed.
You only do this once.
Get your Apollo account
Apollo is the biggest B2B contact database out there. The skill uses it to cross-check firms and pull verified emails, so your messages actually land.
- Go to apollo.io and sign up for free. Use your work email, no card needed.
- Back in Claude: Customize > Connect your apps, find Apollo, log in and approve.
On cost: the skill runs as cheap as possible. Any step that costs money, it stops, shows you the exact price and asks first. My last list of eighty contacts came in under a dollar.
Run it
- Open a New Task in your project folder.
- Click + > Skills > vet-then-scrape-coldlist.
- Answer the eight questions in plain English: who you sell to, industry, size, location.
Then leave it. Ten to fifteen minutes later an Excel file lands in your folder: every firm, website, LinkedIn, phone, revenue and whether they're growing. That's your list, ready for outreach. Run it again any time you need a fresh one.
Before you finish (quick checks)
- ›Claude desktop app installed on a paid plan, Cowork open with one folder selected.
- ›Skill visible under + > Skills.
- ›Apollo connected.
- ›Output is an Excel file in your folder.
New How was this skill built? (Click here) ▾
How was this skill built?
Every skill ships only after planning, research, building, testing and re-testing. Here is the record for the list builder.
- ✓Operator-only vetting drops vendors and recruiters, keeps real decision-makers.
- ✓Cross-checks Apollo, pulls verified emails, flags spam-gateway domains before you send.
- ✓Never spends a credit without showing the cost and asking first.
Key strengths
