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Build a list of local businesses to approach

A tidy spreadsheet of local businesses in your target area, gathered from Google Maps and cleaned up by AI, ready for careful outreach.

Sales & LeadsIntermediate45 minGoogle MapsGoogle SheetsAI assistant

When to use it

When you want new local clients

Search Google Maps for your ideal customer
Search for a business type in an area, such as 'dog groomers in Bristol'. Open each result and note the name, website, phone, rating and anything that shows they need you.
Paste your rough notes into a sheet
Don't worry about tidiness; paste names, links and notes into a Google Sheet as you go. Aim for 20 to 40 businesses.
Ask AI to clean and sort it
Copy the rough rows into your AI assistant with this prompt.
Prompt to copyHere are rough notes on local businesses I might sell to: [paste]. I offer [what you sell]. Turn this into a table with columns: Business name, Website, Phone, Google rating, Number of reviews, Fit score (1 to 5), Reason for score, Opening idea. Score higher if [signs they need you, e.g. no website, low review count, outdated photos]. Remove duplicates, keep my facts exactly as written, and put 'unknown' rather than guessing missing details. Sort by Fit score, highest first.
Paste the table back into your sheet
Paste the AI's table into a new tab, then add columns for Contacted (date) and Outcome.
Contact the top ten first
Start with the best-fit businesses, using their public business contact details and a personal message.

Collect it by hand rather than with scraping tools; it's slower but keeps you within Google's terms and gives you better notes.
Only store business contact details, and delete businesses that ask not to be contacted.