If you’re in B2B sales or marketing, you already know the key to a successful outreach campaign: connecting with the right person. Targeting gatekeepers or junior employees often leads to wasted efforts. The real results come when you find and reach decision-makers, the people who have the power to say “yes” to your offer.
In this blog, we’ll walk you through how to find decision-makers in any company, quickly, easily, and accurately using smart tools, data strategies, and some little-known shortcuts.
Why You Should Target Decision-Makers
Before we dive in, let’s clarify why this matters. A decision-maker typically refers to:
A CEO, Founder, or Managing Director (in small to mid-sized firms)
A Department Head, Director, or VP (in larger organizations)
A Procurement Manager, IT Head, or Marketing Manager depending on the product or service you’re offering
Reaching these individuals directly means:
Shorter sales cycles
Higher conversion rates
Better ROI from your marketing campaigns
Less friction in the communication process
Best Ways to Find Decision-Makers (Fast & Easy)
Here’s a breakdown of seven fast and easy ways to find decision-makers in any business, even if you’re starting from scratch.
1. Use LinkedIn Filters the Smart Way
LinkedIn is a goldmine of B2B data. Here’s how to find key contacts:
- Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator (or even free LinkedIn)
- Filter by company, industry, and job title (e.g., “Head of Marketing”, “Chief Operating Officer”)
- Use Boolean search:
- Try searching “Marketing Director” OR “Head of Marketing” AND [Company Name]
- Try searching “Marketing Director” OR “Head of Marketing” AND [Company Name]
- Check the “People” section on a company’s LinkedIn page
💡 Pro Tip: Always look at “Activity” to ensure the person is active and reachable.
2. Visit the Company Website (Specifically These Pages)
Don’t underestimate the power of a company’s own website. Key pages to check:
- About Us or Team page
- Leadership or Executive Team section
- Press Releases (they often mention executives by name)
- Careers page (to identify team structures)
Sometimes, email patterns are listed on contact or press pages. Use this to reverse engineer email addresses.
3. Use an Email List Provider
For speed and scalability, a verified B2B email list is the most efficient solution. Reliable providers like APAC Leads offer:
Industry-specific decision-maker contacts
Region-specific lists (e.g., Singapore, UAE, Australia)
Validated email addresses, phone numbers, job titles
Custom targeting options based on company size, revenue, and more
This method saves hours of manual searching and reduces bounce rates.
4. Use Tools Like Hunter.io or Lusha
If you already know a company name but need contact details:
- Hunter.io – Find email formats and verify them
- Lusha – Get direct phone numbers and emails from LinkedIn
- RocketReach – Search for professionals and get their data
- Snov.io – Automate outreach and find verified leads
These tools let you find decision-makers and their contact info within seconds.
5. Try Google “Site” Searches
Google can be incredibly effective with the right search technique.
Use this format:
site:companyname.com “marketing director”
site:companyname.com “leadership team”
This will bring up all indexed pages where those terms are mentioned on the company’s website.
You can also search:
“Head of HR” AND “company name”
“CEO email” AND “company name”
This may lead you to PDF files, press releases, or media mentions.
6. Check Business Directories
Directories like:
- ZoomInfo
- Crunchbase
- Apollo.io
- Yellow Pages
- Yelp (for local businesses)
offer verified decision-maker data, especially for startups or SMBs.
Bonus Tip: Crunchbase is excellent for finding executives at funded companies, along with their business hierarchy.
7. Use Email Lookup Techniques
If you have a name and company domain, try building the email address using common patterns:
Then verify using tools like:
- NeverBounce
- EmailListVerify
- ZeroBounce
This method is great when combined with LinkedIn and website research.
Mistakes to Avoid When Targeting Decision-Makers
While you’re at it, avoid these common pitfalls:
🚫 Targeting generic emails like info@ or support@
🚫 Relying only on junior roles for enterprise sales
🚫 Sending the same message to all departments
🚫 Ignoring personalization in your outreach
If you’re investing effort into finding decision-makers, don’t waste it with a poor outreach strategy.
Bonus: What to Do After You Find the Right Contact
✅ Personalize your message – Use their name, title, and company in the first sentence
✅ Add value quickly – Highlight the benefit of your product/service for their role
✅ Use multichannel outreach – Email, LinkedIn, and even phone follow-ups
✅ Be concise – Decision-makers don’t read long emails
✅ Follow up smartly – Most conversions happen after 2–3 follow-ups
Final Thoughts
Finding decision-makers in any company doesn’t have to take hours. With the right tools, data partners like APAC Leads, and clever tactics, you can reach the exact person who holds the power to close the deal.
Whether you’re selling software, services, or niche B2B products, targeting the right decision-makers is the fastest way to grow your pipeline and increase conversions.
Ready to Skip the Manual Work?
Get access to verified decision-maker email lists by industry, location, or job title with APAC Leads. Our B2B databases are updated, accurate, and designed for high-performing outreach.
