Webinar Q&A: Getting started with lead generation on LinkedIn: Surfe & Pipedrive 1.0

Dina Osman

Dear Pipedrivers, ☀️

Thank you for joining our webinar "Getting started with lead generation on LinkedIn: Surfe & Pipedrive 1.0" - we hope you found it valuable and insightful!

We received many thoughtful questions during the session and, while we couldn’t answer them all live, the Surfe team has followed up on every unanswered one in writing. You can find all their responses in the Comments section.

If you missed the session or want to rewatch any part of it, the recording is now available on-demand.

https://app.livestorm.co/pipedrive/getting-started-with-lead-generation-on-linkedin-surfe-and-pipedrive-10?s=1c800cfe-4482-48f4-8789-37ef57a98371

Happy prospecting!
– The Pipedrive Team

Dina Osman

I got a call during the cold call part. Is there a written sheet to give me an idea how that part when somewhere, please ad thank you?
The recording is available to review the call :)

Does this information feed from pipedrive to other connected apps like quickbooks?
Yes. Surfe feeds Pipedrive with the info taken from LinkedIn.

@Luis : The topic of the live is to be prepared by using the Linkedin Premium + Pipedrive + Surf trio to prospect. I'm missing something to sync my iPhone address book with the contacts I have in target. Is there a future solution or third-party solution you can recommend?
I need further clarification on what they mean that they are missing something to sync, it would be best if they reached out to support for further assistance on this.

"Are there special symbols and meaning as the ones they are commenting? @, <XX>, [xx], etc. and are they universal these days"
Yes, symbols like @, < >, [ ], and others are often used in online conversations (including LinkedIn, Slack, forums, etc.) to add structure, clarity, or emphasis — but they’re not all universal, and their meanings can vary depending on the platform.

Wondering if Zoom Sales integrates with Serfe and Pipedrive.
Surfe does not currently have a native intergration with Zoom Sales.

One of the statistics said 82% of buyers accept after multiple cold calls. How soon do you call back after leaving a message?
Call back within 1–2 business days. This keeps your name fresh in their mind without seeming pushy.

Can we get a copy of this presentation (i.e. recording) so that our team can review at a later time, since we don't have all of our team on the call?
The recording is available to review the call.

Hello, is there a way we could get a digital copy of this presentation?
Unfortunately, we are not sharing the deck separately, but you have access to the on-demand webinar where the deck was presented.

How do you warmup your new email account?
Start by sending a few emails each day to people you know and get them to reply. Slowly send more over a few weeks. Don’t send bulk or spammy emails. Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to help with email safety. You can also use tools like Lemwarm or Mailwarm to warm it up automatically.

Saw an interesting post on LinkedIn about only cold calling direct mobiles being worthwhile - do you agree? Sometimes it feels overly invasive?
The best approach is multi channel. For example, according to a research from Harvard, having 3 contact points in the first day (email, connection on LinkedIn, cold call) increases conversion by 25%. Cold calls are effective when you do the right research on your prospect, and you alternate with other channels, customising your script/email depending on the use case of the prospect.

As a test, I entered the mobile number of a friend whose email I already had in PD and LI. She gave me that phone number but it's not listed otherwise. Is Surfe going to scrape that data, or does it remain private to me now that I've entered it into the Surfe fields on LI and it's pushed it to PD?
The way Surfe finds the data is via multiple providers/databses that we combine in a waterfall fashion. If you already have a number on Pipedrive, we display that number on the contact's page on LinkedIn, but we also give you the option to start again the enrichment.

If the phone number and contact info isn't on the lead's LinkedIn profile, will Surfe be able to find that data and be able to put that into Pipedrive?
Surfe combines 15 different databases in its enrichment feature. If the contact information is in one of these databases we can find the data.

Question about Contacts syncing: I have the Linkedin Premium + Pipedrive + Surfe trio for prospecting. I'm missing something to sync my iPhone address book with the contacts I have in target. Is there a future solution or a third-party solution you can recommend?
I need further clarification on what they mean that they are missing something to sync, it would be best if they reached out to support for further assistance on this.

I find they are always too busy to engage in discussion
Prospects may say this for a few different reasons:
They're genuinely busy – In this case, politely ask for a better time to call them back.
They’re trying to avoid the conversation – Use a strong and respectful opener to hold their attention. For example:
“Hi, this is [Your Name] from [Company]. I’ll be brief — this is a cold call, and I’d like just a few seconds to explain why I’m calling. Then you can decide if it’s worth continuing.”
They say “Send me an email” to brush you off – Confirm their email address, let them know you’ll follow up in a couple of days, and mention that you'll check in to see if it's relevant.

Can I select which of my messages from LinkedIn are moved across to Pipedrive? Or do they all become available to view in Pipedrive?
You can select what chats you want to sync. The messages are not synced automatically when you connect Surfe, you need to select those chats you want to connect.

Dina Osman

Will the chat and questions be available as part of the video you'll send after this session?
Yes, both the chat and the Questions tab are available in the on-demand webinar as well.

How about offering a special deal for existing customers? :)
Currently the only available offer is for new users.

When adding a new organisation from Surf to Pipedrive... How can we make sure the new organisation is not already existing on Pipedrive?
Surfe detects organisations by name and domain and marks them on LinkedIn if they are already in your CRM. But, for better tracking, we ask you to map the LinkedIn URL field when you connect your Pipedrive to Surfe. If you don't have this field. we create it for you and map it automatically.

You quickly showed resources for contact information. Can you review which companies you use?
Do you mean the tools we integrate in our enrichment feature? Here you can see the tools : https://www.surfe.com/waterfall-data-enrichment-technology/

Please make sure to answer the previous question, regarding whether or not we have to pay for Sales Navigator on LinkedIn AND Surfe.
This heavily depends on your workflows. But Surfe can cover most of Sales Navigator search capabilities + it gives you the contact details that Sales Navigator cannot have

Is there a limit on Surfe interactions with LinkedIN? What is the limit on probing for data per day?
In paid plans, the only limit you have is for exporting leads in bulk from Sales Navigator.

How do you handle someone telling you you've called their personal number? We call it out and explain but what tactics would you suggest?
I would address this point with care and context, example: “Totally understand — and you're right, these days personal and professional lines often overlap, especially with mobile numbers. That said, I want to be respectful of your time and contact preferences. Would you prefer I follow up by email or another way - a business number perhaps?”

Will it flag if you already have a contact and/or organization in PD or create a duplicate?
Surfe will flag if a contact/organisation is already in your CRM and we ask you to map the LinkedIn URL when connecting Pipedrive to Surfe to ensure more accuracy.

Hi, does the sync function also work for our ownlinkedin contacts ?
It works for all contacts on LinkedIn in the same way, both the once you are connected with and not.

what is the cost per user for Surfe?
Here you have the pricing: https://www.surfe.com/pricing/

Can you bring it into PipeDrive as a Deal and not just a contact or organization?
Yes, you can add both a contact and a deal.

Surfe Question: when using "find similar leads" what are the criteria it uses? My concern is that it won't select only leads that are in eComm.
It searches for people with the same title, and then you can filter more using other criteria (seniority, location, industry,...)

Does this eliminate the need for an Apollo.io application?
Apollo is indeed a Surfe competitor.

How accurate is the information
Overall, we do have 93% find rate for emails and 65% for mobile. In our website, you can see in real time our find rates across different markets and industries: https://www.surfe.com/home2-2025/

How did you get the contact details? pls clarify
Surfe combines 15 different databases in its enrichment feature. If the contact information is in one of these databases we can find the data.

When I use Surfe and Pipedrive at the same time to create new contacts, Pipedrive needs a lot of time for loading (fx. when I add a note, sometimes it takes some minutes or I have to reload the website). Is there a way to avoid this problem?
It might depend on a lot of factors. The most common one is having too many LinkedIn tabs opened in the browser.

Will at some time Surfe templates include AI prompts? Or even create tailored LinkedIn messages according to the profile we are sending to?
It is in the roadmap.

Great information. Do you have tutorial that you can send out after the call as a reference?
Here’s a video playlist with product demos and tutorials: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqlgV951kio&list=PL5lCGcbGyNxrBH_2UvTDBXkDxbil46dBG

Can you also add a label automatically, so you can filter on the ones from LinkedIn?
The label on Surfe depends on the label in Pipedrive. You can have automations on Pipedrive to assign labels.

Dina Osman

LinkedIn requires a subscription now. I cannot communicate with my customers anymore. People that I had for many years. I need the premium account. This is really a drag.
LinkedIn has still a free plan. Is it possible that you are talking about Sales Navigator?

Can you link a contact to an existing organisation in PD, rather than Surfe creating a new org if it doesn't find an exact match?
Yes you can.

We find the quality of phone numbers are poor in systems like this. When asking for verified numbers the quantity is reduced to as few as 10%. What are the best sources for accurate numbers?
Find rates depend a lot on the regions and industries. With our waterfall enrichment we ensure better quality because we combine different providers. You can also check our find rates live on our website: https://www.surfe.com/home2-2025/

Are the contact details found with Surfe compliant with RGPD?
Surfe is GDPR compliant, here more information: https://www.surfe.com/data-protection/

Does Surfe have a way to filter leads/companies that are in eCommerce? Apollo does this with a "technology" filter. Unfortunately, Sales Navigator doesn't have a way to do this. Would be great if Surfe had the ability.
Yes we do have this filter.

Hi All. Any recommendations regarding separating quality leads and all leads?
It depends on what you define as quality lead. A lead with contact information? Or having a specific size, or in a specific industry?

How do we connect our LinkedIn network to Pipedrive?
If you have Sales Navigator, you can filter your connections and use Surfe to bulk import them to Pipedrive.

While you guys are certainly hitting on the right topics (thank you for that), is there a chance that you can actually show screen shots or share your screen? Not knowing anything about Surfe, it is rather difficult to envision where/how to research, target, and build a list off of LinkedIn.
Hope the demo could reply to your doubts. We do have more videos showcasing the product: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqlgV951kio&list=PL5lCGcbGyNxrBH_2UvTDBXkDxbil46dBG

Will there be an export of the questions shared with webinar attendees?
Unanswered questions are posted in the Community.

What are the sources from the "smart data" Pipedrive's feature?
Publicly available information based on email address or email domain, for more information please visit: https://support.pipedrive.com/en/article/smart-contact-data

How long will the promotion 2 months free with Surfe for Pipedrive users be going on for?
Currently, there is no expiry date on when you can redeem the offer.

How do you find the balance between a) using all the time to have only few higher engaging leads to b) reach out with brute force and quantity? I find myself struggling with this on a regular basis.
"To balance quality vs. quantity in outreach, use a tiered approach:
Focus deeply on high-potential leads (Tier 1) with personalization.
Use semi-custom messaging for decent-fit leads (Tier 2).
Go broad and test messaging at scale with low-priority leads (Tier 3).
This lets you prioritize your time while still learning and optimizing through volume."

Our company has traditionally relied on referrals for new business. How can we effectively use Pipedrive to build and manage a proactive lead generation strategy? PS Love Sara from TikTok!
Start by analyzing your previously closed deals to define your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) and build a tailored outreach cadence. Tools like Surfe or LinkedIn Sales Navigator can help you create targeted lead lists based on that ICP. Begin with a manual approach to better understand how to position your product or service effectively before scaling with automation. Leverage social proof by referencing satisfied customers who were referred to you. Expect some trial and error early on — refining your message and process is part of the journey.

How can I use this integration to build a list of growing companies (startups, logistics, tech firms) that are searching for new locations to operate, and nurture those leads in Pipedrive through automated workflows?
"To create those lists, use Surfe or Sales Navigator to filter for:
Industries: Tech, Logistics, Startups
Headcount growth (e.g. 20–200 with recent growth)
Geography: based on expansion trends or target markets
Keywords like ""expanding"", ""new office"", ""scaling"" in job posts or company updates.
You can then organise in Pipedrive in a similar way:
Create a dedicated pipeline for “Expansion Leads”
Use custom fields (e.g., Expansion Status, Target Region, Priority Level)
Add filters to quickly segment companies by readiness and potential fit
For nurturing, you could use Pipedrive automations to create a sequence of tasks."

We're all professionals here — we know the theory. Could you provide a decent example or two that show how the tools are actually helping in practice?
Did the demo help? What use cases would you like to see?

Which strategies work best for engaging in existing LinkedIn Groups relevant to our target market, and how do we avoid coming across as self-promotional?
To engage in LinkedIn Groups without sounding salesy, focus on being helpful by answering questions and sharing insights, start conversations with open-ended questions, and support others’ posts before posting your own. Follow the 80/20 rule: 80% value-driven content, 20% related to your offer, and avoid direct pitches or dropping links unless asked.

I have a very niche customer base. Will this help finding new prospects that meet a certain criteria or is it based on your friends and links?
You can use Surfe to create lists of potential similar profiles. I would also recommend working on your network and possibly start a referral system. Referrals work really well in niche markets.

What are the most effective types of educational or value-driven content for building trust and interest among decision-makers in a specific, targeted market on LinkedIn?
"To build trust with decision-makers on LinkedIn, share short case studies, how-to tips, insights on industry trends, and personal lessons learned. Use a mix of formats like text, short videos, and polls. Focus on their pain points, offer real value, and keep the tone human and relatable."

Besides the recording will we receive the presentation deck?
Unfortunately, we are not sharing the deck separately, but you have access to the on-demand webinar where the deck was presented.

Thoughts on leaving a voicemail or text AFTER you send an email with no response? If so, what do you rec saying?
"Leaving a voicemail is absolutely recommended. Keep it short and focused, don't go too deep in the pitch, example:
""Hi [Name], this is [Your Name] from [Company]. I sent over a quick email earlier this week about [short value statement — e.g., helping [company type] solve X].
Just wanted to follow up and see if it’s something worth a quick chat. Feel free to reply to the email or call me back. Thanks again!"""

Is there any representation from LinkedIn, if the basis of this meeting is to expand the use of LinkedIn and Pipedrive for CRM leads and business development?
No representation of LinkedIn in that webinar, maybe in the next ones? ;)

What are the best ways to warm up new team members’ emails?
Start by sending a few emails each day to people you know and get them to reply. Slowly send more over a few weeks. Don’t send bulk or spammy emails. Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to help with email safety. You can also use tools like Lemwarm or Mailwarm to warm it up automatically.

What is the best way to add messages from LinkedIn after you set up the Surfe integration? I want to bulk import messages that have occurred before the sync.
You cannot bulk import all messages. You will have to sync conversations individually.