Generate Leads with AI: How to Build a Lead Scraping Agent
TLDR: This lead scraping agent automates prospecting. It scrapes business directories like White Pages, uses AI to clean and structure the data, and pushes it into Google Sheets, your CRM, or Lemlist. Once the list is live, Lemlist sends targeted emails and Trillet adds voice AI calls. The result: a consistent, affordable pipeline you control, without paying for bad lists or hiring more staff.
Why Leads Matter
Most small businesses don’t have spare headcount to spend on data entry. Reps and owners end up wasting hours copying names and numbers into spreadsheets. Buying lists is no better — they’re often out of date, full of duplicates, or missing half the details you actually need.
This workflow removes the horrible busywork. You set the search terms, the city, and the data you want. The agent does the scraping, parsing, and cleaning for you. By the time it lands in your sheet or CRM, the list is usable. That’s time back and a pipeline you can actually rely on.
The Cheat Sheet: How to Build the Lead Scraping Agent
Here’s the end-to-end build, stripped into steps you can follow in n8n, Make, or Zapier:
- Set the scope – Pick niche + city, copy the directory URL, count pages.
- Build in n8n – Import workflow template, no need to start from scratch.
- Scraping setup – Connect OxyLabs to bypass captchas/dynamic sites.
- AI extraction – Use OpenAI to pull name, phone, website, years, address.
- Loop through pages – Workflow cycles every page, not just the first.
- Clean data – Deduplicate on phone/website, drop junk rows.
- Store leads – Send to Google Sheets, Airtable, or your CRM.
- Outreach – Push to Lemlist for email; use Trillet for voice follow-ups.
- Customise – Change fields, queries, and schedule runs with Cron.
- Test and run – Start with 3 pages, confirm accuracy, then scale to full list.
You can test with three pages first, then scale to a full scrape once you’re happy with the quality. Add a trigger so it runs daily or weekly without you touching it.
How We Use It
I run this exact agent for my AI consulting business. Instead of chasing lists or paying for stale data, I scrape my target sectors, clean the results, and send them straight into Lemlist. Trillet then follows up with voice AI calls to the same prospects. The combination keeps my pipeline warm and active, while my time goes into real conversations — not admin.
FAQ
Q: Do I need coding skills?
No. n8n, Make, and Zapier are drag-and-drop. You just connect a few keys and set your queries.
Q: How do I avoid junk leads?
The agent validates numbers and removes incomplete rows before they reach your sheet or CRM.
Q: Can I run it regularly?
Yes. Schedule it weekly or daily so new leads keep flowing automatically.
Q: Is it compliant?
Scraping public directories is usually fine, but you must respect local privacy and spam rules. The system keeps audit logs so you know when and where data came from.
Q: Why use Trillet after Lemlist?
Because most people ignore cold emails. Trillet’s short, AI-driven voice calls cut through and get meetings booked.
AI is a Sales Multiplier - Use it
This isn’t a gimmick, it’s an AI agent that does the job of a prospecting team. It scrapes the leads, cleans them, emails them, and then calls them. That means a pipeline that builds itself and follows up, without extra staff or overpriced brokers.
For small businesses, that’s a game change: affordable, reliable lead generation that doesn’t drain your time. For agencies and sales teams, it’s a way to stay in front of prospects while you focus on closing.
I build these systems using no-code and low-code tools. In a week, you’ll have a working agent tuned to your market, with Lemlist handling email campaigns and Trillet picking up the phone. The result is simple: more leads, lower cost, and a system you actually own.