How to Build a Sales Contact List from Email Conversations

1. The Hidden Goldmine in Your Inbox

If you’ve worked in sales, marketing, partnerships, or run your own agency or startup – chances are, your most valuable contacts are already sitting in your inbox.

Old pitches. Warm leads that are ghosted. Follow-up threads that went cold. Intros from three jobs ago. All of it’s there – buried in your email conversations.

And yet, when the time comes to build a lead list or re-engage your network… Most of us start from scratch. Or worse, we try to remember names manually.

It doesn’t need to be that way.

2. The Problem: Why Manual Contact Collection Fails

Let’s be honest – the default way most of us “build” our contact lists looks like this:

  • Scroll through Gmail
  • Open old threads
  • Copy email addresses one by one
  • Paste into Sheets or a CRM
  • Hope we didn’t miss anyone important

It’s tedious. It’s slow. And more often than not, we give up halfway through.

There are Chrome extensions that claim to help, but they often raise red flags:
❌ They ask for broad permissions
❌ They send data to third-party servers
❌ They break with Google’s UI updates

And if you care about data privacy – especially for leads, clients, and personal networks – that’s a risk you shouldn’t take.

3. The Tool: Contact Extractor by 8apps

This is why we built Contact Extractor – a tiny tool that lives inside your Google Workspace and does one job:

Pull out names, emails, and phone numbers from any email conversation or document – instantly.

It’s built for people like us:
Sales folks juggling a million follow-ups
Founders trying to rebuild their “black book”
Teams that don’t want to lose leads to inbox clutter

No logins. No external dashboards. No AI scraping your data.

It runs inside Google Sheets to define rules and workflows, and then it scans your Gmail inbox – and it’s verified by Google.

🛠 Try it here:
→ Contact Extractor on 8apps Website
→ Contact Extractor by 8apps on Google Workspace Marketplace

Or browse through the FAQs for Contact Extractor

2. The Problem: Why Manual Contact Collection Fails

Let’s be honest – the default way most of us “build” our contact lists looks like this:

  • Scroll through Gmail
  • Open old threads
  • Copy email addresses one by one
  • Paste into Sheets or a CRM
  • Hope we didn’t miss anyone important

It’s tedious. It’s slow. And more often than not, we give up halfway through.

There are Chrome extensions that claim to help, but they often raise red flags:
❌ They ask for broad permissions
❌ They send data to third-party servers
❌ They break with Google’s UI updates

And if you care about data privacy – especially for leads, clients, and personal networks – that’s a risk you shouldn’t take.

2. The Problem: Why Manual Contact Collection Fails

Let’s be honest – the default way most of us “build” our contact lists looks like this:

  • Scroll through Gmail
  • Open old threads
  • Copy email addresses one by one
  • Paste into Sheets or a CRM
  • Hope we didn’t miss anyone important

It’s tedious. It’s slow. And more often than not, we give up halfway through.

There are Chrome extensions that claim to help, but they often raise red flags:
❌ They ask for broad permissions
❌ They send data to third-party servers
❌ They break with Google’s UI updates

And if you care about data privacy – especially for leads, clients, and personal networks – that’s a risk you shouldn’t take.

2. The Problem: Why Manual Contact Collection Fails

Let’s be honest – the default way most of us “build” our contact lists looks like this:

  • Scroll through Gmail
  • Open old threads
  • Copy email addresses one by one
  • Paste into Sheets or a CRM
  • Hope we didn’t miss anyone important

It’s tedious. It’s slow. And more often than not, we give up halfway through.

There are Chrome extensions that claim to help, but they often raise red flags:
❌ They ask for broad permissions
❌ They send data to third-party servers
❌ They break with Google’s UI updates

And if you care about data privacy – especially for leads, clients, and personal networks – that’s a risk you shouldn’t take.

by admin

Keeping Your Team's Google Drive Secure

In the fast-paced world of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), collaboration and information sharing are key to success. Google Drive has become a vital tool for SMEs, offering a convenient platform for storing, sharing, and collaborating on documents. However, with this ease of use comes the responsibility of managing access permissions, an aspect that is often overlooked but crucial for data security.

The Risk of Overlooked Permissions

As teams evolve and projects advance, the list of individuals with access to certain documents can become outdated. Ex-employees, past clients, or third-party vendors might still have access to sensitive data long after their involvement has ended. This oversight can lead to unintended data exposure, putting your business at risk of confidentiality breaches and potential data theft.

Regular Permission Audits: A Necessity, Not a Luxury

For SMEs leveraging Google Drive for business operations, regular permission checks are not just a best practice; they are an essential aspect of digital security. By integrating these checks into your routine, you ensure that your business’s data remains secure, organized, and accessible only to those who truly need it. This proactive approach is a cornerstone of effective digital data management and a hallmark of a security-conscious organization.

The Benefits of Periodic Permission Checks

  • Enhanced Data Security: Regular audits help prevent data leaks by ensuring that only current team members have access to relevant files.
  • Compliance with Data Regulations: For SMEs subject to GDPR or other data protection laws, regular permission checks are crucial for compliance, helping to avoid hefty fines and legal issues.
  • Streamlined File Management: Periodic audits help in decluttering your digital workspace, making it easier for your team to find and work on current, relevant documents.
  • Protection Against Internal Threats: Limiting access to sensitive data reduces the risk of internal data mishandling or misuse.
  • Peace of Mind: Knowing that your data is well-protected allows you to focus on growing your business without the looming fear of data breaches.

Implementing Regular Permission Checks

  • Schedule Periodic Audits: Determine a regular schedule for permission reviews, such as monthly or quarterly, depending on your team's size and data usage.
  • Use Tools to Simplify the Process: Tools like Google Drive™ Permissions Scanner can automate the audit process, providing clear reports on file access and permissions.
  • Educate Your Team: Ensure that all team members understand the importance of data security and how to properly manage file sharing and permissions.
  • Review and Adjust Access Levels: Regularly review who has access to what and adjust permissions based on current roles and project needs.
  • Keep an Audit Trail: Maintain records of your permission checks and adjustments for accountability and compliance purposes.

Conducting regular permission audits on your Google Drive is more than just a good practice; it’s a necessity for maintaining the integrity and security of your business data. These audits involve reviewing who has access to what and adjusting these permissions to ensure that only the right people have the appropriate level of access.

Install Google Drive Scanner

by admin

Navigating Google Drive Permissions: Protecting Your Digital Data

Keeping track of who has access to what in Google Drive can be a challenging task, especially when dealing with a mix of personal and shared files. As we increasingly rely on cloud storage for both personal and professional uses, managing file permissions becomes crucial to ensure data privacy and security.

When you start to dig into your Google Drive, you might be surprised to find how many documents are shared with people who no longer need access, or how some personal files might be more exposed than you intended. This lack of oversight is a common issue, but thankfully, it can be resolved with the right tools and practices.

The Google Drive™ Permissions Scanner is one such tool that dramatically simplifies this task. It works by scanning your Drive and generating a report on file access and permissions. This audit provides a clear view of who has access to your files, making it easier to manage and secure your digital assets.

The first time running a scan can be quite an eye-opener. Users often find that numerous files are shared with individuals who no longer need them, or that sensitive documents are more widely accessible than necessary. Armed with this information, you can take immediate action by revoking unnecessary permissions, and ensuring that each file and folder is only accessible to the appropriate parties.

Incorporating regular scans into your digital routine can also have lasting benefits for your online organization and security. Just like regular check-ups for physical health, these scans help maintain the health of your digital space. They not only bolster security but also help in keeping your digital space clutter-free and well-organized.

Moreover, spreading awareness about tools like the Permissions Scanner is also key. Many people are not even aware of the potential risks associated with unmonitored file sharing. By educating others about these tools, you can play a part in enhancing overall digital security practices within your community.

In conclusion, for anyone looking to boost their digital security and organization, the Google Drive™ Permissions Scanner is a valuable tool. It offers an easy and effective way to manage file permissions, enhancing the security of your personal data, and bringing peace of mind in the increasingly complex digital world.

by admin