One way to use Local Lead Finder. Local Lead Finder is a $10 Google Sheets template I built that turns any Google Maps search into a lead list: every business, with phone, website, rating and reviews. This post is one use case for it: a list of plumbers for people who sell to plumbers. Other ways to use it are listed at the end, or see all 18 lead generation ideas.
You don’t need a plumber. You sell to them: parts, websites, bookkeeping, review help, software, an answering service. You need a list of plumbers in your area to call. Search “list of plumbers” and page 1 is made for homeowners with a leak: Angi, the Better Business Bureau’s accredited plumbers, a map pack of three. The rest are licensing lists: Cook County’s registered contractors, St. Louis County’s 2026 plumbing contractors, the Indiana PHCC contractor list, New Orleans’ approved plumbers. Those tell you who registered or joined. They’re made for checking a license, not for deciding who to call first.
So here’s the list I’d build instead. I ran it for real in Boise with Local Lead Finder, a $10 Google Sheet I built that pulls every business on Google Maps into a spreadsheet. One search found 98 plumbers, where Google Maps showed me 20. All 98 have a phone number. Below is the list, the slice of it each kind of seller should start with, and the message I’d send.
TL;DR
- One “plumber” search across 42 Boise areas found 98 plumbers, and all 98 have a phone number.
- Google Maps showed 20 for the same search, 2 of them ads, so you need one search per neighborhood to get the whole list.
- Don’t call all 98 with one pitch: web designers start with the 16 with no website, review help with the 25 under 20 reviews.
Who this is for
- Plumbing supply sales rep: you get every plumbing company in your territory with a phone number, not just the 20 Maps shows first.
- Web designer: you get the 16 plumbers that list no website on Google, plus the small ones nobody else is calling.
- Bookkeeper or virtual assistant: you get the 25 small plumbers with under 20 reviews, the ones most likely doing their own paperwork.
- Local SEO or Google reviews freelancer: you get 14 plumbers rated 5.0 with under 20 reviews, and 5 with no reviews at all.
- Software or answering service sales rep: you get the whole local market for your product in one tab, sorted however you like.
Before you start
- A Google Places API (New) key
- Local Lead Finder set up in your Google Drive
- Local Lead Finder itself
- Your city or territory, like Boise, Idaho
- One thing you sell to plumbers, and a short message about it
Don’t have a Places API key yet? How to get one free. Haven’t set up the sheet? Setup takes 5 minutes.
Why Google Maps isn’t a list of plumbers
The free way to get a list of plumbers is Google Maps. I searched “plumber in Boise, ID” and scrolled to the bottom:
It loaded 20 businesses, and two of them were sponsored (Aqua Source and Owyhee Heating and Air Conditioning). Then a loading spinner, and nothing more. That’s 18 plumbers that weren’t ads, and the one with the fewest reviews had 70 (Hyde Park Plumbing). If you sell to plumbers, those 18 are the ones every other rep is already calling.
The list: 98 plumbers in Boise
Same keyword in Local Lead Finder. Region: Boise, Idaho, which Find Areas turned into 42 areas: Boise, Meridian, Eagle, Garden City, Kuna, and Boise neighborhoods like the North End, Collister and Barber Valley. The sheet searches “plumber in [area]” for each one and removes duplicates.
- 98 plumbers, and all 98 have a phone number.
- The “Boise” search on its own found 19. 32 of the 42 areas added at least one plumber nobody else had found.
- 16 of the 18 plumbers from the Maps list are in the sheet, and 82 in the sheet weren’t on the Maps list at all.
- 16 list no website. 25 have under 20 Google reviews.
Each row has the name, phone, address, rating, number of reviews, website, a Google Maps link, a WhatsApp link and the area searched.
Which plumbers to call first, by what you sell
One list of plumbers serves a lot of sellers. The trick is not to call all 98 with the same pitch. Filter to the slice that fits what you sell.
If you sell supplies, software or an answering service: all 98
You want coverage. Every one of the 98 has a phone number, so the whole list is callable. Sort by the Area column to plan your calls or visits by part of town.
If you build websites: the 16 with no website
16 of the 98 list no website on Google. They won’t have a contact form, but they all have a phone. Pull them out with one formula:
=FILTER('plumber (AREAS)'!A2:E99,'plumber (AREAS)'!A2:A99<>"",'plumber (AREAS)'!I2:I99="")
An empty Website cell only means nothing is listed on Google. Search the name before you pitch a site.
If you sell reviews or local SEO: the 25 small ones
These are the plumbers a single Maps search never showed me:
=QUERY('plumber (AREAS)'!A1:J99,"select A, D, E, J where A is not null and E < 20 order by E desc",1)
25 plumbers with under 20 reviews, and 14 of them are rated 5.0. Another 5 have no reviews at all. A plumber with a perfect rating and a handful of reviews is probably doing good work that nobody can see yet.
If you do bookkeeping or admin: the same 25, smallest first
Few reviews usually means small or new: one or two people working jobs all day and doing paperwork at night. That’s a guess from the review count, not something the sheet knows. The bookkeeping clients post walks through this exact list for bookkeepers.
Clean the list before you call
- Ogata Construction Co came back from the “Basque Block” search and sits in the under 20 list. It may do plumbing; it’s not called a plumber. Check names that don’t fit.
- Precision Plumbing & Mechanical has a 1.0 from 2 reviews. Read the reviews before you call so nothing surprises you.
- Two plumbers from the Maps list are missing: Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Boise and Howe Plumbing LLC didn’t turn up in any of the 42 area searches. I don’t know why. If you saw them on Maps, add them by hand.
The message
In SETTINGS there’s a WhatsApp message that gets attached to every row’s link. Keep it short, say what you do, and ask one question. Here’s what I’d send, depending on what you sell.
A web designer, to the 16 with no website:
Hi! I couldn’t find a website for your plumbing business when I searched. I build simple sites for plumbers around Boise. Want me to send you an example?
A reviews or local SEO freelancer, to the 5.0 plumbers with few reviews:
Hi! You’ve got a perfect 5.0 on Google, but only a few reviews, so you’re hard to find. I help plumbers around Boise get more reviews from jobs they’ve already done. Want to hear how?
A bookkeeper, to the small ones (this one is from the bookkeeping post):
Hi! Small trades businesses lose evenings to invoices and receipts. I do the books for plumbers around Boise for a flat monthly fee. Who does your books right now?
Every time you message someone, mark them Outreached:
The row turns green, copies to the OUTREACH tab, and stays green in every future search, so you never call the same plumber twice. If you want status and next-step columns on top of that, I set that up in Google Sheets CRM for Leads: Pipeline, Follow-Ups, No Repeats.
Step by step
- Get a free Google Places API key (how) and set up Local Lead Finder (about 5 minutes).
- Type your city into SETTINGS and run Find Areas (Boise, Idaho gave me 42 areas). Untick any areas you don’t cover.
- Run Search in All AREAS with “plumber”. The sheet shows the most the search could cost before it runs.
- Clean the list: check names that don’t fit, and read low ratings.
- Filter to the slice that fits what you sell: no website, under 20 reviews, or the whole list by area.
- Set your message in SETTINGS.
- Call or message, and mark each one Outreached so it stays green in every future search.
Common pitfalls
- Stopping when the Maps list stops: my Maps search loaded 20 plumbers, 2 of them sponsored. The sheet found 98 by searching every neighborhood.
- Using a licensing list as a call list: those lists show who registered or joined. They’re for checking a license, not for deciding who to call first.
- Pitching all 98 the same thing: a plumber with a website doesn’t need one. Filter to the slice that fits what you sell.
- Calling names that don’t fit: Ogata Construction Co came back from the “Basque Block” search. Check names like that before you call.
- Writing off plumbers with no website: 16 of the 98 list no website on Google. All 98 have a phone number, so call or text them.
- Not marking Outreached: if you don’t, your next search won’t show who you already called. Marked rows turn green in every future search.
- Running big regions without checking the cost: each area is one Places API request per results page, so 42 areas was 42 requests.
Learn the Google Sheets formulas in this post
- How To Sort A Filter: sorting a filtered list, like the under 20 reviews QUERY sorted by reviews.
- 3 Ways to Count in Google Sheets: the counting behind the summary, like 25 under 20 reviews and 16 with no website.
- Fabulous Filters: more ways to pull just the rows you want, like the plumbers with no website.
- How to Create a CRM in google sheets w/ Dashboard: a next step for tracking which plumbers you called and what they said.
Better Sheets has hundreds more tutorials like these. If you want to get better at Google Sheets, join Better Sheets.
Other ways to use Local Lead Finder
- How to Get Bookkeeping Clients: 25 small plumbers in Boise: for bookkeepers, VAs and answering services looking for small trades clients.
- How to Get Clients for Web Design: 4 Real Lead Lists, in Order: for web designers who want real lists of businesses to pitch.
- List of Local Businesses: How to Make One for Any Town: for anyone who needs a list of a different kind of business.
- How to Get Junk Removal Jobs: Minneapolis rental managers: for junk haulers who want move-out cleanouts every month.
All 18, grouped by who they’re for: Lead generation ideas: 18 local businesses to sell to.
FAQ
How do I get a list of plumbers in my area?
Type your city into Find Areas, then search “plumber” in all areas. For Boise that was 42 areas and 98 plumbers, each with phone, address, rating, reviews and website.
What is the best way to find a good plumber?
If you’re hiring one, sort the list by rating and number of reviews, then read the reviews. If you’re selling to plumbers, “good” means a good fit: 14 Boise plumbers are rated 5.0 with under 20 reviews, which is a short list for anyone selling review help.
Why does Google Maps only show 20 plumbers?
One Google search returns 20 results per page. My Maps list loaded 20, 2 of them sponsored, and then showed a loading spinner. The sheet searches each neighborhood separately, which is how it got to 98.
Can I use a county or state plumbing license list instead?
You can, for names and numbers. Those lists show who registered or joined, so they’re good for checking a license. They don’t help you pick who to call first the way ratings, review counts and a website column do.
Does the list include email addresses?
No. You get phone numbers and websites. All 98 Boise plumbers have a phone number, and most local businesses list a contact email on their website.
Does this work for electricians, HVAC or roofers?
Yes. Swap “plumber” for any trade, run it in your city, and filter the same way.
What does it cost?
The sheet is $10, and free for Better Sheets lifetime members. Searches run on your own Google Places API (New) key, and Google gives up to 1,000 searches a month free. My 42 areas was 42 requests.
Is this a scraper?
No. It uses Google’s official Places API with your own key. Free Google Maps Scraper in Google Sheets (That Doesn’t Scrape).
Get the sheet
Local Lead Finder is $10, and free for Better Sheets lifetime members.
