When most marketers hear the word "AI," they immediately think of content creation — blog posts, email sequences, social media captions. You know, the stuff we’ve all been churning out for years. But let me stop you right there.
The real power of AI? It’s not just in cranking out content. It’s in automating backend processes that save time, improve efficiency, and make you look like a damn genius.
Recently, I tackled a project that would’ve been a nightmare without AI.
I needed to clean up a disorganized mess of 8,000+ contact records spread across four different brands. The job? Merge the lists, remove duplicates, delete dead contacts, fill in missing names, and prioritize the remaining data.
Sounds like a job for a data analyst, right? Nope. I handed the work to ChatGPT and got it done in less than a day.
Here’s how I used AI to automate what would normally be a manual, soul-crushing process.
And here’s how you can do the same.
The Problem: 4 Brands, 12 Files, and No CRM
Let’s get real. Over the years, I’ve accumulated thousands of contacts across my four in-house brands. Each brand runs on its own Google Workspace account, and those accounts have three categories of contacts:
- Contacts: People we’ve manually added.
- Frequent: People we regularly email.
- Other: Everyone else we’ve ever interacted with.
This data wasn’t integrated into a CRM. It was scattered across four brands:
- DougMorneau.com (my personal brand)
- Steingate.com (our web design company)
- Marzany.com (another in-house brand)
- A fourth, my personal Gmail account.
The goal?
Build deeper relationships in 2025 by reconnecting with past contacts. But first, I had to clean up the mess.
Step 1: Download and Import the Data
First, we downloaded all the contact data from each Google Workspace account. That gave us 12 CSV files (3 per brand):
- Contacts
- Frequent
- Other
I uploaded the files into ChatGPT and gave it clear instructions to:
- Merge all files into a single dataset
- Remove any record without an email address
Within seconds, AI scrubbed the data, deleting hundreds of incomplete records that would’ve taken hours to remove manually.
First win: Time saved.
Step 2: De-Duplication with Priority Rules
Next, I needed to remove duplicates — but not all contacts were equal. So, I set a priority hierarchy:
- DougMorneau.com contacts took priority over everything else.
- Frequent contacts were more valuable than “Other” contacts.
- If a contact appeared in multiple lists, keep the version from my primary brand and delete the rest.
I instructed ChatGPT to follow these rules, and guess what? It did. In minutes.
I’m talking about a task that could have taken me an entire day — done in minutes.
Step 3: Filling in Missing Names
Now, let’s talk about the bane of every contact list: missing names.
Many records were missing first names, so I asked ChatGPT to extract names from email addresses wherever possible:
- john.doe@gmail.com → John Doe
- sarah.smith@company.com → Sarah Smith
It wasn’t perfect. Generic emails like info@ and sales@ couldn’t be corrected. But for personal addresses? The results were surprisingly accurate.
Another time-saver.
Step 4: Final Manual Scrub
After AI cleaned the list, I exported the data and did a final manual review. During this process, I:
- Removed old vendors and irrelevant contacts.
- Deleted another 850+ records, leaving me with a high-quality list of about 6,000 contacts.
This wasn’t about hoarding data. It was about keeping the right people and deleting the dead weight.
Results: A Clean, Actionable List in Less Than a Day
By the end of the process, I had a clean, organized list of contacts across multiple brands that I could actually use to re-engage with past connections.
What would’ve taken days of manual work? Done in under 24 hours.
Why This Matters: AI as a Data Analyst
The ability to delegate data management tasks to AI is a game-changer. Historically, this kind of work required either a data analyst or specialized software. But now?
With tools like ChatGPT, any business owner can automate these tasks without technical expertise.
Here’s why ChatGPT makes a great virtual data analyst:
What Makes ChatGPT a Great Virtual Data Analyst?
- Speed: Tasks that take hours or days are done in minutes.
- Accuracy: With the right prompts, AI can handle complex instructions.
- Cost-Effective: No need to hire a data analyst for basic tasks.
What’s Next: Re-Engaging Your Cleaned Contact List
Now my contact list is cleaned, the next step is re-engaging those contacts. I am going to use a simple three-part email series:
Email 1: Reintroduction
Subject: “Long time, no chat!”
Message: “We’ve connected before, and I wanted to reach out. Let’s reconnect.”
Email 2: Provide Value
Subject: “Here’s something you’ll love”
Message: “I’ve got something valuable to share — no strings attached.”
Email 3: Opt-In Request
Subject: “Do you want to keep in touch?”
Message: “I’d love to stay connected. Click here to stay on my list.”
Final Thoughts: AI as a Business Tool, Not Just a Copywriter
There’s a gold rush happening right now with AI. Everyone’s using it to crank out content. But the real magic is in using AI to automate backend processes that save time and improve your business.
Whether it’s cleaning contact lists, managing data, or optimizing workflows, tools like ChatGPT can handle tasks that once required technical skills.
It’s time to think beyond content creation. How will you use AI in 2025?
SPECIAL BONUS FOR READING TO THE BOTTOM
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➡️ Call to Action:
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