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Sources of Lists or Databases for Your Business-to-Business Lead Generation
A big part of a business-to-business sales lead generation success is having a database or list of the right companies, and the right contacts at those companies, to target with your direct marketing.
Your in-house database of customers, sales rep additions and past inquiries is often your best source of new business sales leads.
However, business-to-business marketers often need additional companies and contacts to market to in order to get enough qualified leads into the sales pipeline.
The good news is that there are lots of business-to-business lists or databases available.
Some are categorized as “rental lists” which are generally “rented” for limited, usually one-time, use.
Rental lists are often appropriate for single touch direct marketing campaigns. Or for testing response from new markets, industries or niches.
A good place to start looking for these rental lists is NextMark, which lets you search more than 60,000 mailing lists, email lists, and telephone lists from hundreds of vendors.
However, for best results, I usually recommend that B2B marketers use ongoing, multi-touch campaigns aimed at well-targeted groups of prospective companies and contacts.
Fortunately there are a number of B2B database companies that allow you to buy a license for ongoing use of the company and contact information you select from their databases. This ongoing use is typically limited by the license to a single year. Some of these companies also provide access to their entire database for ongoing use, on an annual or monthly subscription basis.
Here’s a sampling of companies that offer licenses to their B2B databases for ongoing use:
- Experian’s database includes 16 million U.S.A. businesses.
- FirmaGraphix’s database includes approximately19 million U.S.A. business records and 26 million contact names.
- GuideStar’s database of non-profits gives you access to 3.3 million contacts at more than 5,000 organizations.
- Harris InfoSource’s Selectory Database includes 15 million businesses in the U.S.A. and Canada.
- Harte Hanks CI database profiles up to 10 different technology areas at more than 650,000 North American locations, and includes more than 1.5 million technology decision makers and influencers at over 600,000 small to medium businesses and large enterprises throughout North America, Latin America, and Europe.
- InfoUSA database includes more than14 million US businesses.
- Jigsaw is an online directory of more than 7 million business contacts.
- MeritDirect’s B2bBase includes over 60 million names compiled from more than 500 B2B and hi-tech lists.
- Netprospex is a relatively new source of contacts (over 2,400,000 accurate business contacts across 350,000 companies) including difficult-to-find mid-management decision makers across North American businesses.
- Scott’s Directories Canadian corporate database includes 162,000 companies as well as medical, government and association databases.
- Zapdata gives you access to D&B’s business information on 14 million US companies.
- ZoomInfo allows you to access profiles and contact information for more than 37 million people and 3.5 million companies.
As you can see, some of these databases cover virtually every business. Others focus on specific industries or niches.
Which of these or other B2B lists or databases have you used for lead generation?
Please share your comments about these or other marketing databases or lists you have used for B2B lead generation:
- Which have you had the most success with, and why?
- Which are best for reaching specific industries or job functions?
- Which do you recommend against, and why?
After 20 years in this business, I’ve used almost every one of these lists. Each one has its good points and bad points. Jigsaw is cheap and instant! But you have to wade through alot of junk and you have to know exactly what you’re going after and then you may or may not get the right contact. So, I recommend asking yourself 2 important questions: 1. How much is MY time and expertise worth? 2. How long can I afford to wait to get my message to the right buyer? The answers to both of those questions led me the ReachForce. It is worth it to pay ReachForce to find precisely the right buyers for my products because I save money with a very targeted and accurate list. And, I don’t have to wait months for campaigns to kick in. Full disclosure – I blog for http://www.theb2blead.com which is sponsored by ReachForce. However, the reason I started blogging for them is that I am a passionate customer. After years of working with lists, it has been a real pleasure to transition to highly targeted turnkey services.
Posted by: Pam O'Neal | May 27, 2008 at 7:03 pm
Pam, thanks for your comment about ReachForce.
The tactic of modeling your best customers and prospects, then using that model to select other companies and contacts from B2B databases is proven.
Based on a quick look at its Web site, ReachForce seems facilitate the whole process (modeling to selection) as a Software as a Service (SaaS) application, either by modeling your CRM database or by modeling visitors to your Web site or blog.
Pam, how does ReachForce price its services?
Has anyone else used ReachForce and care to comment about your experience doing so?
Posted by: Mac McIntosh | May 27, 2008 at 9:24 pm
By the way, if you already have the name and business of a contact, and only need or want to double-check the email address, you can do so for free here:
http://www.emailinahaystack.com
Hope this helps.
Posted by: Stephan | Sep 22, 2008 at 7:00 am
Thanks for the info. Very informative. I’m going to check out those sites.
I recently discovered JigSaw and think it’s a great online application. The registration was free and they give you some free credits to test drive it. Its very good for finding the right contacts at the right companies (which makes all the difference in the world).
I haven’t been using it very long but so far seems pretty impressive.
Posted by: Dan Young | Oct 20, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Dan,
If you like Jigsaw for direct marketing lists, check out Zoominfo and NetProspex.
In a nutshell, Zoominfo searches the Internet for company and contact information. NetProspex combines Jigsaw’s business card exchange idea and Zoominfo’s data found on the web, then it checks everything for accuracy and deliverability.
Regards,
Mac
Posted by: Mac McIntosh | Oct 20, 2008 at 1:42 pm
Mac,
Have you heard of or experienced salesgenie.com?
I am checking them out, they apparently will give you a 100 free leads for registering. Can’t seem to get a price for their service. Once (if) I register I’m sure I’ll see the pricing and packages etc. they offer.
Any thoughts?
Posted by: Dan Y | Oct 21, 2008 at 9:13 pm
Dan,
Salesgenie.com is really InfoUSA in a different wrapper. My understanding is that it gives you access to the entire InfoUSA for a flat monthly fee.
(Trivia: This is the service that advertised on the SuperBowl a couple of years in a row.)
- Mac
Posted by: Mac McIntosh | Oct 23, 2008 at 2:08 am
[...] sales guru Mac McIntosh explains in a blog post last year, “Your in-house database of customers, sales rep additions and past inquiries is often your best [...]
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