Cold calling lists are indispensable resources for SDRs conducting sales outreach. B2B companies compile cold calling lists to target high-quality prospects with the greatest potential for conversion.
Elements of a Cold Calling List
A comprehensive B2B cold calling list should contain detailed information about prospects and their companies. Remember, a prospect list is only as valuable as it is accurate and complete.
Be sure to include the following components in your cold calling lists:
- Prospect Name
- Job Title/Role
- Company
- Phone Number
- Email Address
- Industry
- Company Size
- Other proprietary data
Some information, such as the prospect’s name, phone number, role, and company are the most important details for your list. However, additional information such as employee headcount helps you customize your campaigns and follow up with leads effectively.
How to Acquire Cold Call Lists
Businesses seeking cold calling lists have two options: create their own or purchase from data providers.
Manually building a list
B2B companies can research their target market and develop their own lists using sources such as social media, business directories, and search engines. Artificial intelligence software can help by crawling the internet and extracting relevant contact information.
List building is an ongoing process that involves organizing and segmenting prospects based on their buying potential. This qualification helps focus cold calling efforts and allocate resources efficiently.
Manually building a cold calling list can be cost-effective, but it’s also time-consuming, as it may take weeks to generate a robust list.
Buying from list providers
A faster alternative is to buy lists from data providers, who compile B2B contacts across various industries. In this case, find reputable data brokers, select a tailored list for your campaign, and integrate it into your CRM for success.
The Dangers of Buying Cold Call Lists
Although purchasing cold call lists saves time and requires less effort compared to building a list from scratch, this approach has several drawbacks you should be aware of.
Poor data quality
Many list providers don’t update or review their contact data, leading to outdated information and wasted time and money. Research shows that 72% of wasted cold calling time is due to inaccurate list data.1
High cost
Cold calling lists can be expensive, with subscription-based plans ranging from a few hundred to several thousand dollars per month. This can be a significant investment for small businesses, especially considering cold calling’s low conversion rates.
Low conversion rates
Leads from purchased lists may not be a good fit for your product or service, resulting in lower conversion rates compared to organically generated leads.
Privacy and legal issues
Data providers must comply with data privacy regulations, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). Qcquiring lists from non-compliant vendors exposes your company to legal liability and potential reputation damage.
Reputable Data Brokers
Despite the issues discussed above, purchasing a cold calling list from a third party can be a great option for your business — if you go through a reputable broker. To keep you on the straight and narrow, here’s an overview of some popular B2B data providers.
SalesIntel
SalesIntel provides company information for cold calling campaigns. They combine human and AI verification for their lists and offer extensive data coverage, allowing organizations to craft targeted and personalized outreach efforts.
Users recommend SalesIntel for obtaining contacts from Inc. 500 companies but have noted inaccuracies in contacts for startups and SMEs. Additionally, their database may not be reliable for companies outside the U.S., particularly across Europe.
ZoomInfo
ZoomInfo offers business contact data for targeted outreach efforts. Companies can leverage the platform’s filters to find specific prospects based on job title, location, company size, and industry.
Scott Krager, founder of TubeSplit, confirmed ZoomInfo’s effectiveness in generating sales data for tech companies, saying, “I have used ZoomInfo in the past and had brilliant success for a tech company. For the most part, their information was accurate and helped our sales team grow our business. ZoomInfo is a very solid choice and can help you build your business. It is expensive, but worth the price.
Seamless.AI
Seamless.AI is an artificial intelligence-backed engine that crawls company data to compile cold calling lists. It offers unlimited searches and easy integration with CRM tools.
Information from review sites suggests that Seamless.AI’s data scrapers may occasionally be buggy and collect inaccurate contact information. Others have voiced concerns about the company’s customer support teams being unresponsive when users encounter issues.
The SalesRoads Approach
SalesRoads’ list building service provides customized prospect data for B2B companies to achieve exponential lead generation and sales results. We emphasize data accuracy, ensuring human-verified sales data boasting over 98% precision. Our clients enjoy clean contact files ready to be integrated seamlessly into their CRMs.
Watch David Kreiger explain how SalesRoads built a comprehensive contact database for B2B lead generation services in this video below.
Strategies for Building a Powerful Cold Calling List
To produce a powerful list, your business needs a clear ideal customer profile (ICP). Identify the key characteristics of your most valuable clients to focus your sales and marketing efforts.
Your ICP serves as a blueprint for the prospects most likely to become clients, guiding your efforts to attract them. Analyze your current customers, considering demographic and firmographic information, along with sales patterns, to identify trends and signals for promising prospects.
A well-defined ICP prepares you to warm leads within your target population. Create an ideal customer profile
Leverage content marketing
Create valuable content for your target audience to pinpoint relevant prospects for your cold calling list. Demonstrate your expertise and industry knowledge while warming potential leads through content like eBooks, guides, white papers, webinars, and blog posts with contact forms. Prospects interacting with your content indicate interest in your company and are ideal additions to your cold call list. Identify high-quality prospects by monitoring metrics such as downloads, shares, and email subscriptions.
Grow Your Network
Attending industry events and joining trade associations are valuable ways to connect with prospective customers. These activities help validate your product or service and strengthen your business’s credibility. Networking facilitates introductions that serve as the foundation for building rapport during a cold call. Personal and professional connections uncover valuable information about your prospects, allowing you to customize your approach and increase the likelihood of successful outreach.
Update Your List Regularly
Contact information in the B2B space can become outdated quickly, so it’s essential to update your cold calling list regularly. This practice ensures you’re working with accurate information, contributing to cold calling success. Regular checks reduce time wasted on incorrect contacts and increase response rates.
FAQs
How long does it take to develop a successful cold call list?
The time required to compile a robust cold calling list depends on the desired list size, target audience, data sources, and research methods.
Larger lists and niche audiences take longer. High-quality data sources save time but may require a significant monetary investment, while low-cost sources demand more time for validation. Adopting specialized tools, software, or professional services can speed up the process but will also incur additional costs.
How do I verify the authenticity of a data broker?
Conduct thorough research on the company’s background and reputation. You can request sample lists to check their quality, accuracy, and alignment with your target audience. Inquire about data sourcing methods and how the broker maintains and updates their lists.
Look up customer satisfaction and social proof on review sites and evaluate the broker’s customer support, responsiveness, and professionalism. Compare pricing with industry standards and competitors, and look for guarantees or refunds if the data doesn’t meet quality standards.
David Kreiger details how to verify partners before outsourcing sales processes in this video below:
Other than LinkedIn, how do you find companies to cold call?
Other sources of company information include:
- Industry directories and databases (Yellow Pages, Chamber of Commerce directories)
- Search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing)
- Social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram)
- Trade shows and conferences
- Business news and publications
- Company websites
- Market research reports
- Data scraping tools or services
Bottom Line
Cold calling lists are a valuable tool for businesses seeking to expand their outreach efforts. However, building one yourself is time-consuming, and you need to be careful about purchasing information from a contact database.
By implementing the strategies listed above, you can develop solid lists for effective cold calling campaigns.
