It’s all about the list. Some experts say that the list is responsible for up to 70% of campaign results. If your list is good, your campaign may deliver solid results. If your list is bad…it’s over. Your campaign will fail.
So, where can you get good lists? If you can afford $3k per month you’re going to want to look at a DiscoverOrg or a Rainking. If you don’t have that much budget, you’re going to want to take a look at a Data.com or Zoominfo. If your budget is really tight and or the providers mentioned don’t offer lists in your target market, then you are going to have to look at making your lists.
Within the realm of making your own lists, you have basically two options. The first is to outsource it via a service like Odesk. I’ve had great success going this route in the past. The other option is to make the list yourself. However, this can be incredibly time consuming and difficult.
Fortunately there’s a tool on the market that may make it easier for you to do your own list creation. It’s called SalesLoft Prospector and it deserves a closer look. It has the ability to mine Linkedin and retrieve contact details quickly. This can be a huge help.
As always with lists, the devil is in the details. In order to run a high volume outbound lead generation campaign you are going to need thousands of targeted names, including direct dial telephone numbers and work email addresses. SalesLoft Prospector appears to be able to get some email addresses, but it’s not clear if they are business or personal. My guess is that it will be a mix because that’s what people list in their LinkedIn profiles.
As for direct dial telephone numbers, I’d be shocked if Prospector would allow me to get these. I don’t think many people include their corporate direct dial telephone numbers in their profiles, but I could be wrong. If so, the product is a total home run. If not, it still has value.
I have not yet tested SalesLoft Prospector but have studied their video and website carefully. Overall, I’m excited about the tool because it seems to bring the possibility of creating your own lists a lot closer to reality. You should definitely check it out.
An update from the CEO at SaleLoft:
It’s all corporate emails and they are not pulled from LinkedIn. They are pulled by testing the prospects web domain.
Sincerely,
Kyle