A Gatling Gun Needs Lots of Ammunition – Our Favorite List Providers

Seven years ago we set out to build the ultimate cold-calling technology. If sales is a numbers game, then the logic is that a PowerDialer can help reps go from making 35-40 calls a day to 200 or even 300. That’s great if you have enough leads to call. Or if you make enough calls to make contact.

And it is especially important when you realize that it takes 8-12 calls to make sure you have the best chance of making contact. Our research shows most reps call 1-2 times and give up.

To me leads are people who find me and I call them back. They have need.

A list is people who I find and call and try to generate interest and turn it to need. Occasionally I stumble upon the golden contact who has need when I call.

In just a few days we have spoken with Hoovers, InsideView, Jigsaw, and Zoominfo. We get asked all the time; who is best.  Over the years we have tried them all and our clients try them all. In fairness, they change quite often. So we will keep trying them.

I have to honestly say the answer is the one I hate when people give it to me… it depends.

  • Hoovers is really D&B (their parent company.) They have the legendary Duns number, and the largest database on the planet.
  • InsideView is really a sales intelligence company with access to lists. They give you better information before you make that call.
  • Jigsaw is a great list company if you want great company info. And they are now owned by Salesforce.com, our favorite partner.
  • Zoominfo is a great list company with the most contacts per company. Their contact data seems to be the most current.

We like them all based on the needs of the job we are engaged in (and notice I even put them alphabetical… I think.)

Author: Ken Krogue |
Summary of Ken Krogue’s Forbes articles

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