Strategies for Prospect Data Sourcing

Key Insight

Identifying potential customers involves sourcing data about both individuals (contacts) and organizations (accounts), with the most effective approach depending on the specific solution. For contact-centric sourcing, especially based on job titles, LinkedIn's premium talent solutions are unparalleled, far surpassing outdated resume and contact databases like Salesforce’s Data.com or Dun & Bradstreet. LinkedIn's ability to provide current and accurate professional information makes it the go-to resource for pinpointing individuals with relevant roles. However, for industries less represented on LinkedIn, traditional sources may still be necessary to find the initial 50-100 prospects.

Account-centric sourcing leverages company characteristics, which tend to be more stable than individual roles. LinkedIn remains valuable for finding accounts based on the number of employees in specific roles. Complementary traditional sources like Dun & Bradstreet, Hoover’s, and Salesforce’s Data.com are useful for filtering by company size, geography, and industry, while modern tools like DiscoverOrg and ZoomInfo offer more dynamic data. For small and local businesses, Yelp, Radius, InfoUSA’s Salesgenie, and Google Maps are effective. Additionally, competitive product usage can be a strong indicator of need; for example, restaurants on OpenTable demonstrate a focus on revenue management.

Advanced sourcing methods involve identifying the technologies an organization uses on its website, which directly reveals business pains and willingness to invest in solutions. Services like BuiltWith, Datanyze, Datafox, SimilarWeb, HGData, and Wappalyzer can detect tools such as Salesforce Web-to-Lead forms or Optimizely installations. Self-reported data from DiscoverOrg, Siftery, and RainKing can fill gaps where technology isn't publicly visible. Hiring information, from job boards like Indeed or LinkedIn to analytics tools like WANTED Analytics, provides leading demand indicators—for instance, 20 open engineering roles suggest a need for recruiting solutions. While multiple sources can enrich an existing prospect's profile, sticking to one primary source for finding new accounts prevents 'prospecting ADHD'. Beware of generic marketing list providers, as they are often out-of-date and lack the specific metadata crucial for effective targeting, making manual, custom list building superior for initial efforts.