Understanding your target persona is the first step when sourcing contact and company data for prospecting. By sourcing the right data, sales teams can ensure that they’re reaching contacts and companies most likely to benefit from their products and services. To achieve this, it’s important to leverage the many features on data platforms. In this blog, we will go over ways to effectively source this information for your team.
Before you dive into the data, it’s important to have a clear picture of your ideal customer. Start by evaluating your current customer list or the profile of your ideal target. Attributes to consider include industry, company size, revenue, and job titles. By pinpointing these characteristics, you can filter your data to align closely with your target persona.
With data platforms’ precision filtering, sales teams can narrow down data by specific information. Platforms such as ZoomInfo, Apollo.ai, and Seamless.AI allow users to leverage their advanced filters such as industry, company size, location, etc. to narrow down their search and obtain highly targeted data.
Key Tip: One highly recommended approach is importing your current customer list into the data platform, making sure to include basic information, such as website, company, name, and location. Once imported, tag these companies as current customers. This allows you to exclude them from new lists you build, preventing duplication.
To further refine your company list, utilize additional filters like technology used and company descriptions. This allows for keyword searches within their profiles. For example, putting the term “software” alongside SIC (standard industrial classification) codes adds relevancy to your list and ensures a better fit.
After tagging current customers, most platforms provide an option to create a look-a-like list. This important feature enables sales teams to replicate the characteristics of their best customers in potential leads. This helps by effectively building a fresh list that mirrors past successful customer profiles.
When sourcing contact and company data for prospecting, accuracy is key. Luckily, most platforms provide an accuracy score for contacts which helps avoid targeting outdated or incorrect information.
With ZoomInfo’s ‘likely to engage’ feature, contacts are filtered based on their likelihood to respond via email or phone. This helps boost sales teams’ chances of successful engagement.
Many data platforms include ‘intent’ filters, which help identify companies or contacts that are actively searching for solutions related to the products/services you offer. This filter also reveals the frequency of these searches.
While intent data isn’t proven to consistently outperform traditional persona-based data, it does aid in fine-tuning target personas. By leveraging intent topics, users can zero in on companies with relevant interests, optimizing your efforts.
Sourcing the right data is an intricate process that relies on a deep understanding of your target persona. And, thanks to data platforms like the ones mentioned above, sales teams can build a high-quality list of potential leads and direct your efforts toward the most promising prospects.
If your sales team needs more than data, Concept’s appointment setting services are here to help. Contact us today.