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| | The Marketing, Channels/Partnership & Sales Execs Network is not currently active and cannot accept new posts | | Marketing list services/brokers | Views: 1343 | | Nov 09, 2005 4:19 pm | | Marketing list services/brokers | # | 
Dan Lorenz | | Hello fellow Ryzers:
I'm looking for advice on where to buy a marketing list for direct mail and cold calling. I've done searches on the internet and there are thousands of companies selling or reselling data. I'm trying to buy a list of small and medium businesses in the Cleveland OH area. About 10-150 employees with key contact people, address and phone number. Can anyone suggest a reputable supplier. I've contacted a company called Martin Worldwide who makes a pretty good offer. Does anyone have experience with them?
Thanks in advance.Private Reply to Dan Lorenz | | Nov 27, 2005 5:14 pm | | re: Marketing list services/brokers | # | 
Jeff Klingberg | | Dan,
Yes there are thousands of list brokers around. The best location to find the appropriate broker and list is by going to www.directmag.com/resourcecenter/listfinder/ and search by your criteria.
Before you do that you must sit down and think through who your target audience is for what you want to accomplish. Define that target audience. Age, Title, Company Size (employees & sales), Location, Industry, Etc. etc. Than you can really find the list you are looking for.
One thing you must keep in mind is each list has a minimum order size, either by dollar or by quantity. The typical minimum quantity is 5,000 names. So if you search criteria brings up much less than 5000 you are still going to have to pay the 5000 name price. So your cost per name will go up. Additionally, most lists are a one time use. If you want multiple uses you are going to pay more.
Two resources you might want to check out are: www.zapdata.com and the Ohio Service & Manufacturer's Directories.
One thing to ask any list broker is how often is the list updated and cleansed. Part of the issue with Service & Manufacturer Directories is they are relying on the company to self-update or cleanse the data provided which rarely happens. So ultimately you may have to get data from several sources and do a merge purge and you will still find names that are out of date.
The best way is to build your own list over time, and then keep it up to date.
I hope this helps,
Regards,
Jeff KlingbergPrivate Reply to Jeff Klingberg | | Nov 28, 2005 3:08 am | | re: Marketing list services/brokers | # | 
Michael Spitz | | Dan,
Try Edith Roman, preferred e-mail list broker of VNU.
Maybe they have what you're looking for.
Good Luck,
Michael SpitzPrivate Reply to Michael Spitz | | Nov 28, 2005 8:55 pm | | re: Marketing list services/brokers | # |
Amanda Loden | | Hi Dan,
Have you tried the local Chamber of Commerce?
I've not had much luck with purchased lists. I seem to get a better response using a list from a local business paper or Chamber.
Good luck!
Amanda Larson
www.LogicalImagination.com
Private Reply to Amanda Loden | | Dec 20, 2005 3:38 pm | | re: re: Marketing list services/brokers | # |
Dan Lorenz | | Thank you all for your repies. I have noticed with the list services that they want to sell you a subscription to the data which they claim to update continuously (Dun & Bradstreet, Hoovers). I've also spoken with companies that say they can sell a list that I can download and use for as long as I like. And they say they get their data from Dun & Bradstreet. It seems contradictory that D& B wants to license it to me and the others say I can buy the same data for a one time fee.
Most companies I've talked to do want to make a minimum sale of 5000 names. I've been given prices between 12 and 15 cents each up to about 50 cents each. It seems the owners of the data (D&B) want the most money for it.
Yes, I've also looked into the chamber of commerce. I've joined the chamber in Cleveland. I agree that those kinds of groups are the best place to start. My local community chamber is pretty small but I'm going to look into that one too. I'm only pursuing the direct mail / cold calling route because I have to generate more activity than I can with chamber events. I think they are better quality but I need more quantity.
Thank you all again. Any other thoughts would be appreciated.Private Reply to Dan Lorenz | | Dec 20, 2005 7:33 pm | | re: re: re: Marketing list services/brokers | # |
Jeff Klingberg | | Dan,
Due to the nature of the D&B and Hoovers (part of D&B) lists they are updated quarterly. D&B had a CD-ROM based product called Marketplace Info, which you could do all type of searches and purchase data as you needed using credits. If you kept your subscription up for the product you would get quarterly updates on the lists you purchased for as long as you kept buying the subscription. I believe they have eliminated this product, and now have moved everything to a web-based platform called www.ZapData.com. The cost of each record is dependent on how much or little information you wanted on each company.
Lists built on magazine subscriptions or other methods are typically going to run more especially for email campaigns to B2B. Telemarketing lists typically cost more than mailing lists. Whether it is email, mailing or telemarketing, the lists from these type of list brokers typically can only be used 1 time, however, you can buy the list for multiple uses up to year in length. The one year in length should be enough time to build your list internally.
Over the years I have found that D&B's lists aren't any better than any others. You are still going to have bad names and/or addresses/phone numbers. What has to be done is develop your own in-house list using a variety of sources and methods. Use your website and offer a free newsletter. Write a white paper or case study and have people fill out a form to get the white paper/case study. Go to trade shows and collect business cards or offer a sweepstakes/drawing for a prize. But, you have to keep emailing, calling and mailing on at least a quarterly basis and ask for updates. If you use email campaigns and collect email addresses a good way of keeping them updated is through Plaxo.
The problem we have seen with a purely telemarketing/cold call program is that you are going to into voicemail hell and will have a tough time getting through the gatekeeper. I would highly recommend the use of a campaign that consists of direct mail with an offer followed by telemarketing.
Have the offer that is relevent, useful and enticing, and direct them to your website or to call. This will help you qualify your prospects for your telemarketing element before you begin. In addition, having a multi-prong campaign will enhance your telemarketing because you will not be cold calling and you will see a greater response rate, conversion rate and ultimate ROI. And, that is what it is all about ROI.
Since you are looking at the B2B sector in the Cleveland area one option for your direct mail campaign could be using trade publications. Some of these publications will offer wrappers, tip ins, etc. based on geography.
A couple of things to remember. First, whatever you do everything has to have a consistent voice from email to mail to web to phone calls. Second, it typically is going to take 4 to 7 impressions, contacts, etc to get to close an order, so before you begin your process make sure you understand what it is you want to accomplish with your campaign. Is it to get a face to face meeting, is it to sell "x" number of widgets, is it to build brand recognition, etc. etc.
I hope this helps.
Sincerely,
Jeff Klingberg
President/CEO
Konstanz Kommunikations, Inc.Private Reply to Jeff Klingberg | | Jan 20, 2007 5:10 pm | | re: Marketing list services/brokers | # | 
Brian Smith | | Check with your local direct mail processors. Commonly, they will resell lists for a discounted price. So, if a pizza chain recently ordered a list of businesses in your target area, the mail house could sell you that same list without incurring a new cost from their list broker. Private Reply to Brian Smith | | |
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