We all know that finding information about prospective prospects is difficult. Certainly we have access to their website, which information is helpful but not complete. Not only do we need more information than we’re likely to find on their site, but we have to have a way to identify the potential prospect before we can research them.
One of the leading lead identification sites is SalesGenie. The problem for many is that SalesGenie is down right expensive. Sure, they’ll give you a hundred free leads, but after that the service costs dearly. And of course there’s Hoovers and Dun and Bradstreet, but they’re expensive also. Not only are they too expensive for many individual salespeople, maybe those dollars could be better spent elsewhere-if there were just a cheaper alternative.
Depending on what you need, there are cheaper alternatives:
Manta.com: Manta is free for the basic service and the basic service gives a good deal of information. Manta has profiles of about 45 million companies worldwide. You can search by industry, by company name, by state or country, even by city and zip code.
A typical company profile will give you the basics such as address, phone number, and industry, of course. But you’ll also get the year established, approximate annual sales, and the primary contact person.
That’s a darn good start for free.
Salesconx.com: Salesconx is far different than Manta. Salesconx isn’t a free service. Instead of finding leads in the manner of Manta or Salesgenie, Salesconx allows you to purchase or sell introductions to decision makers to particular companies. I have to admit that I’m not a big fan of these introduction purchasing sites, but they have worked for some and are worth checking out.
Inquisix.com: Similar to Salesconx, Inquisix is a site to buy or sell ‘referrals,’ as though one could actually refer someone they know nothing about. In fact it is nothing more than buying or selling a contact, but it might work for you.
If you’re searching for leads or if you’re currently using Salesgenie, check out these alternatives. You might find a cheaper and better alternative. If not, at least you’ll know your current provider is the best for you.
Have other alternatives? I’d love to hear about them.
Paul, sorry to disagree but you have incorrect data about Inquisix. They do NOT buy or sell referrals as does Salesconx. They are a trusted referral site where a community of professionals shares information about their network and makes introductions IF and ONLY IF the person who owns the contact thinks it would benefit their client/customer.
I am not explaining it well but I will reach out to them and perhaps they will share their business model with your community.
Comment by trish bertuzzi — September 2, 2008 @ 7:39 am |
Trish,
Thanks for the correction. I was going off of the initial email introducing their service I had received several months ago. I suspect I misinterpreted the nature of the service. I stand corrected–and will do my homework on them–belatedly, sad to say.
Comment by Paul McCord — September 2, 2008 @ 7:47 am |
Oh, my, God! A sales trainer actually admitted a mistake and is going to correct it? I think this is the first time I’ve ever heard of such a thing. OK, you’ve earned my respect. Now, if you can just get those other massive ego blowhard sales trainers to admit when they’re wrong the world will be a lot better off.
Comment by Dennis — September 2, 2008 @ 8:56 am |
Paul,
Thanks for the mention. You are correct that the term ‘lead’ has gotten misused over the years as a ‘lead’ from Salesgenie is really just contact information – readily available through a number of sources. One slight correction though is that on Salesconx, the user only makes an introduction if they believe that the introduction would their client/customer. No one is forcing a user to sell their introductions and their contacts aren’t put up for sale ananymously like on Jigsaw. In fact, Salesconx selling experts are compensated for capitalizing on their selling experiences and relationships and not merely for selling contact information.
Comment by Evan — September 2, 2008 @ 10:26 am |
Dennis–Well, I’m glad I’ve earned your respect, but I think you’ll find many sales trainers admit mistakes and correct them. Also, having something to teach doesn’t necessarily make one an egomaniac. I’ll admit there are a few out there whose egos are bigger than their abilities, but most are good people who are simply using what they’ve learned to help others succeed.
Evan–I don’t think I ever said or implied that the seller was ever forced to make an introduction if they weren’t comfortable doing so. Owning the introduction implies the right to sell or not sell.
Comment by Paul McCord — September 2, 2008 @ 10:54 am |
Trish, thanks for coming to our defense at Inquisix! Paul, I think you’d find Inquisix members give and get referrals much like you recommend in your books and blog postings. Our members give referrals to improve their relationship with their customers and get referrals to gain new customers. Referrals are never sold but are gained by need and reputation within the community. http://inquisix.com
Comment by Michael — September 3, 2008 @ 6:29 am |
Dennis,
Whats the deal with Manta.com? How come my sales team never heard of them?
Comment by Marcus Harwitz — September 18, 2008 @ 7:35 pm |
Marcus,
I’m assuming you’re actually directing your remarks to me. I honestly don’t know why you team hasn’t heard of Manta, but now that you have, you can introduce your team to them and see if it works for you guys.
Comment by Paul McCord — September 18, 2008 @ 7:41 pm |
[...] Do You Use Salesgenie? A Couple of Cheaper and Maybe Better … We all know that finding information about prospective prospects is difficult. Certainly we have access to their website, which information is helpful but not complete. Not only do we need more information than we’re likely to find on … [...]
Pingback by Best of The Sales Management Blogs - Sales Tips and Advice for Sales Managers - Ask The Manager — September 21, 2008 @ 6:58 pm |
Hoovers has been my primary method of finding contacts. However Jigsaw is another alternative. The members contribute the contacts in exchange for getting more contacts. They also have a premium membership where you can pay for contacts. I have found some good contacts using this.
Comment by Francine Rattenbury — November 14, 2008 @ 9:15 am |
To piggyback on Francine’s comment…
Jigsaw is another alternative. You trade contacts for contacts or you can buy contacts for free. Also you can create a custom mailing list and purchase contacts individually off of that list for a low price. One negative thing about Jigsaw is that they rely on the Jigsaw community to update the contact information if it is wrong. So, the data may not be accurate all the time. Other similar sites are Netprospex (they check to see if their contacts are correct) and DemandBase (sometimes called the iTunes for contacts). You might want to check out those sites for cheaper alternatives as well.
Comment by Lisa — November 20, 2008 @ 9:29 am |
Correction: you don’t buy contacts for free on jigsaw, you can buy them for a cheap price though. Sorry for the typo!
Comment by Lisa — November 20, 2008 @ 9:33 am |
I have been using Hoovers for quiet some time however recently reviewed about Rainking & Jigsaw. The only negative point i found about these two…. Rainking is only focussed on IT Dept…although they give you detailed search but are highly expensive for individual Sales people and Jigsaw is completely depending on user community for data updation. You can’t trust them on quality prospect.
Comment by Amanda Wilson — December 11, 2008 @ 10:34 am |
We started our direct mail campaign using bizjournals.com. This was a good and affordable solution to our situation. You can narrow your selection to geographic regions and industry (if you are choosing New Business License). The leads cost 10 cents each. The thing with bizjournals is you have only 2 choices, new home purchases or new business license. Nothing for the established businesses or established neighborhoods. Its OK for starters, but its not a long term marketing plan.
Stuart D. Anderson
President/ CEO
Carolina Piedmont Capital, Inc.
Comment by Stuart Anderson — February 13, 2009 @ 2:40 am |
Sales Genie is not only a rip-off but the data is bad and outdated. So now you’ve just paid $200 a month for bad and dead leads. They are unscrupulous in their business tactics when you bring it to their attention and tell you “tough” you have to pay for it and for 12 months. So $2400 for leads that are bad! What a waste of time and money. I would not recommend sales genie to ANYONE! STAY AWAY!!!!
Comment by Rebecca Stauner — March 4, 2009 @ 3:01 pm |
I have been involved in direct marketing for over 30 years. Large and small projects. I have had the opportunity to see quality comparisons of all the data compilers, and actual campaign results. InfoUSA’s data has consistantly garnered the best results.
If you have doubt, test the data.
Don’t rely on the comments of those that may have had an isolated bad experience. There are only a couple companies that compile business data on a national basis. You are either getting the data from them or their resellers.
Comment by Mark Norton — March 6, 2009 @ 8:04 am |
I use manta religiously for free. Like Sales Genie and Hoovers it provides contact information for specific businesses, but the best use is to prospect by verticals and geo.
Again, a lead is just a lead but Free leads are better than $2400. I addition, I recommend chamber of commerce sites, BBB and lastly check out review sites like yelp and citysearch. Those reviews are your way in.
Happy Hunting!
Comment by Alexander Budyszewick — March 22, 2009 @ 2:27 pm |
I’m with Mark Norton on this one. Salesgenie (and their parent, InfoGROUP) have always had the most accurate information. I know you’re going to pay $150/month for their product, but it’s the best $150 your going to pay all month if you are looking for QUALITY leads.
Mike.
Comment by Michael McGoaty — March 25, 2009 @ 12:45 am |
I have used Sales genie and am getting ready to order again and read your blog. I call on seniors 65 and older so I used sales genie to pull the age of people in the chicago land area. But when I went to Manta to check it out I only see business info.. Do you have any other ideas to get the same data as Sales Genie but much cheaper? Thanks
Comment by Eric — May 11, 2009 @ 9:27 pm |
Eric,
I have been using USADATA for the last few years. They are quite comparable to many of the leads companies. It may be better for you than sales genie, as it is not subscription, it is pay as you. You buy the leads and when you are ready for more, you purchase again. For my agents, it ends up being cheaper than sales genie and they are quality leads.
Comment by David — June 1, 2009 @ 10:23 am |