Not sure where to start with your prospecting campaign? Not sure where to find leads? Never fear. Leads are everywhere and you can find them easily and inexpensively.
Leads are everywhere. No one should ever put off a prospecting or business development campaign with the excuse of having no leads. There are many excellent sources to find lists of potential leads for your market. Some well-known resources are Dunn & Bradstreet and ZoomInfo. These databases, while excellent, require a fee. The following are some free resources to explore before you spend your hard-earned money. Read on:
Your Competition
Check out all of your competitors web sites. Many companies have a partial list of their customers on their web site. Bingo! You have a list of qualified prospects. Do a Google search to get all of the contact information.
Alumni Associations
Looking for leads where you can establish instant rapport? How about alumni from your college? Most U.S. colleges have a searchable online directory for alumni and there is usually no fee for access.
Chambers of Commerce
Looking for business-to-business leads in your area? How about your local Chamber of Commerce? To find your local Chamber of Commerce simply Google it. Type in “chamber of commerce” and then your city name. I’m in New York City. When I Googled “NYC chamber of commerce” I found the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, the Greater New York Chamber of Commerce, the New York Chamber of Commerce and the Greenwich Village Chelsea Chamber of Commerce. Membership directories are not always accessible if you’re not a member, but if you join, you will definitely receive a membership directory. You can also locate your local Chamber of Commerce at the US Chamber of Commerce Directory: CO- by US Chamber of Commerce.
Industry Associations
Industry Associations are another great way to find leads. Make a list of the various industries in your market and Google them. Type in the industry name plus “and association.” For example, if you want to reach attorneys you would type in “attorneys and association.” If you want to target associations for attorneys in your state, type in “and” plus your home state. Many of these types of sites have membership directories that you can access for no fee. Or, you might decide to join the association to have closer access to those members. That way, you will definitely get a membership directory.
**The Public Library
One of my favorite resources: The public Library. Libraries have many online resources available to the enterprising and they are usually available online. All you need is a library card.
**MountainTop Data
Sales teams and marketers of top companies use MountainTop Data to build their pipelines. You can too because, Salesology® partner, MountainTop Data, will give you 100 contacts for free. Click here to grab your leads.
