The CRAP Report

You know, if you’re going to spend money on outsourcing your sales opportunity development, it might make sense to put a list in front of them that isn’t four or five years old.  Now I understand, those names you got from “Software-Tech Mega Expo ‘05” were hot then, but I’d bet that more than 75% of those people are no longer working for the company you think they are.  Hell, I bet many of them aren’t even working, period.

But sincerely, if you’re going to get serious about lead generation, and I mean serious enough that you’re about to put dollars down, think about what it is you want that vendor to call on.  You’ve got to have some expectations level-set for you: if the names you want them to call on are four to five years old, you’re not going to get a lot.  Now look, there are those firms out there, who much like what Air Supply can do with love, can “make [leads] out of nothing at all” (yeah, you read right, I just used Air Supply to make an analogy).  If you’re sure you’ve found them, more power to you.  If you’re like everyone else, take some time to think about what you want your vendor to call on.  

Having a targeted list is going to be the difference between a database full of sales qualified leads and a bunch of names who are no longer working for companies that no longer exist.