What do you think about when you're purchasing cold calling lists? At AG Salesworks, we abide by a few "musts" to ensure that our teleprospectors are equipped with the best lists for success.

1. 5 “Musts” for Your Cold Calling
Lists

2. Must
Never buy a name over a year
old.

3. Why?
• Generally, once you get past 12 months, parts
of the contact information are incorrect. There
could be a different extension, change in title,
or even a departure from the company.
• Then, the list is no longer worth the amount
you paid for it.

4. Must
Always buy a name. Don’t rent
it.

5. Why?
• Though the rental may be cheaper, the
response rate will generally be lower.
• At AG, we’ve seen a difference in response
rate of 2% for rented lists and 5% for
purchased lists.
• If you don’t own the name, there’s no reason
to invest your dollars.

6. Must
Get a sample list of names
before you purchase a full list.

7. Why?
• You should be allowed to test the vendor in
order to get a feel for the list’s quality.
• Companies typically offer a sample of 25
names to test out based on your specific list
criteria; jump on that.
• A decent list will not be cheap, but you should
be able to test its accuracy.

8. Must
Make sure the vendor allows for
the option of reimbursement.

9. Why?
• The best vendors will pay you back for a
bounced email or a disconnected line.
• In fact, they appreciate you telling them
because their database will be updated to the
most accurate and up-to-date contact
information.
• Both you and the customer will be happy with
this deal.

10. Must
Remember that no list is
perfect.

11. Why?
• In order to get a dream account list together,
there needs to be some manual input.
• Generally a list will get you 60-70% of the way,
but then you or your team need to pick up the
phone to track down additional prospects.
• This will put your teleprospectors in the best
position to find fully qualified leads.

12. AG Salesworks
Adapted from this blog post by Craig Ferrara. Thanks for reading.
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