Where to find prospects
Buying a list or not.
A commercial list does not sell exclusive data. It sells time. The question is what yours is worth.
In short
A paid list adds one thing free sources do not have: the named contact, meaning a reachable person and their email or direct line, plus a check that the address still works. Everything else (identity, activity, address, size) is free. Buying is a calculation, not an impression.
The calculation, in three numbers
Take the price of the list, your expected conversion rate and your margin per client. A list at £500 for 500 contacts, converted at 1%, gives five clients; if your margin is £2,000 per client, the deal is excellent. The same list converted at 0.2% with a £400 margin loses you money.
Run that calculation with your real, measured rate, not the one quoted by the person selling the list. If you do not know your rate, that is the signal to prospect a free list first and establish it.
The questions to ask before buying
Four questions rule out most bad offers. When was the data last verified, and how. What bounce rate is observed on the emails. Is the list exclusive or sold to your competitors. And where do the named addresses come from, which determines whether you may lawfully use them.
Always ask for a twenty-row sample before buying, and test it. A serious provider supplies one without argument.
Good sign
A stated, quantified bounce rate, with a commitment to replace invalid addresses.
Bad sign
Volume advertised before quality, and no date of last verification.
Deal breaker
An inability to say where the personal data being sold came from.
The alternative that costs time instead of money
On a narrow target, finding the right person takes two to three minutes per company: the website, the team page, the professional network. For two hundred companies, count a solid day.
That day has an advantage buying does not: you learn your market while doing it. You spot the businesses that have pivoted, the ones that look dormant, the ones that have just hired. On a first campaign, that knowledge is often worth more than the list itself.
Frequently asked questions
Is a purchased list compliant?
It depends entirely on where the data came from and what the people were told. Require the provider to document the source and legal basis, and inform people from the first message. Responsibility sits with you too, not only with the seller.
What bounce rate is acceptable?
Below 5% on recent named business addresses. Above 10%, the quality of the list threatens your sending domain's reputation, which costs far more than the list did.
Better to buy small and often?
Yes. A small tested batch tells you whether the provider delivers, and named data ages fast: a large list sitting unused for six months has already lost part of its value.
Keep track of every follow-up
Lea CRM keeps your contacts, deals and reminders in one place, and shows you every morning what needs doing today.