When it comes to dog sledding business sales, direct marketing can be a highly effective entry point -- and that means lead generation is a core business activity for firms like yours.

Lead Lists: Build or Buy?

Sales managers often question the value of lead lists based on the belief that their sales teams can generate the same leads in-house. However, they often overlook the fact that lead list providers are specialists who are highly skilled in identifying targeted leads. So a decent list provider can produce a list of prospective dog sledding businesses at a cost that is much lower than in-house lead generation. Additionally, the best list providers have developed mechanisms that capture new dog sledding businesses as they enter the marketplace and are religious about updating contact information. For most in-house sales units, it's impossible to match the performance of third-party list providers.

Always Start with a Big Lead Database

When it comes to finding reliable list providers, database size definitely matters.

Ideally, you should narrow your search to providers that can offer a large database of dog sledding businesses. Experian Business Services, for example, has a comprehensive database of 14 million U.S. businesses that can be filtered and sorted according to your exact specifications.

The business reality is that the amount of sales you generate will be directly tied to the number of contacts contained in your lead lists. As the size of the provider's database increases, so does your ability to to create a highly targeted pool of prospects.

Tips for Prospecting with Lead Lists

First-rate lead lists increase the odds of positive dog sledding business responses. But before you can close deals, you'll need to use your lists to engage in prospecting.

Unfortunately, there is no way around the hard work of picking up the phone and using the lead list to qualify prospects. Although not every dog sledding business on the list will greet your efforts with enthusiasm, the payoff for an investment in a targeted lead list will be noticeably higher conversion rates.