Experienced sellers it's good to have all the help they can get. Consequently, direct mail lists great for expanding your prospect base and improving bottom line sales.

Lead List Metrics

Multiple methods exist for measuring the effectiveness of electromagnetic measurements and testing business lead lists.

For starters, conversion rate (number of sales/number of leads) is the most important measurement of overall lead list effectiveness. But you may also want to think about integrating a few other metrics into your assessment routine.

A units-per-lead measurement reveals the quality of your vendor's leads and database contents. When compared to your internal lead generation metrics, a dismal units-per-lead number indicate a provider that isn't performing adequate qualification or lead filtering. Similarly, individual metrics for your sales staff indicate how well each of your team members is using the leads they receive through a third-party supplier.

What Companies Sell Leads?

Google is often business owners' first stop when they're looking for a lead list provider. There's nothing wrong with an Internet search, but Google doesn't tell the whole story. Many online vendors are big on promises and short on execution, so it's important to verify each provider's claims and references.

Over the years, we've seen a lot of lead list vendors come and go, but we have been consistently impressed with Experian. One of the things Experian has working for it is a database of more than 14 million U.S. businesses. Companies that sell to electromagnetic measurements and testing businesses rave about Experian's ability to deliver updated leads that have been filtered to meet precise geographic and demographic criteria.

Lead Lists: Build or Buy?

Many business owners struggle with the decision to purchase lead lists because (in theory) they can produce the same results using in-house personnel. However, they often overlook the fact that lead list providers are specialists who are highly skilled in identifying targeted leads. The top lead list companies can produce a list of prospective electromagnetic measurements and testing businesses more efficiently than in-house lead generation. Not to mention that first-tier lead list companies have developed mechanisms that capture new electromagnetic measurements and testing businesses as they enter the marketplace and are religious about updating contact information. For most in-house sales units, it's just not possible to keep pace with the professionals.