How to Choose a B2B Lead Finder: Pros & Cons of Tools

SDRs use B2B lead finders to discover new prospects, build email lists, and sometimes for sales automation. We need quality data to maintain sales pipelines, so these tools are essential in modern outbound strategies.

If you’re reading this, you know you need a B2B lead finder. The next question is: how do you choose the right one?

This post will discuss B2B lead-finding strategies, choosing a B2B lead finder, and best practices for using your tool. 

What is a B2B lead finder?

B2B lead finder solutions help SDRs discover new prospects for list building. Some include access to verified contact data from internal B2B contact databases, while others may use third-party platforms like LinkedIn.

(Kaspr’s B2B lead finder working over LinkedIn)

B2B lead finders are crucial for businesses looking to expand their client base and improve sales. 

These tools often include powerful search features. The goal is for SDRs to find relevant prospects at scale, maximizing sales productivity quickly. 

Competition is fiercer in outbound sales than ever. Sales teams must be proactive with outbound lead generation strategies. They must balance finding enough potential customers without sacrificing quality. 

Generating new, relevant prospect lists is critical to keeping your pipeline active. 

Types of B2B lead finding 

Manual, automated, and hybrid solutions are three common options for finding B2B leads. 

Manual lead finding 

Use manual lead finder tools to discover leads through networking, referrals, and personal outreach. This approach may work on a small scale, especially if you have a large and well-connected network.

Check out the pros of manual lead finding:

• Easy to implement personalization at every touchpoint.
• In-depth review of prospects during initial research.
• Discover prospects through connections you already have, which may increase conversion potential.
• Free and easy to use. 

These are the cons:

• The process is often time-consuming.
• It’s easy to miss out on many potential prospects that aren’t already in-network.
• Purely manual approaches rarely scale well and can be ineffective. 

Automated lead finding tools 

Automated lead-finding tools may offer prospecting, data capturing, lead scoring or outreach features. The best lead-finding tools help SDRs find new prospects and easily add relevant contacts to email or call lists.

Automated tools offer several benefits:

• Highly scalable, capable of identifying a large number of prospects quickly. 
• Reduce time and manpower spent on prospecting and lead qualification.
• Discover new leads you may not have found otherwise. 
• Potential to update your CRM data with new, accurate information.
• Set alerts for prospects to track opportunities, such as a prospect changing employers or job titles. 

They also come with some downsides:

• Relying exclusively on automation can reduce personalization. 
• B2B lead finding software can be expensive.
• Some tools may have problems with data privacy or data accuracy. 

👉 Use Kaspr’s Chrome Extension to prospect for leads while you browse for people on LinkedIn.

Hybrid approaches

Hybrid approaches give you the best of both worlds, leveraging the speed and reach of automated tools with the human touch of manual processes. 

For example, SDRs may use a tool like Kaspr to capture contact data and find new prospects while browsing on LinkedIn. They may also use sales intelligence like Cognism to use intent data to see how ready the prospect is to buy.

The advantage of hybrid lead finding strategies is clear: You get the scalability of automated software, but it’s controlled by a sales rep who has their finger on the pulse of the audience they’re trying to reach. Even machine learning can’t match a sales rep’s gut instinct and ICP knowledge when assessing a potential lead.

Good news: Once your sales reps find the right balance of manual and automated work that works best for them, there is no real downside. 

Key features of effective B2B lead finders 

While B2B lead finders may differ in how they work, there are a few key features that all lead finding and prospecting tools should have. Let’s look at each. 

Data accuracy

Data accuracy is perhaps the most important feature of any B2B lead finder. Poor data accuracy leads to higher bounce rates in an email inbox and cold calling the wrong number. 

This is the last thing you want.

Look for solutions with high data accuracy. Kaspr, for example, verifies data from 150 unique sources in real-time, and Cognism’s Diamond Data® will connect you with 87% of your list. 

(Graphic showing data qualities of Kaspr)

Integration capabilities

Many lead finding tools offer integrations for for popular platforms like CRM systems. 

We strongly recommend choosing a B2B lead finders tool that offers integrations with the tech stack you’re already using. If a key integration is missing, see if API access allows for custom integrations. 

Kaspr, for example, integrates with most popular CRMs. Other available integrations include automation tools, pipeline software, and direct dialing software. 

Customization options 

Finding prospects that align with your ideal customer profile (ICP) can be challenging. This makes customizable search filters and criteria essential.

The best B2B lead finding tools come with advantaged and customizable search filters. Examples include searching by job title, industry, company size, or tech stack.

For example, you can use Kaspr to build prospect lists from LinkedIn Sales Navigator. Sales Navigator offers extensive search filter options to help you get a laser-focused look at potential prospects. 

User-friendly interface

All lead-finding software must be easy to use and have an intuitive interface. 

Trust us when we say prospecting in a clunky interface with bad features isn’t a good way to streamline lead generation. 

Key functionalities— searching for prospects, reviewing lead information, synching data, or building lists— must be easily accessible with minimal learning curves. 

Each tool we’re about to discuss (Kaspr, Cognism, and Apollo) has good user experiences with simple designs and easy-to-use interfaces. 

Top B2B lead finder tools in the market

There are plenty of B2B lead finding tools on the market, but let’s look at the three best and most popular tools for SDRs. 

Tool 1: Kaspr 

Kaspr is an all-in-one prospecting tool. Our self-service software makes lead generation easy, and SDRs can prospect individually or create lists in bulk.

Just need a single contact email from one individual? You can do that, too. Use the LinkedIn Chrome Extension to capture contact data when you come across an ideal prospect in just a few clicks.

You can also search LinkedIn Sales Navigator for accurate email addresses and phone numbers. 

Pros of Kaspr include:

• LinkedIn Chrome Extension for easy data capturing.
• Build lists and set tasks in LinkedIn Sales Navigator.
• Designed for SDRs and small sales teams.
• 500M+ accurate email addresses and phone numbers.
• Easy-to-use interface. 
• Advanced integrations. 
• GDPR and CCPA aligned. 

Cons of the tool include: 

• You don’t get unrestricted access to data.
• Kaspr may not be well-suited to enterprise-grade companies. 

Kaspr offers a free plan. Paid plans start at $49 per user monthly, which includes 1,200 phone credits and 60 direct email credits. 

Tool 2: Cognism 

Cognism is a powerful tool with a vast database for B2B companies. 

Cognism has exceptionally high data accuracy rates with phone-validated cell phone numbers. The database also offers advanced search functionality and list-building features.

Pros of Cognism include:

• Enterprise-grade B2B lead finding solution.
• Exceptional data accuracy with business emails and phone numbers.
• Chrome Extension for easy data capturing. 
• Build lists for cold email outreach.
• Data enrichment functionality. 

Cons of Cognism include: 

• This tool may not be well-suited to smaller sales teams or individual SDRs. 

Cognism offers customized pricing based on each customer’s needs; you can contact their sales team for more information. 

Tool 3: Apollo.io

Apollo.io is a sales intelligence platform with an extensive database. You can search for contacts or companies in the platform’s database.

You can also use the company’s browser extension to capture emails from websites, including third-party websites, software like HubSpot, or a social media platform like LinkedIn. 

(Source: G2)

Pros of Apollo.io include:

• Reliable data accuracy, with 2 million data contributors. 
• Easy-to-use interface.
• Search in-platform or use the Chrome Extension online.
• Demographic data, technographic data, and intent data. 

Cons of Apollo.io include: 

• Some customers note poor customer experience due to customer service.  

Apollo.io’s free plan includes unlimited email credits and 120 exports annually. Their paid plan starts at $49 per user per month, and includes 12,000 export credits annually. 

Best practices for using B2B lead finders 

Ready to get started with lead finding software? These are the best practices you need to know! 

Setting clear objectives 

Determine what your prospecting goals are. Examples may include:

• Identify 200 new prospects in 30 days.
• Generate 200 qualified leads in 60 days. 
• Increase outreach response rates to cold emails by 5%. 
• Boost lead generation efforts and conversion rates by 10% in three months.

Business objectives should align with overall business goals. Be specific in what results you want to see, and choose your KPIs appropriately. 

Regularly updating criteria

Your target audience may shift over time. You may also expand to new target audiences or realize that certain search criteria aren’t quite doing it. 

Are your current search filters delivering relevant prospects? 

The right search filters give you a laser-focus view of prospects without unnecessarily narrowing down the search results. The goal is to drive as many high-quality leads as possible. 

Integrating with CRM systems

Integrate your B2B lead finder with your CRM system for enhanced lead management and data hygiene.  

Choosing a lead finder tool that integrates with your existing CRM is essential, allowing for easy set-up. Create lists in your prospecting solution for easy synching and outreach automation. 

(Graphic to show how you can integrate with CRMs in seconds with Kaspr)

Analyzing and acting on data 

Take time to analyze lead data consistently. 

Which traits do high-value prospects have in common? Which digital platforms and messaging drove the best results? Which ICPs are most likely to convert into paid customers or convert faster?

This data can help you determine which leads to target. It may also help you assess the most effective lead generation and prospecting techniques. 

Future trends in B2B lead finding 

Wondering what’s coming in the future of B2B lead finding? Here are the three trends to watch. 

AI and machine learning 

AI and machine learning are transforming lead finding. 

Some B2B lead finding tools leverage new technology to help businesses find better leads. 

In the future, machine learning will learn which lead types are high-value. This may include leads that are most likely to convert. The software will use that data to help businesses find similar prospects.

We may see lead finding tools use AI or machine learning for the following purposes:

• Streamline outreach messages with generative AI.
• Provide suggestions for types of leads to pursue.
• Group potential customers based on company size, employee headcount, or intent.

Enhanced data privacy

Data privacy is a major concern for consumers worldwide. Since prospecting tools provide customer contact data, it only makes sense that it is a concern here, too. 

Tools are evolving to address privacy concerns in the following ways:

• Ensuring compliance with privacy laws, including GDPR.
• Implementing extensive data security measures to protect customer data. 
• Providing options for prospects to opt-out of their databases. 

Increased integration with other sales tools 

Many tools offer integrations with CRMs or direct-dialing software. Both types of integrations can streamline lead generation processes. 

We’ll likely see more extensive integration options with other marketing tools.

These integrations may lead to more seamless and comprehensive marketing solutions. They may include integrations with the following:

• Appointment-booking software.
• Email marketing platforms.
• Lead generation tools.
• Sales pipeline or revenue forecasting software.

Wrapping it up on B2B lead finders

Most sales professionals benefit from a combination of manual processes and automated solutions. This approach allows for true scalability while still using a human-driven approach. 

Choosing the right B2B lead generation platform, of course, is key. Look for software with high data accuracy, diverse prospecting options, and compatible integrations. 

However, the best tools only matter as much as the processes you’re using. 

Update your search criteria regularly and assess overall performance to ensure you’re getting the most out of your new software.  

Learn more here:

• LinkedIn automation tools 
• How to handle cold calling objections 
• What is a qualified sales lead? 
• 9 outbound lead generation strategies 

Try this B2B lead finder free 

Kaspr finds leads while you prospect on LinkedIn! All without you needing to leave your prospect's personal profile. Enrich phone numbers, email addresses and company info at the click of a button.

👉 Sign up here now.

✅ No credit card is required to sign up.
✅ GDPR and CCPA aligned.
✅ 500M+ email addresses and phone numbers.
✅ All-in-one prospecting tool.
✅ Fully self-service.
✅ Customizable plans.