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.
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.
Manual, automated, and hybrid solutions are three common options for finding B2B leads.
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:
These are the cons:
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:
They also come with some downsides:
👉 Use Kaspr’s Chrome Extension to prospect for leads while you browse for people on LinkedIn.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
Cons of the tool include:
Kaspr offers a free plan. Paid plans start at $49 per user monthly, which includes 1,200 phone credits and 60 direct email credits.
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:
Cons of Cognism include:
Cognism offers customized pricing based on each customer’s needs; you can contact their sales team for more information.
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:
Cons of Apollo.io include:
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.
Ready to get started with lead finding software? These are the best practices you need to know!
Determine what your prospecting goals are. Examples may include:
Business objectives should align with overall business goals. Be specific in what results you want to see, and choose your KPIs appropriately.
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.
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.
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.
Wondering what’s coming in the future of B2B lead finding? Here are the three trends to watch.
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:
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:
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:
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:
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.
✅ 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.