An overwhelmingly large portion of your B2B marketing success lies within the data vendor you use. Information is of incredible importance in the B2B sales field, and it can either propel your business to new heights or make it topple over with the burden of a wasted budget, tainted reputation due to data inaccuracy and a wasted opportunity for revenue increase.
With all this pressure placed on data and its importance for business, deciding on a B2B data provider for the provision of high-quality accurate information can feel like a complicated and daunting task.
Look no further for a guide to the key features of data vendors you should evaluate and review for yourself when considering one vendor or another. Listed below are the top functionalities that should be kept in mind.
1. Data accuracy
The accuracy of your data has an enormous effect on your business’s growth. Unreliable data not only doesn’t help you get ahead, but it drags you backwards: it damages your reputation, costs you clients and connections, as well as wastes resources and time.
No one wants their business to be synonymous with untrustworthiness. But what can be done to ensure a high degree of data accuracy for your data provider?
Unfortunately, B2B company data providers can’t be directly tested for accuracy, though you can take matters into your own hands and research the sources where data is said to be collected from and the methods employed for collecting it.
Opt for data vendors that disclose a high level of accuracy. At Closely, we have the whole department working on ensuring that data you get is continuously updated and verified so it won’t taint your reputation and can only contribute to more goals achieved and overall growth.
2. Information coverage
Data can only be applied for your benefit when it is provided in a sufficient amount with consideration of a multitude of variables.
Make sure your company data vendor offers adequate global coverage, saving you the hassle and additional costs of having to branch out to multiple sources to acquire data from various regions.
The database should fit the criteria of your specific needs; as general surface-level global data and thorough information spanning only one region both serve very little purpose in most cases.
Having complete data over a large area will help you tailor your content and start your projects with confidence, knowing you’re making data- and research-based decisions.
3. Wide array of features & comprehensiveness
Data gains its value in the possibility to reapply and reuse it in different applications/tools and for different purposes, depending on the established goal. In order to achieve maximum data versatility and usefulness, a B2B company data provider must be equipped with suitable tracking and analytics tools and access to detailed & accurate data display.
At Closely, we strive to deliver the best UX possible, making sure the tool facilitates accessibility and accurate visual representation of data.
4. Cost
An immediate turning point for some entrepreneurs and digital salespeople looking for a B2B data vendor is the cost of database access. It’s widely believed that one can seriously miss out on great opportunities with the natural desire to cut costs here.
However, some high-quality versatile B2B databases are not things that can burn a hole in your pocket. Try to look for reasonably priced vendors, but don’t shy away from exploring more expensive options – just to compare.
5. Database breadth
Seek to find a platform that leverages multiple types of data. Going back and forth between platforms just to meet the demand for data is cumbersome and costly. Instead, look for a well-rounded solution that offers varied data categories of required depth and extensiveness.
Stop wasting resources and time having your employees learn to navigate a mismatched array of tools and stick to one complete provider.
6. Suitability for sales teams
If you’re in B2B sales and leverage the power of LinkedIn, it’s only logical to gain access to your audience’s LinkedIn URLs and emails to use this contact info in your outreach campaigns.
It’s great if your data provider is familiar with the process of sales in its more intricate details – this way, your workflow is supported in an optimal way, feature-wise.
In this relation, B2B sales intelligence solution is what going to help you fast-track and automate the prospecting process along with being supplied with efficient and reliable data to boost your sales significantly. Functionally abundant solutions like Closely guarantee continuous product updates to help you gain edge over competitors fast.
7. Customization options & filtering intricacy
Company data providers are there to fetch data for you in accordance with the depth and breadth required by your business.
Specific filtering criteria (company size, location, company name, job title) and data classification options directly contribute to greater lead generation and an influx of high-value prospect qualifications you can carry out through application funnelling to weigh up against your ideal customer profile.
Closely Explorer is designed to match up your expectations and provide thorough data classification and filtering. It is one of the prominent B2B data vendors that lets you drill down by all critical filtering criteria to ensure high-quality leads extraction that best matches your ICP. More filters to come!
8. Database practicality
Data vendors are designed to speed up the process of data collection and be of convenience to the sales team through seamless provision of accurate information.
Streamlining workflow even further with implemented automation tools has increased productivity and efficiency dramatically, utilizing automated data enrichment as opposed to manual information sourcing, leading to increased sales and revenue.
High-rank B2B data vendors simply must provide users with the possibility to export and download data in a CSV format.
9. Quality
A serious commitment like a company data provider prompts high expectations. More precisely, it is vital that the vendor displays a quality and accuracy guarantee for their data so that you know you’re getting your money’s worth. If there is no quality promise by the platform, you should consider continuing with your search, as by neglecting every little detail here and there you are risking detrimental consequences to your sales, growth, revenue and company budget now and beyond.
Data vendors must take responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of their data and attest to its compliance to international data protection laws (data sourcing method reliability is a big deciding factor).
10. Customer service
Getting the hang of all data provider features may take a little while, and you might experience some bumps in the road at first. Luckily platforms with a well-organized customer support system will aid you and your team get used to the tool and all of its functionalities. Contacting customer service reps should be easy, especially considering that you may need their guidance relatively often when first starting out with the solution.
Look for platforms with easy-to-reach support representatives that will provide helpful tips and guide you through all the tool’s capabilities. It may so happen that during such a consultation you find out that the customization options of the platform are not a good fit for your goals, the vendor is practicing some shady sourcing methods or there are other incompatibilities, then you can get back to searching for a solid B2B data provider to best suit you.
In conclusion
A business endeavor as consequential as the purchase of a company data provider should be looked at from all angles before the final decision is made. Take all key features into consideration, and compare various solutions side-by-side to find the best fit for you.
Remember that a truly powerful B2B data tool is an absolute game-changer for sales teams looking to grow and continually drive revenue in the future. This investment is undoubtedly worth it when chosen based on extensive research and feature analysis.
Put your best foot forward when starting your next campaign with the help of a trustworthy, accurate B2B data tool.
