Which Prospecting & List Building Tools Actually Work?

Agencies of all shapes and sizes are recognizing the value of list building software as a critical time-saver for filling their pipeline with qualified leads. 

How do we know? Well, for the past six years, the New Business Tools Annual Report summarizes the findings from 300+ U.S. agency executives on the use and effectiveness of tools across a wide range of categories. Per the 2018 report, all tools saw an increase in usage, with Target Audience Research Services and Prospect Contact / List Building Software seeing the highest increase at +10%.

Among these tools, only a few received an effectiveness rating of 4 (out of 5) or above. However, there were a handful that passed that threshold. Topping that list? Winmo. 

Supporting these findings, the report also included a ranking of agency executives’ “top three” essential tools, which were listed in the following order:

So, all of this information is great, but maybe you’re wondering what agencies are looking for in the future? Don’t worry, the report covered that too, finding that integration between tools was the clear cut answer. For us, this was especially comforting to hear, as this is precisely why Winmo integrates with some of the most popular tools mentioned in the report, including: Salesforce, SharpSpring and a newcomer to the list, personality database Crystal Knows.

In the Prospect Contact/List Building category, the report found that “two tools account for the lion’s share of usage.” This continues Winmo’s streak of topping the category usage every year since we’ve been on the market, marking three consecutive wins.

While it may seem obvious, it’s worth noting that because list building as a category sits at an all-time high, with effectiveness ratings up, agencies are using these platforms to a greater degree, and are finding them more efficient. When agencies were asked to elaborate on the use of their tools, responses ranged from:

“Winmo does a very good job of providing new biz leads via WinmoEdge, particularly like their tools to create customized lists by geo, media spend, category, job title, etc.”

“Some are very effective at identifying key decision makers (Winmo) while others provide more information about the person and their background (LinkedIn) and personal connections we may have.”

Also listed in the report is the usage of prospecting intelligence tools, many of which our predictive sales publication WinmoEdge uses to identify the pitch-worthy accounts reported on. Because of this, a resource like WinmoEdge can be a huge time-saver by finding prospecting opportunities for you.

While there are plenty of prospecting tools to be used, the closing point of the report emphasized that even the best tools in the world are only effective if they’re used – and used correctly. According to agencies mentioned in the report: 

“The tools aren’t the main problem, our success and discipline are the issues–it’s taking the time,” and “I think the tools are there. We need the rigor to do it.”

The great thing about this, however, is that the solution to this problem is an easy one. All it really takes is investing a bit of extra time in the beginning to either sit down with an account manager, peruse a Knowledge Base or attend a webinar training to make sure you understand the tool you’re using, and that you’re using it the right way. We’re all busy, but investing the extra time to understand the tools you’re using in the beginning will save countless research hours down the road.

And if you’re among those who, year after year, simply don’t find the time to put useful tools to work to build a pipeline, we recommend outsourcing your business development to someone who will put these tools to work for you. We might be biased, but Catapult New Business is a great option there.

The bottom line? If your agency wants to prospect smarter, faster, and more efficiently, there are tools at your disposal that can accomplish that. All you have to do is invest the time or resources to utilize them.

Download the full report here!