Business Data Samples

There are three reasons to get business data samples when sourcing a prospect list;

(1) Data Qualification

(2) Quality Testing

(3) Review the b2b data Fields

 

DATA QUALIFICIATION

The first, Data Qualification, is your opportunity to manually check each sample record to ensure it meets with your business data brief. Some examples include; if you need every record to contain a director-level contact name then check the job title of each contact name contained within the samples. If there are any absent or managerial contact names then the samples have not married up to the brief. Check the geography of each record (town, county & postcodes) to make certain they are all within your desired catchment area. Check the employee size and/or turnover information to be sure every line marries up to the target market company size. And perhaps the most important data field to review is the industry classification (sometimes referred to as SIC code). Quite often our customers say that “any business” is an appropriate target, but in reality they did not consider that some business types are undesirable; government, schools, churches, care homes etc. So by reviewing the industry classification column you should be looking for any b2b data which (upon manually qualifying the samples) aren’t desirable after all.

So what the samples enable you to do is sense-check the business data you would be buying. And it is imperative that you do check each record.

 

QUALITY TESTING

Business data samples are supplied so that you may test a few records. It doesn’t take long to call through 10 to 20 records and ask one or two quick questions. First and foremost, is the phone active or dead? And when the phone is answered, do they give the company name as listed on the sample database you have been supplied? You could even check that the contact name given within the data list still works for the company and is resident at that premise. Auditing the company premise type is a good sense-check also (although part and parcel of the data qualification process above), but if the contact name supplied works at a different site or building, then the premise type is the first field I would check. Is it the head office or a retail outlet for example?

The quality testing process is there to check the accuracy of the data list; not to audit the data fields or how the file looks in terms of the specification. This step is purely to ensure the business data is current and reflective of what you might expect when ordering a larger file.

 

Review The b2b data Fields

The b2b data fields are effectively the columns within the spread-sheet. Many list brokers charge extra for additional fields. So although they may quote a very cheap price for company name, address & telephone number, the prospect list may be absent of contact names or the other profile variables. Profile variables include the business classifications, staff headcount, premise type etc. So this stage of the checking is really all about making sure that the content of each row is as you would like it. And if any fields are absent then ask; is the extra data available, and does it come at an extra cost?

 

Responsiva’s b2b data Samples

Responsiva supplies data samples with every new-customer quote, for the very purpose of these three processes. We want you to check the data quality, that the data meets the brief and that all the desired fields are within the file. With the exception of email addresses, all available b2b data fields are supplied as standard and at a simple rate per 1,000 records. It may not be the cheapest file around, but you get all the fields without having to pay those niggling costs for all the little extras (like when booking a flight!), which end up making the file more expensive anyway. And we definitely want you to check the quality of the data by making a few calls. A huge amount of money would be wasted on your telemarketers’ time if the quality is not up to scratch.

(the comment that Responsiva only supplies samples to new customers is purely because the repeat customers already know the data quality, fields supplied and qualification of the brief is at a high standard. That said, repeat customers can always request samples too).

 

So the data samples are actually a vital part of ordering business data; they are your opportunity to be satisfied that the prospect list is fit for purpose. If you would like some free business data samples then please contact Responsiva on 0800 118 5000, or send an email to info@responsiva.biz