However, there are resources that can help.

• Finding companies with a need: Sales intelligence software can help sales professionals find the right companies, those with specific business opportunities that the company can address. These software packages provide reports, often called "tear sheets," which can help the sales professional understand the company and opportunity and engage more effectively. Some will provide key executive names, and some even provide leads including e-mail contact information, which is well worth the premium price.

  Some providers of sales intelligence solutions include:
  

  • Hoover's
  • OneSource
  • Spoke Software
  • Before The Call
  • Inside Scoop
  • Alinean ValueFinder™ (IT-focused/150,000+ IT buyer leads)
  
  We use one or more of these solutions every day to help us better find and engage with prospects.

• Targeted opt-in marketing campaigns: One of the ways to purchase leads is by "renting" the leads from a marketing company that can help you design a campaign to reach the right audience and that will send the e-mail to the target base. Often these leads are highly qualified opt-in subscribers, so success rates from these programs are higher than most. However, the success rate is still guarded. You should expect, with today's information overload in e-mail boxes, even via opt-in mailings, responses of only 2-3% or less expressing interest.

  Almost all of the larger IT publications have lists you can purchase, including TechTarget, IDG publications and others. These companies can help you design the right list, campaign and program to help generate prospects. We have used these programs to good success; however, they can be expensive.

• Purchasing non-opt-in mailing lists: Via some companies you can purchase e-mail lists or rent broader non-opt in lists. These lists can be filtered to specific companies and audiences so that your messages will be relevant. The lists are often cheaper or reusable. However, because they are non-opt in, success rates are often lower. Response rates of 0.5% or less are typical for these types of lists. Services are minimal, so it's mostly a do-it-yourself affair. We've used some of these lists. Several have not worked; one or two have worked well. It took much work to refine the programs to target the right audience with the right messages to find a match.