TL;DR
- The by far best sales prospecting tools on the market help companies not just hand over more contacts but to find the right type of contacts through intent-led data signals.
- There’s no single “best” prospecting tool; use a stack and combine tools that are good at different things. Tools with Intent data, like for example A-Leads, help you narrow down your list to the most relevant segments of the market that actually want to buy from you.
- When used correctly, these B2B sales prospecting tools quickly shift sales from volume to relevance. Which ultimately results in fewer random spammy emails to fewer, but better conversations that lead to more conversions.
1. A-Leads
Best use case: If you want to gather some of the highest-quality and highest-connect-rate phone numbers and triple-verified emails from one place at one of the most competitive price points on the market.
A-Leads is one of the best options on the market for an all-around tool that gives you exactly what you’re looking for in data. It’s not just tailored to the companies with the deepest pockets.
With A-Leads, companies at any scale, whether you’re starting out, have an established agency, or are a big sales team as an enterprise, A-Leads will be able to provide you with the highest quality data for a fraction of what other providers charge for outdated information.
Why B2B companies are using A-Leads
- Cost per triple-verified email goes all the way down to $0,0065 (even lower at custom plans)
- Sky-high connect rates on personal phone numbers with avg. ranges between 20-25%
- 24/7 active support from a dedicated account management team with years of experience in outbound and sales
- Unlimited Credit Rollover on any credits
- No additional charges for additional users
- API Access for any paid plans
By far the best option if you just want freely accessible, reliable, and high-quality data that isn’t breaking your bank.
2. LinkedIn Sales Navigator
Best use case: If you want a more low-scale ‘’close relationship’’ approach to prospecting and work with more manual labor instead of automating your list building process.
LinkedIn Sales Navigator is a good option if you don’t want to gather data from external databases at scale, but instead work with a small batch of people that you can nurture inside of LinkedIn or with the limited data that LinkedIn will provide you on some of the leads you find.
Why B2B companies are using Sales Navigator
- More insight into the content side of things of potential leads that are posting on LinkedIn
- Option to reach out to leads directly through InMails
- Find common traits between mutual connections and jobs from past experience.
It would be a decent option if you aren’t looking to scale your prospecting with a bunch of dials or email campaigns, but instead just stick to InMails with a very limited amount of conversations per month.
3. ZoomInfo
Best use case: If you have deep pockets, spend on data that will get you high-quality firmographic, demographic, and technographic data.
ZoomInfo will get you extensive company and contact data that companies use to build targeted, segmented outbound lists across markets, industries, and roles.
Why B2B companies are using ZoomInfo
- Broad database of B2B contacts and companies
- Firmographic, demographic, and technographic insights
- CRM enrichment and list-building workflows
Ideal if you need reach and coverage across a large addressable market.
4. Apollo.io
Best use case: If you’re a company starting out in outbound & lead generation and value non-complex nightmares of tech setups and just want all your systems gathered in one place to keep things simple, and don’t care too much about data quality.
Apollo.io is built to provide all the tools you need to run outbound campaigns, in the form of a database built around sales prospecting tools like email sequencers, giving companies the option to prospect and take action from a single platform. It’s especially popular with SMB and mid-market teams focused on speed and efficiency.
Why B2B companies are using Apollo.io
- A big database that gives you access to hundreds of millions of contacts alongside companies’ data
- Built in automated email campaign sequencing and dialing workflows
- Native CRM integrations with tools outside the platform
A solid option if you don’t care about the highest tier quality of leads and just want an all-in-one platform that has the capabilities to run your entire outbound flow from one place.
5. Cognism
Best use case: If you’re a company primarily focusing on phone data, it’s a well-known compliant provider for verified direct phone numbers at scale
Cognism is also very focused on providing GDPR-compliant contact data, which has made it a common choice for B2B companies prospecting across EMEA and other more regulated markets.
Why B2B companies are using Cognism
- Compliance-first contact data
- Strong coverage in EMEA markets
- CRM and sales tool integrations
An ideal solution for companies looking for compliant data in the EMEA market, with a primary focus on phone data to dial directly.
6. Lusha
Best use case: If you’re a team in need of leads on a lower scale, and if limited credit usage isn’t a problem for your prospecting, this might be a well-suited option for a company with smaller needs than large-scale outbound.
Lusha helps B2B companies quickly find emails and phone numbers, often via browser extensions on LinkedIn.
Why B2B companies are using Lusha
- Easy access to contact details through the platform dashboard and or their Chrome extension features to gather contact details manually while prospecting on LinkedIn.
- Requires minimal training to use and is straightforward for companies new to outbound lead generation.
- Simple CRM enrichment
Good option if you’re just looking to test outbound tools at a low scale, mostly manually as a start.
7. Hunter.io
Best use case: It’s mainly a tool for email verification & data enrichment, but it can also launch email sequences, so it falls into a bracket that serves small companies well, starting with outbound and lead generation.
Hunter.io helps companies find and verify work email addresses.
Why B2B companies are using Hunter.io
- Email discovery and verification
- Domain-based email searches
- Email sequencing features
- Simple API and CRM integrations
Optimal if you’re starting out and looking for an alternative to manual lead scraping, with an all-in-one platform.
8. Crunchbase
Best use case: For company data enrichment and early-stage account research for startups or tech firms.
Crunchbase helps companies discover and research companies based on funding, growth signals, leadership changes, and market activity. It’s well known for its coverage and capabilities with more tech-based companies, such as software and other technology companies.
Why B2B companies are using Crunchbase
- Funding rounds, acquisitions, and growth signals
- Extenstive company and leadership insights
- Market and competitor discovery
An Ideal fit if you want to qualify companies early, before funding rounds or similar.
9. Seamless.ai
Best use case: If you’re a company looking to do high-volume lead scraping from a database with extensive data and filters that allow you to scrape in bulk rather than purely manual exporting.
Seamless.ai gives companies access to a platform with contact details for outbound prospecting at scale, often used by companies or individuals running high-volume email or dial campaigns.
Why B2B companies are using Seamless.ai
- Large contact database
- Chrome extension for quick prospecting and lead research
- CRM enrichment and external integrations
10. Salesloft
Best use case: For companies that want an advanced, all-around, predictable pipeline generation tool. The platform is built to help larger companies with larger sales operations and to manage the entire process, keeping a streamlined overview.
Salesloft is not a data source but a sales engagement platform that helps reps run structured outbound plays across email, calls, and LinkedIn.
Why B2B companies are using Salesloft
- Advanced multi-channel outbound sequences
- Call tracking and engagement analytics alongside forecast tracking.
- CRM-centric workflows
Ideal for a bigger enterprise that has yet to streamline its sales process in any engagement tool.
| Tool | Best use case for | What it helps you with | Most ideal when |
|---|---|---|---|
| A-Leads | Getting the most fresh and up to date data around intent signals and other relevant firmographicical, technographical and demographical data points. | Put you in front of the most relevant data that you can rely on being fresh and up to date instead of an old outdated database with quarterly or half year updates to the database. A-Leads gives you daily, weekly and monthly updates to ensure the highest and most accurate pieces of data and even at what could be considered the markets most competitive price points. | You want to get data that you know is still relevant and accurate, and you want everything a premium tool would charge you 5-figures a year for or more but instead on a price point that everyone can be in on starting at just $50 per month for 5000 triple verified and real time enriched contacts |
| LinkedIn Sales Navigator | Low-scale ‘’close relationship’’ approach to prospecting and work with more manual labor instead of automating your list building process. | Nurture leads directly through InMails and research them prior to any contact on the same platform | If you're looking to work with a small batch of people that you can nurture inside of LinkedIn or with the limited data that LinkedIn will provide you on some of the leads you find. |
| ZoomInfo | If you need reach and coverage across a large addressable market through a large-scale B2B database | Build outbound lists using a broad database of contacts with firmographic and technographic data. | If you have deep pockets, spend on data that will get you high-quality firmographic, demographic, and technographic data. |
| Apollo.io | If you don’t care about the highest tier quality of leads and just want an all-in-one platform that has the capabilities to run your entire outbound flow from one place. | Providing all the tools you need to run outbound campaigns, in the form of a database built around sales prospecting tools like email sequencers, giving companies the option to prospect and take action from a single platform. | If you’re a company starting out in outbound & lead generation and value non-complex nightmares of tech setups and just want all your systems gathered in one place to keep things simple, and don’t care too much about data quality. |
| Cognism | Compliant global B2B prospecting (especially known for phone data capabilities) | Access GDPR-compliant contact data, strong for EMEA markets. | If you want an ideal solution for companies looking for compliant data in the EMEA market with a primary focus on phone data to dial directly. |
| Lusha | Companies in need of leads on a lower scale, and if limited credit usage isn’t a problem for your prospecting, this might be a well-suited option for a company with smaller needs than large-scale outbound. | Grab emails and phone numbers fast using browser-based prospecting. | If you’re just looking to test outbound tools at a low scale, mostly manually as a start. |
| Hunter.io | Email discovery and verification with automated email sequence features | Find and verify work email addresses and push them to automated email campaigns. | If you’re starting out and looking for an alternative to manual lead scraping, with an all-in-one platform. |
| Crunchbase | Discover and research companies based on funding, growth signals, leadership changes, and market activity. | Find relevant data with a more technical and advanced layer to it that gives you all the intent signals and othe relevant information. | If you want to qualify companies early, before funding rounds or similar and maybe working with companies in the tech sector.. |
| Seamless.ai | High-volume outbound contact discovery | High-volume lead scraping directly from a database with extensive data and filters that allow you to scrape in bulk rather than purely manual exporting. | If you're running high-volume email or cold calling campaigns and need to fuel your engine with data at scale. |
| SalesLoft | Advanced multi-channel outbound sequences, call tracking and engagement analytics alongside forecast tracking. | Run structured outbound campaigns across email, calls, and LinkedIn. | If you're an enterprise that has yet to streamline its sales process in any engagement tool. |
Here’s the simple takeaway:
Intent & Data tools (like A-Leads) help you build and prioritize which leads and companies to focus on first while keeping the data incredibly fresh.
If done right, prospecting tools stop being only about sending more emails and start being more about starting better conversations with the most relevant and accurate leads.
Are you interested in comparing A-Leads’ data quality with other providers?
You can Get 50 Free Leads when signing up for a free trial on A-Leads
Or book a platform walkthrough with the A-Leads team to see how the platform works in action.
