Throughout the years, I've come across certain websites that I have used to research companies, find key people's contact information, and prepare for my prospecting calls. Here is a list of links to some of the best sites I've discovered. I am not affiliated with any of these companies and offer this list only as a resource.

Best resources for finding company information:

Hoovers

www.hoovers.com
Good synopsis of a company, its corporate HQ, and 2-3 key people. Also, it will list the company’s biggest competitors (although it’s not always accurate) and you can click on another link to view a more complete list of competitors. Most of this information is free, but you will need to purchase a subscription if you want more detailed info.

Zoom Info

www.zoominfo.com
Similar to Hoovers in many ways. It provides a good overview of the company and a few key people. Clicking on the “find more competitors” link provides far more companies than Hoovers and it is also better for locating more small or mid-sized companies.

Google News Alerts

www.google.com/alerts
Enter a company name, executive, or other search criteria, and google will e-mail you whenever there is relevant news about it. A great way to keep up-to-date on top clients and prospects.

Suggestion: When entering a keyword search, put a comma after the search word and type the word “said”. For example, “XYZ Company, said”. Google (and other news search sites) will deliver search results on company QUOTES from key executives--in other words, it tells you who SAID what. This is a great way to identify new people and discover their initiatives.

Zap Data

www.zapdata.com
This is a paid List Service that tends to have more accurate data than most lists. They are owned by D&B. I suggest that you search by NAICS numbers instead of SIC codes, as they tend to be be better at giving you industry-specific lists.

Best resources for finding key executives

Zoom Info

www.zoominfo.com
Click on the “people search” tab and you’ll have the option to search by title, industry, or even by the executive’s name. A lot of the information is only accessible if you have a subscription, but it’s worth the $49.95 per month.

LinkedIn

www.linkedin.com
Sign up for a free account and you can start networking online with others. Do a company search and it will give you a list of every registered person who works for them.

Lead 411

www.lead411.com
Type in a company name and it will provide you with several names and titles of key people in IT, HR, Sales, Marketing, Finance, and Operations. It won’t provide any contact info unless you pay for a subscription, but oftentimes the name is enough.

Best resource for getting email addresses of executives:

Lead 411

www.lead411.com
In addition to having information about key executives, you can purchase each executive’s e-mail address. It’s most useful for building lead lists, especially for e-mail marketing campaigns.

Other Lead List Resources:

NAICS

www.naics.com
The National Association of Industry Classification Services. One of the best and most affordable lead list services. They don’t offer online searches, but a quick phone call to them can get you a list.

Info USA (Sales Genie)

www.infousa.com
Their database is a bit more accurate than most others, partly because they make phone calls to organizations to confirm their data. They offer great search tools for narrowing down your lead list. You can also sample your list before buying (a great way to test the accuracy first).