Get the best list for your buck

The producer can obtain lists of names from many places these days: public records, the Internet, and, of course, list brokers.

List brokers are usually the best choice. When purchasing lists, it is important to remember, again, that price is not everything. The producer can buy inexpensive names, but then isn’t that what he’s getting?

The purpose of buying a list is to increase business, so it makes sense to get the most for every marketing dollar in the budget. When scouting for the perfect prospect list, the producer first should consider the quality and accuracy of the list. If he is obtaining his list from public records, he may be able to designate the areas on which he wants to call. Just because he can pick certain ZIP codes or streets to target, however, doesn’t mean that everyone on the list will be a qualified prospect. This also holds true for many of the lists that can be obtained over the Internet.

Working with a marketing company or list broker that has knowledge about the prospect the producer is trying to target will bring better results. The firm not only will be able to qualify the prospect by age and estimated income, it will also be able to designate a gender (if desired) or pick only those people who are homeowners. The firm also will be able to determine prospects’ marital status and whether there are children in the house. The demographic possibilities are endless, and an experienced marketing adviser can help the producer decide what parameters will work best for a product.

It also is imperative because of the strict regulations in the Do Not Call legislation to hire a reputable company that ensures its lists are current and updated regularly with both state and federal databases. The company the producer selects also should have Do Not Call knowledge to help with his marketing efforts and assist him through the registration process if he has not already registered. Usually the firm will be able to register for the producer.

Of course, Do Not Call data is not the only updating with which the producer needs to be concerned. The list he buys needs constantly to be updated to eliminate non-deliverable addresses and deceased persons. The producer obviously doesn’t want to waste time and money on names that are inaccurate. It is important to ask how often updates are put in place and how to obtain new additions to Do Not Call records regularly.