Now if you're buying a calling list, there are some things you might need to know if your vendor has a contact database containing information on small businesses. More specifically, if you too might be planning to target those same businesses. Contrary to the popular saying, size does matter.
This is hardly about the pros and cons of small business but how their mere size might affect the value of your list if they comprise most (if not all) of it. In turn, such value has something to do with how you will use that list and how they might respond to your approach. (On a side note, it might also reflect the quality of your vendor's contact database).
Some of the typical responses include:
Demand for sources
They would want to know how you got a hold of their contact information. You can get this response whether you messaged them as part of an email blast or contacted them directly via telemarketing. In such cases, honesty is the best policy so tell them who your vendor is. Small businesses tend to be very protective of their privacy to some extent and aren't too quick in opening up to B2B vendors. For all you know though, their reaction may not be all that hostile so don't be instantly intimidated. They might already know that they were on your vendor's list (among that of many others). More than a handful of businesses have a website or social media profile so it's not surprising that information on their business gets out quickly anyways. They just want to know where a vendor like you learned about them.
Removal requests
This doesn't need much elaboration. If you contacted someone and they demand they be removed from your calling list, then clearly they're not all that interested. There could be many reasons why (like the business itself might not even be there anymore). Regardless of that, you should respect their wishes (and make a note to call your list vendor while you're at it).
Purpose of the email/call
Why are you calling or emailing them? They know they published their information somewhere so instead they go straight to the point. This is good in a way. It indicates how objective your prospect is. It also shows how you can't just make a B2B sale right on the first call. Things like interests, budget, and business needs still have to be determined before you can really say this small business would be interested in buying.
Requests to message some other time
This isn't as bad as the removal request (and has virtually nothing to do with the quality of a vendor). It's simply a matter of timing. Maybe you sent the email or made the call when the business has already closed for the day. It's not far-fetched to assume that whoever is on the other end is indicating that nobody inside their establishment is eager to discuss business once the day is done. Just to be sure though, make sure to ask if you're speaking with the decision maker and even ask if alternative forms of the message (like an email instead of a phone call) would be better. Done right, contacting them at a better time would mean contacting them when they're more in the mood to talk business.
These responses should give you enough reason why size matters when your vendor provides you with a list of small businesses. It indicates the quality of their data as well as how you should make use of it.
Alice Clark is a sales and marketing consultant specializing in business contact database management. Alice invites you to visit http://www.contactdb.com/ to learn more about business contact lists and databases.
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