Using Reference USA Business Database

[hankavocado]

I want to create my mailing list. Of course, I'm cheap, so I went to the library and found out with my library card, I have access to Reference USA and their business database.

Has anyone used Reference USA for mailings or cold calling? My concern is that their database is out-dated.

 

[Josh]

The biggest problem with that is the limitations on what you can download, but their data isn't going to be bad. Most b2b data is sourced from the same places such as county filings which are prone to errors. For example, if someone files a new business they have to get a DBA, business license, or something along those lines. If they go out of business or change their contact info, rarely is there any requirement for that to get updated so what ends up happening is the compilers aren't sourcing the "updates" because the sources they're getting it from aren't getting the updated info.

 

[hankavocado]

If they go out of business or change their contact info, rarely is there any requirement for that to get updated so what ends up happening is the compilers aren't sourcing the "updates" because the sources they're getting it from aren't getting the updated info.

Thanks for the info. So I guess the biggest issue is sending out mail to the contact person who is no longer there, and has not been for years, because the compilers haven't seen or have access to the updates?

 

[Josh]

The compilers are actually sourcing the data. For example, referenceUSA is part of InfoGroup and they actually pick up the phone and call through data. Not surprisingly they don't call every record every day (or month for that matter). Owner information in particular tends to be more consistent because owners don't change nearly as often as other job titles.

For the cost of postage, you'd probably be better off actually calling up and phone verifying before sending anything out, especially because that gives you a chance to connect with them first. I'm not sure exactly what you're trying to sell, but direct mail to businesses is brutal.

 

[QuotePie]

I wouldn't waste your time or money on old information that is inaccurate. I'm a big fan of Elance and Upwork for getting high quality custom information.

Hire a freelancer with access to a D&B subscription so you don't have to pay for it and have them pull exactly what you are looking for. D&B has the best information out there by far in my opinion. For the most part it's pretty up to date too.

-Marc @ QuotePie

 

[hankavocado]

I hate to beat a dead horse, or dying horse... but how does Mergent's Intellect compare to Reference USA?

 

[Zorik]

InfoGroup’s Reference USA provides basic information on over 25 million businesses and over 270 million consumers in the US and Canada. Business data includes company name, location (address and geolocation coordinates), industries, size (sales volume and number of employees), year established, names of owners and executives, and more. Consumer data includes: name, location (address and geolocation coordinates), estimated home values and household incomes, and more. Recent enhancements include map-based and radius search features and historical business data (dating back to 2003).