Reaching the right person matters more than reaching many people. This guide covers how to work out who actually decides, where to find their details responsibly and how to check they are accurate.
Key takeaways
- Identify roles first, names second.
- Use public sources and respect the rules in each target country.
- Verify every email or phone before outreach.
- Record the source and date for every contact.
Work out who the decision-maker is
The buyer depends on company size. In a small business it may be the founder or managing director. In a larger company it may be a department head, with a finance or technical person influencing the decision. Map the likely titles before you start searching.
Where to look
- The company's own website: team, about and contact pages.
- Professional networks, where people list their current role.
- Press releases, conference speaker lists and webinar pages.
- Business registries and trade association directories.
Work with business details and consent rules
Prefer business contact details and be careful with personal data. Rules for contacting people differ across the UK and EU, Canada, the USA and Switzerland, so make sure your outreach method fits the country you are contacting. This is general information, not legal advice.
Verify before you use
- Confirm the person still works at the company, for example from a recent profile or page.
- Check the email format against the company's known pattern.
- Run emails through a verification check to catch invalid addresses.
- Record the source and the date of verification.
Keep the data usable
Load verified contacts into your CRM with their source and role. Our B2B prospect research service delivers decision-maker lists in this format, ready to import.
B2B Prospect Research
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