Human Verification
Comprehensive Support
Real Mobile Numbers
Research on Demand
Guided Transitions
Contact Data
Intent Data
Company Technographics
Company FirmographicsWhat Is B2B Sales Intelligence?
Sales Intelligence combines data, information and insights around key business aspects of organizations such as technology stacks, revenue, size, people hierarchy, fundraising, purchasing intent and more. Such vital information can help sales, marketing and revenue teams to strategically identify, qualify and approach their ideal buyers faster and more accurately.
What Are Sales Intelligence Tools?
Sales intelligence tools enable businesses to collect and deploy sales intelligence in their overall go to market and demand generation strategies, largely eliminating tedious and manual methods with intelligent, automated and highly accurate processes. Sales intelligence tools are capable of monitoring millions of data points to identify key sales triggers that can enable sales and marketing teams to stay ahead of competition.
What Are Some of the Best Sales Intelligence Tools In the Market?
If you’re seeking an answer to this question, you’ve certainly come far in your research. You already understand the need for a sales intelligence software and stand at a key juncture in your growth journey. This is a key stage as there’s not a one-fits-all solution. However, there are some key factors that you can evaluate to decide what sales intelligence solution is ideal for you. This article will help you do just that.
The right sales intelligence solution will provide enormous benefits to your sales, marketing, revenue operations, and even your account management and customer success teams – bolstering sales productivity and revenue expansion opportunities for your entire organization. It provides you with key information your revenue acceleration teams need in an easy-to-understand format.
Finding the Best Sales Intelligence Tool for Your Business
By the end of this article, you should be able to fully understand the various sales intelligence tools on the market, their pros and cons and what those mean to your business specifically.
Before You Begin
By the end of this article, you should be able to fully understand the various sales intelligence tools
on the market, their pros and cons and what those mean to your business specifically.
The Mid-market Context
While there are numerous sales intelligence solutions providers in the market, it’s important to evaluate the right sales intelligence tool for you depending on your unique business needs. If you are looking for a ZoomInfo alternative, it’s important to narrow your search to platforms that truly offer sales intelligence data (contact and company), insights (intent data, technographics, firmographics and other data types), solutions (data enrichment, on-demand data research) and so on. While you’ll find many resources on the internet that list various B2B sales intelligence companies that list solutions from small to enterprise level on the same list, it’s important to understand that not all sales intelligence tools offer the same depth of data and insights. A sales intelligence tool that primarily offers email lists and contact data is not truly a ZoomInfo alternative. ZoomInfo offers more than just contact data lists, and so if you are searching for a ZoomInfo alternative, you are essentially looking for a solution beyond an email finder tools – you are looking for a sales intelligence tool that addresses unique needs of your sales, marketing, revops and demand-gen teams across the stages of the funnel.
Start by understanding your business’ scale, needs and usage. For example if you are a small business, you are likely to have:
Limited team size:
If you are a small business with a small sales and marketing team, you need a sales intelligence tool that you can afford and optimally utilize.
Limited martech stack:
If you do not have CRMs and marketing automation systems in place, the vast majority of the features and capabilities of your sales intelligence tool will remain underutilized.
Limited functionality needs:
If you do not have dedicated teams for functions such as revops or marketing, you cannot utilize features beyond building prospect lists for sales teams and leverage capabilities such as technographics firmographics, buyer intent data or website visitor tracking that can really scale your account-based marketing efforts.
For mid-market businesses with larger teams, matured marketing and sales systems, and the potential for the next stage in revenue growth, the search for a reliable sales intelligence tool gets narrower. That is where the search for a ZoomInfo alternative will lead you to a handful of reliable sales intelligence tools.
SalesIntel Versus ZoomInfo – A Detailed Comparison
ZoomInfo remains the most popular sales intelligence platform but given many of its shortfalls – from poor data quality to high costs, customers are actively looking for better solutions than ZoomInfo. SalesIntel is a ZoomInfo competitor that has emerged as the best ZoomInfo alternative for customers who want a product like ZoomInfo but without any of its shortcomings.
Here we make a head-to-head comparison between ZoomInfo and SalesIntel on various benchmarks to see which one of them comes out on top. The benchmarks for comparison include:
1. Data Quality
2. Database Size
3. Features
4. Contract Obligations
5. Pricing
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Round 1: Data Quality
The data at ZoomInfo is mostly machine-processed and thus has significant gaps in quality. If you factor in the redundancies and lack of any re-verification process, the data continues to degrade and bring down B2B sales efficiency. It isn’t uncommon for ZoomInfo customers to dial a prospect only to find they have left the company a year ago.
Back when Toys”R”Us shut its operations ZoomInfo’s directories remained outdated for several months. Running a search on employees of Toys”R”Us who’d declared bankruptcy showed the company still employing 64,000 people.
SalesIntel has a large database of 90M+ contacts with 17M+ contacts that are human-verified and that are guaranteed to be 95% accurate and follow a 90-day re-verification cycle to maintain that quality. With 140k new contacts verified every week, the database continues to quickly grow in size as well.
But of course, don’t just take our word for it. Look at what the clients have to say about data quality on both platforms.
The overall user satisfaction score across different aspects of the service including Service, Value, Quality and others remains low.
ZoomInfo Review:
SalesIntel continues to focus on delivering data that is actionable and real.
Why we Switched to Salesintel
- VP Sales
Round 2: Database Size
ZoomInfo claims to have the largest B2B database with over 220M business profiles and 150M emails which are impressive numbers by all accounts. There are, however, two problems customers should take into account that put these numbers in perspective:
I. Redundancies
ZoomInfo’s database isn’t one but an amalgamation of numerous data providers that were acquired and combined – RainKing and DiscoverOrg being the largest ones. The point is that most data providers have large overlaps between their data and merging databases creates a lot of redundancies. So if ZoomInfo acquires DiscoverOrg’s 5M contacts, it doesn’t necessarily mean the total number of unique entries grows by 5M. Additionally, these data sets often remained siloed after the acquisition for a period of time, meaning you cannot access all of the data in one place, and often not without upgrading your contract.
II. Segmentation
ZoomInfo segregates its database into numerous functionalities and it sells licenses, not for a comprehensive solution but only for specific functions. So a client who has a ZoomInfo license for, say, direct dials, can’t access mobile numbers. This means that while ZoomInfo has a large database, its clients can’t access most of it. Unless of course, they pay additional fees for each of the functions that increase costs exponentially.
SalesIntel also has a very large database with over 90M contacts including email, direct dials, and over 48M phone numbers. Every contact has an email address and over 8.3M contacts are human-verified decision-makers (at manager and above job level). The best part, however, is that each of SalesIntel’s clients gets access to the entire database, resulting in access to much more data than ZoomInfo.
VERDICT: SalesIntel Wins
Though ZoomInfo has a slightly larger database, SalesIntel’s clients actually get access to more actionable data.
Other ZoomInfo Alternatives
Every business has different data needs at different stages of their growth. Besides SlesIntel there are various sales intelligence tools that suit companies and teams of different sizes for specific needs from sales prospecting to account-based marketing to demand-generation and more.
Again, if you’re looking for ZoomInfo alternatives, explore sales intelligence tools that offer more than just contact and company data and include a range of data types needed to drive account-level targeting strategies. This can include technographics, firmographics, intent data and more.
On the other hand, if you are a small business and do not have mature or mainstream systems and processes, focus your search toward smaller B2B data providers versus bigger ZoomInfo alternatives such as SalesIntel.
To make this search easy for you, we created a sales intelligence tool evaluation grid. Now, we’ll segment the list of direct and ancillary ZoomInfo alternatives with more details based on your business needs.
You can either use the menu below or scroll down to review the credentials of each B2B data provider.
Lusha | Slintel | Cognism | Seamless.AI | Clearbit | Apollo | LeadIQ | Lead411 | Demandbase | LinkedIn Sales Navigator | Overloop | UpLead | LeadGenius | LeadFuze | Hunter
For Small-to-Midsize Businesses
Lusha
Lusha allows users to enrich and verify business profiles through its extension for LinkedIn. It also offers B2B data for enterprise sales, marketing and recruiting teams with a prospecting platform, web extension and API. It claims to serve over 70,000 sales professionals and 223,000 sales organizations.;
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Slintel (Acquired by 6Sense)
Slintel’s sales intelligence platform provides B2B leads and buyer intent data along with key data types and features such as technographics & firmographics, lead enrichment. It integrates with major CRMs like Salesforce, HubSpot and Pipedrive and sales tools such as Outreach. Slintel was acquired by 6Sense.
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Cognism
Cognism’s AI sales technology offers B2B contact data, intent data, data cleansing and enrichment using patented AI technology to provide B2B sales teams real-time company, people and event data. The platform integrates with major CRMs.
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Seamless.AI
Seamless.AI serves sales, marketing, and recruiting teams to access B2B contacts with access to cell phones, emails, direct dials and buyer intent data. Seamless.AI claims to differentiate itself as a ZoomInfo alternative that offers a real-time data intelligence search engine, not a database.
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Clearbit (Acquired by Hubspot)
Clearbit focuses on enrichment and claims to instantly append 100+ data points on a company, its technology stack (technographics), and its employees (firmographics) on your database. It integrates with Salesforce, Marketo, HubSpot, Pardot, Segment, and other major CRMs to automate and optimize your sales and marketing workflows.
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Apollo
Apollo’s claims to own a B2B database of over 250M contacts and 30M companies which combined with its Engagement Suite allows sales and marketing teams to run outbound activity and sequences effectively.
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LeadIQ
leadIQs prospecting platform allows users to find B2B prospect data, track sales triggers, and use effective sequencing to personalize outreach all within its platform. Its patented AI technology aims to eliminate manual prospecting ways and makes it easy for sales teams to do faster outreach through personalization at scale.
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Lead411
Lead411 offers contact and company data across the global marketplace. If you are not specifically looking for US data, they claim to have over 450M contacts, within 20M companies worldwide – offering a wide choice. Lead411’s data included B2B emails and B2B direct dials with Intent data.
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Demandbase
Demandbase helps go-to-market teams create target audiences using its Account Intelligence on top of your CRM with B2B contact & company data, intent signals, technographics, and more. The Demandbase One™ flagship go-to-market platform called the Smarter Go-to-Market™ Platform that aligns sales and marketing teams. It integrated with popular CRMs, and sales and marketing automation systems such as Salesforce, Hubspot, Marketo, Outreach and more.
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For Small Businesses
LinkedIn Sales Navigator
LinkedIn Sales Navigator leverages LinkedIn’s own network of 800M+ members combined with its social networking platform’s InMail feature to make conversations quickly and effectively, making it ideal for small teams and individuals.
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Overloop
Overloop is primarily a multi-channel outbound platform that comes with an email finder, a Google Chrome extension, and native integrations with a range of sales and marketing productivity tools, CRMs and marketing automation platforms.
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UpLead
UpLead offers B2B prospecting with B2B contacts and company data of worldwide contacts in over 200 countries along with search filters, intent data, data enrichment, technology tracking, ABM, and more. It integrates with major CRMs such as others.
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LeadGenius
LeadGenius offers B2B data and insights and claims to offer solutions ideal for mid-market and enterprise companies. The platform offers B2B data across EMEA, APAC and LATAM markets – ideal for global sales & marketing teams. It integrated with Salesforce, LinkedIn, Outreach and HubSpot.
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LeadFuze
LeadFuse helps sales and marketing teams build target lists of B2B leads and automatically syncs leads to CRMs and sales outreach tools. The tool claims to aggregate B2B information in real-time across its database of 500+ million contacts and 10M+ companies globally.
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Hunter
Hunter primarily helps find and verify B2B email addresses from web domains. It comes with a free email platform to send email campaigns directly from within the Hunter platform. Hunter’s data is crawled from the web and indexed from publicly available B2B email addresses. The platform offers web domain search, email finder, email verifier and add-ons including a Chrome extension and integration with major CRMs and marketing automation systems.
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Conclusion
We hope that this article was helpful in providing information on how to pick a ZoomInfo alternative, while also providing a general overview of some of the free and low-priced ZoomInfo alternative solutions that are ideal for small teams or individuals. If you are searching for a ZoomInfo alternative, focus your search beyond just B2B email lists, and B2B contacts and company data. Evaluate your potential ZoomInfo alternative on capabilities such as intent data, technographics, firmographics, enrichment and more.
Choosing the right sales intelligence tool can be a decisive factor in the growth of your business. Companies can lose significant time and money by investing in a tool that doesn’t live up to their expectation, while picking a sales intelligence tool that offers what the business needs can supercharge growth. Different sales intelligence tools offer different sets of features and capabilities, it’s imperative to evaluate and pick a data partner that meets your needs.
Zoominfo Alternatives FAQ
1. Why do companies use ZoomInfo?
Companies use ZoomInfo primarily for its comprehensive business intelligence and data services. Key reasons include:
- Lead Generation:
Access to a vast database of potential leads with detailed contact information.
- Market Research:
In-depth insights into industry trends, company data, and market dynamics.
- Sales and Marketing Alignment:
Tools and data to help align sales and marketing efforts, ensuring targeted and efficient outreach.
- Data Enrichment:
Enhancing existing customer databases with additional information for better segmentation and targeting.
- Account-Based Marketing (ABM):
Resources and data to support ABM strategies by identifying key decision-makers and company hierarchies.
2. Is ZoomInfo expensive?
Yes, ZoomInfo is generally considered to be on the pricier side compared to other data and business intelligence platforms. Its pricing can vary based on the number of users, the extent of data access required, and the specific features and integrations a company needs. While ZoomInfo offers a robust set of tools and high-quality data, its cost can be a significant investment, particularly for smaller businesses.
3. Is ZoomInfo a CRM?
No, ZoomInfo is not a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. It is a business intelligence platform that provides data on companies and contacts, which can be used to enhance CRM systems. ZoomInfo integrates with various CRM systems (such as Salesforce, HubSpot, and others), allowing users to import and enrich their CRM data with ZoomInfo’s extensive database.
4. Is SalesIntel better than ZoomInfo?
Whether SalesIntel is better than ZoomInfo depends on the specific needs and priorities of a business. Here are some considerations:
- Data Accuracy:
SalesIntel emphasizes human-verified data, which may offer higher accuracy compared to ZoomInfo’s automated methods.
- Cost:
SalesIntel is often viewed as a more cost-effective option, providing similar or superior data quality at a potentially lower price point.
- Customer Support:
SalesIntel is known for its responsive and dedicated customer support, which can be a deciding factor for many businesses.
- Integration and Ease of Use:
Both platforms offer integrations with popular CRMs and marketing tools, but user experiences with the interface and ease of use can vary.
- Feature Set:
Both platforms offer a robust set of features, but SalesIntel’s focus on intent data, technographics, and workflow automation might be more appealing to some users.
5. What is the best ZoomInfo alternative?
One of the best alternatives to ZoomInfo is SalesIntel. SalesIntel offers extensive data accuracy and depth, with human-verified data, making it a strong choice for businesses looking for reliable sales intelligence. Other notable alternatives include LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Clearbit, D&B Hoovers, UpLead, and Lusha.
6. How much does ZoomInfo cost?
ZoomInfo’s pricing can vary widely based on the size of your business and the specific package you choose. Typically, costs can range from $5,000 to $25,000 per year, with custom pricing for larger enterprises or more comprehensive data needs.
7. Does ZoomInfo have a free version?
ZoomInfo does not offer a free version. However, they do provide a free trial for potential customers to evaluate the platform’s features and capabilities before committing to a subscription.
8. Who is ZoomInfo’s main competitor?
ZoomInfo’s main competitors include SalesIntel, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Clearbit, D&B Hoovers, UpLead, and Lusha. Among these, SalesIntel stands out due to its emphasis on data accuracy, relevancy, contract transparency, and customer support.
9. How much does ZoomInfo cost for a small business?
ZoomInfo’s cost can start at around $5,000 per year for a small business. The exact pricing will depend on the specific needs and the size of the data package required by the business.
10. Why not to use ZoomInfo?
There are several reasons why some businesses might choose not to use ZoomInfo:
- Cost: ZoomInfo can be expensive, especially for small businesses or startups with limited budgets.
- Data Accuracy: While ZoomInfo generally provides high-quality data, some users have reported occasional inaccuracies or outdated information.
- Complexity: The platform can be complex to navigate and may require training for new users to utilize it effectively.
- Customer Support: Some users have reported issues with customer support, including slow response times and difficulty in resolving issues.
11. How do credits work in ZoomInfo?
In ZoomInfo, credits are used to access contact information and data points. Each time you view or export a contact’s details, credits are deducted from your account. The number of credits required can vary based on the type of information accessed. Users can purchase additional credits as needed, and managing these credits efficiently is crucial to optimizing the use of the platform.