Alex S.

First of all, no reputable B2B business should use "neighbor scam" tools to fake a local number in hopes you finally pick up your phone. However, sales folks from ZoomInfo/DiscoverOrg have absolutely no problem leveraging such services that are typically used by robocallers and not serious businesses. It seems though they have to utilize such tools bc prospects must be increasingly getting tired of their aggressive sales tactics and never-ending attempts to reach out, even though you have explained over and over again, that the solution isn't a fit.

Second, run a pilot with them to see and test if they can really deliver on a 5% bounce rate. In our case, they couldn't. Our pilot ended up resulting in a 30% (hard) bounce rate, which comes close to simply guessing someone's email based on known top-level domains. Also, while you're at it, try to see if you can get some proof if they can really deliver on thousands of contacts in your target market that resemble your buyer persona. Because the reality is, they are not strong in every vertical (which is ok, but they will pretend they are).

And third, have them present their pricing and contract terms first. If you're not serious about investing a min. Of $15-25k a year for their most basic plan, then you can save yourself MANY emails and calls with them. Also, what service like theirs really requires 1-2 year contract terms in this day and age. This is not a business tool that you deeply integrate into your business processes but simply a service to get access to cold leads. If they were confident they can provide long-term value and make their customers happy on an ongoing business, there wouldn't be a need to try and get them locked into a 1-2 year commitment with borderline unethical renewal terms (as other reviewers have stated).