How do you build lead lists and what is the cost per lead?

Cormac Repman
1 day ago
2 min read

We build lead lists by identifying your target companies on LinkedIn Sales Navigator and Apollo, then enriching decision maker contact information through a waterfall process using up to 13 different data providers. The average cost is approximately $0.50 per mobile-enriched lead, or about $0.55 when you factor in list management and validation.

How We Identify Target Companies

We start by defining your ideal customer profile (ICP) based on company size, industry, and technology stack. Using LinkedIn Sales Navigator and Apollo's company database, we search for organizations that match your criteria. This stage focuses on quality, not volume. We're looking for companies where a real deal is likely to happen, not just any company in your space.

Finding the Right Decision Makers

Once we've identified target companies, we locate decision makers who influence purchase decisions in your category. If you sell sales enablement software, we're looking for VP of Sales, Sales Operations leaders, and similar roles. We use Sales Navigator's filtering capabilities to narrow to the right job titles and seniority levels. This targeting cuts down noise and increases reply rates significantly compared to generic outreach.

The Multi-Provider Enrichment Waterfall

Here's where most lead list providers fall short. A single database rarely has complete mobile numbers for decision makers. We've built a waterfall system that attempts to fill gaps across 13 different lead providers, including Apollo, ZoomInfo, Hunter.io, Clearbit, and others. When Provider A doesn't have a mobile number, we check Provider B. This layered approach means we capture 10-15% more enriched records than relying on a single source.

Cost Per Lead Breakdown

Our average cost works out to $0.50 per mobile-enriched lead. Here's what that includes:

Mobile enrichment through our provider network runs about $0.30 to $0.40 per record depending on the lead's data difficulty. List validation and duplicate removal add another $0.10 to $0.15. Database access fees and list management tools add $0.05 to $0.10 per lead. When you total everything, you're looking at $0.55 per lead factoring in all costs.

This sounds cheap until you compare it to hiring. A single SDR fully loaded costs $50,000 to $80,000 per year and might touch 20-30 net new qualified leads monthly. At our pricing, a 10,000 lead list costs $5,500 and gives your SDR (or our team) a full quarter of outbound work with higher quality targeting.

Why We Don't Cut Corners

Some agencies use single-source lead lists and claim $0.20 per lead. That usually means one provider with 40-50% deliverability and no mobile enrichment. When only half your leads answer the phone, your actual cost per conversation is double. We chose the waterfall approach because it means real conversations, not wasted dial time.

Quality Assurance and Validation

Every list goes through validation before delivery. We check for duplicate records, remove known invalid numbers, and flag roles that don't match your ICP. We also exclude competitors and non-prospects to keep your team focused on real opportunities.

Ready to see how a targeted list could accelerate your pipeline? Book a call with us and we'll walk through your ICP and pricing for your specific market.