As the economy continues to languish in the United States, the ripples can be felt globally and new business opportunities become more critical in both the generating and pitching approach, no matter where you are based. So, “Who you gonna call?” Finding data on people and various contact information can still be laborious, but there are plenty of places to look online that far exceed the old phonebook, and even others in your contact list. It may be time to turn to resources like Jigsaw, ZoomInfo, Wink, and Spock or Spoke.
- Jigsaw allows for a complete download of its marketing and sales contacts for all types of clients with its open data initiative declared on June 4, 2008. You can download up to 50,000 names at a time.
- Wink allows you to really harness what is out there on you, and package it. The Wink Widget lets people know where you are in — blogs, social networks, Flickr or any of your other sites.
- Spoke speaks of 40 million reference points on its home page.
These services are not going away.
They will continue to refine and define how we find references and useful people, including clients. While the danger may be the data is old, it can still help you track the individual to their current position.
Research is your friend in today’s tough times. Your “track them like an animal” skills are within reach as you begin to identify the “hot” prospects and their needs. Picking your targets now for business development for your clients, as well as for new ones you haven’t met, can be a graceful and less than hair-raising experience over your first cup of coffee.
Dawn Marie Yankeelov, president and founder, ASPectx, works with business-to-business clients around the globe in English-speaking countries, particularly in the focus areas of technology and health care. Her firm offers competitive intelligence, business development, marketing, Web consulting and public relations as part of a winning mix to assist business growth. From startups to Fortune 50 companies, ASPectx has been generating strategic plans and implementing award-winning campaigns since 1989. Yankeelov has been nominated as a Woman In Technology in her market for the last six years, and will be blogging on the business of health care for Medx12’s new blog called Medx12Talk.
Join Dawn Yankeelov along with David Gordon Shcmidt for the Technology Section’s workshop, Digging Into New Tech Topics: Where and How to Maximize Web Research, on Monday, October 27, 2008, at the PRSA 2008 International Conference: The Point of Connection in Detroit, MI!
