If you’re in B2B sales, you know that quality lead lists are everything. The problem? Most lists suck. They're either outdated, way too broad, or full of people who’d never buy from you in a million years. If you want to build lists in ZoomInfo that actually help your sales team hit quota, you’re in the right place.
No fluff here—just straightforward steps, some pitfalls to avoid, and a few shortcuts I wish someone had told me sooner.
Step 1: Get Crystal Clear on Who You Want
Before you even open ZoomInfo, stop. The tool’s powerful, but it can’t read your mind. If you don’t know exactly who you want, you’ll drown in data.
Don’t skip this. Sit down and define:
- The company types you want: Industry, size, geography, tech stack, funding, etc.
- The decision makers: Titles, departments, seniority, job responsibilities.
- Deal-breakers: Who you don’t want (e.g., students, consultants, or companies with fewer than 50 employees).
Pro tip: Ask your best reps who their favorite customers are, and why. Build your criteria from real deals, not wishful thinking.
Step 2: Master the ZoomInfo Search Filters
Now, log in and head to the “Search” tab. ZoomInfo’s filters are powerful, but they’re also a minefield for wasting time.
Focus on these filters first:
- Company Filters: Name, industry, company size (employee count or revenue), location, funding status, technographics (what software they use), and company status (public/private).
- Contact Filters: Job title (be specific), department, seniority level, years at company, location.
- Intent Data: If you pay for it, use it. It’s not magic, but it’s a decent way to prioritize people actually researching your space.
What to ignore: - “Keywords” search is often too broad; stick to structured filters. - “Seniority” is unreliable alone—pair it with title or department.
Honest take: ZoomInfo’s data is better than most, but it’s not perfect. Always assume some contacts will be outdated or wrong. Build a bigger list than you need to account for this.
Step 3: Build Your Search with Precision
This is where most people get lazy. Don’t just slap in “VP” and “SaaS” and call it a day. Get specific.
How to do it right:
- Start broad, then narrow: Set your company filters first. Example: U.S.-based SaaS companies, 100–500 employees, using Salesforce.
- Add contact filters: Titles like “VP of Sales,” “Director of Revenue Operations,” or “Head of Business Development.” Use Boolean logic (AND, OR, NOT) to get the exact mix.
- Refine based on your deal-breakers: Exclude roles like “Assistant” or “Intern,” or companies in education if you only sell to tech.
- Preview the list: ZoomInfo gives you a running total. See if the results look right—if not, tweak your filters.
Pro tip: Save your search criteria so you can quickly update or rerun it later. Naming conventions matter (e.g., “US SaaS 100-500 emp - Sales Leaders”).
Step 4: Vet the Results—Don’t Just Export
Tempting as it is, don’t click “Export” yet. ZoomInfo’s data is good, but not infallible. Garbage in, garbage out.
What to look for:
- Outliers: Random companies or contacts that clearly don’t fit. (E.g., a “VP of Sales” at a 5-person consulting shop.)
- Duplicate contacts: ZoomInfo can show the same person under slightly different titles.
- Job hoppers: If job tenure is important, filter for people who’ve been in role >1 year.
- Missing info: If your sales team needs direct dials or emails, use the filters to weed out contacts without them.
How to do a quick spot-check:
- Click into 5–10 companies and contacts at random.
- Google a couple—are these real, current roles?
- Ask a rep to sanity-check the list if you’re not the target user.
If the list is junky, go back and tighten your filters. It’s worth it.
Step 5: Export and Organize Your Lead List
Once you’re happy, it’s time to export. But don’t just dump a CSV into your CRM and hope for the best.
Tips:
- Export in manageable batches (e.g., 200–500 contacts at a time). ZoomInfo sometimes chokes on huge exports, and you’ll want to QA as you go.
- Map fields carefully to match your CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot, whatever). Otherwise, your ops person will hate you.
- Tag your list with clear campaigns or notes: “March 2024 SaaS 100-500 - US - Sales Leaders.”
- Back up your original list so you can trace issues later.
Pitfall: ZoomInfo exports sometimes include generic emails (“info@company.com”). Filter these out—they’re a waste of time for outbound.
Step 6: Clean and De-Dupe Before Outreach
This isn’t glamorous, but messy lists kill campaigns. Before you hand anything to sales or marketing:
- De-dupe contacts—no one wants to get two emails from two reps on the same day.
- Validate emails (if possible) with a tool like NeverBounce or ZeroBounce. Even with ZoomInfo, expect a 5–10% bounce rate.
- Enrich missing info (if you must) with LinkedIn or another data source.
Pro tip: Set up a process so that sales knows how “fresh” and accurate the list is. Less guessing = happier reps.
Step 7: Test, Track, and Tweak (Rinse and Repeat)
Your first list won’t be perfect. Track what works, and don’t be afraid to change it up.
- Monitor reply rates, bounce rates, and booked meetings by list segment.
- Ask reps for feedback: Are these the right people? Is anyone responding?
- Tweak your filters based on results. Sometimes a small change (like excluding a job title) makes a big difference.
What to ignore: Fancy features like “personas” or “automated list building” sound cool, but in practice, they often add noise. Stick to your custom criteria.
Real Talk: What ZoomInfo Does Well (and What It Doesn’t)
Strengths: - Deep coverage of U.S. companies and contacts. - Good at surfacing direct dials and work emails. - Intent data can surface active buyers (if you pay for it).
Weaknesses: - Data is spottier outside the U.S. and in niche industries. - Contact info can lag—expect some bad numbers and out-of-date roles. - “Intent” isn’t a guarantee someone wants to talk to you—it’s just a signal.
Bottom line: ZoomInfo is a powerful tool, but it’s not a magic wand. The results depend entirely on how well you define, build, and vet your lists. If you just trust the defaults, you’ll waste time and budget.
Keep It Simple—and Iterate
Don’t overthink it. The best lead lists are built by people who know their target, use filters thoughtfully, and aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty. Start with a clear persona, double-check your results, and improve as you go. Building a great list is more about common sense than secret tricks. Stick to the basics, and you’ll save yourself (and your sales team) a ton of headaches.