Most B2B go-to-market (GTM) software promises a silver bullet for lead generation. Spoiler: none exist. If you're tasked with finding, evaluating, and buying tools to help your team actually find good leads—not just more noise—this guide's for you. We'll walk through how to compare tools like Scrapin and its many competitors, what to actually look for, and the red flags you can safely ignore.
No fluff, no buzzwords—just a practical, step-by-step process from someone who's done this before and learned the hard way.
1. Define “Effective Lead Gen” for Your Business
Before you even start Googling tools, get clear about what you need. “Lead generation” is vague. Are you looking for raw contact data, warm intros, booked meetings, or something else? Write out what a good lead looks like for your sales team.
Quick checklist: - Who is your ideal buyer? (Industry, role, company size, etc.) - What channels work for you now? (Email? LinkedIn? Calls?) - What’s your volume vs. quality tradeoff? (More leads, or just better ones?)
Pro tip: If your team hates the leads from your last tool, ask them why. “Bad data” means different things to different people.
2. Build a Shortlist—Don’t Get Distracted by Shiny Features
All these tools claim to have the “largest database” or “AI-powered enrichment.” Take it with a grain of salt. Focus on what matters for your workflow. If you’re comparing Scrapin, Apollo, Cognism, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, and a few others, list them side-by-side.
Ignore: - Gimmicky features you’ll never use (e.g., “AI icebreakers” that just regurgitate LinkedIn bios). - Integrations with tools you don’t use. - Vanity metrics (“Over 1B contacts!” means nothing if half are stale).
Pay attention to: - How current their data actually is. - Core workflows: can you easily search, filter, export, and act on the leads? - Pricing transparency—if you can’t find pricing, expect a “gotcha” call with sales.
3. Test Data Quality—Don’t Take Their Word for It
Every vendor claims “98% accuracy.” Reality: there’s always junk. The only way to know is to test it yourself.
How to do it: 1. Request a free trial or data sample—most legit tools will provide this. 2. Search for your actual target personas and export a small batch. 3. Spot-check: - Are job titles, emails, and company info correct? - Are emails verified, or just scraped from public sites? - Are the leads in your actual region/industry?
What works:
Manual spot-checks. Yes, it’s tedious, but you’ll quickly see which vendors pad their numbers with outdated or irrelevant contacts.
What doesn’t:
Trusting “sample reports” or cherry-picked case studies.
4. Check Ease of Use (You’ll Thank Yourself Later)
If a tool takes hours to learn, your team won’t use it. Period. Don’t get seduced by fancy dashboards that bury what you actually need.
Test for: - How fast can you run a real search? - Is exporting leads simple or buried behind paywalls? - Can you set up basic filters (location, title, company size) without a manual?
Red flag:
Tools that look like they were designed by engineers for engineers. If you need a training session to pull a list, keep looking.
5. Look at Integrations—But Only the Ones You Actually Need
Most GTM tools tout endless integrations. Focus on the 2–3 you really need (usually your CRM, email outreach, and maybe Slack). Don’t get distracted by the rest.
Checklist: - Does it plug into your CRM (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) cleanly? - Can you export to your outreach tool (e.g., Outreach, Salesloft) without ugly CSV hacks? - If you use Zapier, does the tool have a working Zapier integration?
What to watch for:
Some “integrations” are really just CSV exports with a fancy name. Test it yourself.
6. Understand Pricing—And Hidden Costs
Here’s where most buyers get burned. Most “per seat” or “per credit” models sound cheap, until you realize you’re paying extra for exports, verified emails, or support.
Ask bluntly: - What’s included in the base price, and what triggers extra fees? - Are data refreshes included, or is that an upcharge? - Is support responsive, or just a chat bot?
What works:
Vendors who’ll give you a real price and let you test the product with no commitment.
What doesn’t:
“Book a demo for pricing.” If you can’t get a ballpark number up front, they’re sizing you up for a big upsell.
7. Avoid Over-Engineering Your Stack
It’s tempting to stack multiple tools—one for scraping, one for enrichment, one for outreach. But more tools = more headaches.
Keep it simple: - Start with one tool that covers 80% of your needs. - If you must use two, make sure they actually play nice together. - Don’t buy a second tool until you’ve outgrown the first.
Pro tip: Most teams don’t need more data—they need better ways to act on the data they have.
8. Gut Check: Vendor Reputation and Support
You don’t want to be left hanging if something breaks. Check the basics: - Is the company real (not just a landing page)? - Is support actually helpful, or do they just send canned responses? - Are there recent reviews (not just testimonials on their site)?
How to check: Google “[tool name] Reddit” or “[tool name] G2.” Look for consistent complaints, not just one-off rants.
9. Make a Decision—Then Review in 90 Days
Once you’ve tested, compared, and negotiated, pick the tool that’s easiest for your team to actually use. Then set a calendar reminder to check back in 90 days: is it actually delivering leads your team likes, or just more noise?
- If yes, double down.
- If not, cut your losses and try something else. Most vendors will let you export your data and move on.
Final Thoughts: Don’t Overthink It
Picking a B2B GTM tool is like buying a new set of power tools: you want something reliable that gets the job done, not the fanciest gadget with the most blinking lights. Stay focused on your real use case, test the basics, and don’t get paralyzed by options. The perfect tool doesn’t exist—just pick something solid, keep it simple, and adjust as you go.
You’ll save yourself time, money, and a lot of sales team eye rolls.