Imagine a surgeon entering an operating theater and there are no scalpels; You might also imagine an SEO expert trying to get the job done with no internet connection.
It just doesn’t work.
For any professional to have success, they need specific tools for their craft.
Lead generation is the same.
Without the right tools, you aren’t going to find high-quality sales leads that bring in the big bucks.
The right lead generation tools can help scale your business, simplify your workflow, and help you hit your targets.
In this article we will discuss some of the best B2B lead generation tools we use at Salesbread and why we find them helpful.
As well as discuss lead generation software that has been mentioned on the web, with their pricing and ratings;
Then you decide which tool will be the most beneficial for your company.
(But if you’re really struggling with finding high-quality sales leads for your business, and don’t have the time to generate leads yourself, hop on a free 15-minute strategy call with us, and we will help you out. Whether it’s just for advice, or if you’re looking for a lead gen partner, we are here to help.)
(If you’re already a lead generation buff, please skip this section and move on to the tools.)
What is lead generation?
B2B lead generation is like finding new friends for businesses. Imagine a company looking for other businesses that might be interested in their products or services.
Lead generation is the process of identifying and connecting with these potential business friends.
It involves researching and reaching out to other companies that could benefit from what your business has to offer.
Just like making friends, it’s about discovering mutual interests and seeing if there’s a good match. The goal is to start a conversation and build a relationship, ultimately turning these potential business friends into customers.
What are b2b lead generation tools, and why are they helpful?
B2B lead generation tools act as problem solvers for businesses facing challenges in finding and connecting with potential customers.
One common pain point is the difficulty of identifying businesses interested in a particular product or service.
Lead generation tools streamline this process by providing insights and data, helping companies target their ideal audiences.
Additionally, these tools address the challenge of managing large sets of information, making it easier to organize and track potential leads.
Automation features within these tools help save time and effort, allowing businesses to focus on building relationships rather than getting bogged down in manual tasks.
Ultimately, B2B lead generation tools play a crucial role in alleviating the pains associated with the search for new business connections, making the process more efficient and productive.
Best lead generation tools we use at Salesbread
Salesbread is a Linkedin and cold email outreach agency that specializes in advanced in-depth list building, as well as personalization.
Our sales process manages to bring our clients 1 qualified sales lead per day. And in the past 24 months, we have generated close to 7000 qualified sales leads for our clients.
But none of this would be possible if we didn’t use the lead gen tools listed below.
These are really some of the best tools on the market and have been a total game changer for our company and our clients.
Web scraping tools
DataMiner and Apify
Data Miner and Apify are our go-to tools for web scraping specific lists that aren’t going to be easily found on something like Zoominfo, Apollo or Crunchbase.
A good example is if you wanted to Shopify Plus certified Partners.
There might be over 100 certified partners, and we will use the above web scraping tools to grab these companies, in order to find them on Linkedin Sales Navigator.
The nice thing is that these web scrapers allow us to move quickly when we build prospecting lists; We don’t need to wait for a developer to help us.
But of course, for tougher projects a developer is absolutely worth having on deck.
Data Miner Pricing, Features and Reviews
Pricing
Data Miner offers 5 pricing tiers, from free to $200 per month.
Features
DataMiner has several features that can ease the process of lead generation.
Firstly, it has a user-friendly interface that simplifies the extraction of data from various websites without requiring any coding from your side.
DataMiner also allows you to collect information from a ton of different websites because of its diverse data formats and structures.
The advanced scheduling feature allows you to automate the scraping process, saving time and effort.
DataMiner’s capacity for real-time data extraction ensures that your lead information is always up-to-date.
Moreover, the tool offers a variety of filtering options, enabling you to refine your data by specific criteria, such as location or industry.
Reviews
According to G2.com, Dataminer receives 5/5 stars.
Apify
Pricing
Apify offers pricing tiers from free to customized pricing plans, depending on your needs.
Features
Apify comes with features that make data extraction easy. Its visual editor lets you create scraping tasks without the need for advanced coding skills.
It works well with modern websites using JavaScript. Apify offers pre-built scrapers (actors) for common sites which will save you time.
The tool automatically rotates IP addresses, preventing bans, and retries requests for reliability.
Cloud storage is also available for your scraped data, saving space and ensuring easy access.
Reviews
Apify has 4.8 stars out of 5 according to G2.com
Video Communication and Collaboration tools
Loom
Loom can help move leads through your sales process. We have found that Loom videos are really helpful if you want to share an insight with a prospect who hasn’t yet taken the step of booking a sales call.
We won’t send every prospect a customized video, but we find that they are really helpful to nudge prospects who are almost at that “conversion” stage.
For example, if someone books a call to find out more about our services, we will send them a Loom video beforehand.
This walks them through what we are going to discuss and it helps prepare prospects for a really productive call.
Pricing
Loom offers pricing plans from free to $12.50 per month.
Features
Loom is a helpful video communication tool that lets you easily create and share videos.
You can record your screen, webcam, or both, making it great for explaining things visually.
It’s also a handy tool for remote collaboration, allowing you to communicate more effectively with your team through recorded messages.
Whether you’re giving a product demo, providing customer support, or creating educational content,
Loom makes it simple to capture and share information in a clear and engaging way.
Reviews
Loom has a 4.7 star rating out of 5 according to G.2.com
List Building Tools
Linkedin Sales Navigator
Sales Nav is a tool that LinkedIn provides itself. Every sales team should be using it. It’s great for finding the right people to reach out at specific companies.
Linkedin Sales Navigator has a variety of in-depth filters that you can use to help narrow down your prospecting list.
Some of the top filters agencies use in their lead-generation strategies are:
- Keywords
- Custom Lists
- Past Lead and Account Activity
- Geography
- Relationship
- Industry
- School
- Job title
Just a word of caution… Sales Navigator can be inaccurate if you don’t know how to use it the right way.
We always suggest triple-checking the data to ensure you are reaching out to the right people.
The video below explains this in more detail:
Pricing
There are 3 paid plan options to choose from.
- Sales Navigator Core (Professional): $99/month
- Sales Navigator Advanced (Team): $149/month
- Sales Navigator Advanced Plus (Enterprise): starts at $1600/year
Features
Advanced Search Filters:
Target and refine prospects based on specific criteria like industry, job title, and company size.
Real-time Updates:
Stay informed with timely updates on lead and account changes to ensure accurate and up-to-date information for personalized outreach.
InMail Messaging:
Facilitate direct communication with prospects outside of your network using the InMail feature, fostering direct and meaningful connections.
Lead Recommendations and Insights:
Receive intelligent recommendations and insights to identify new opportunities and stay well-informed about your target audience.
TeamLink:
Leverage your team’s connections to expand your reach and uncover additional sales prospects, utilizing a collaborative approach to prospecting.
Sales Alerts:
Receive notifications and alerts for activities such as job changes, ensuring you are promptly informed of relevant developments.
CRM Integration:
Seamlessly integrate with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems to streamline workflows and enhance the overall efficiency of sales processes.
Custom Lists:
Create and manage custom lists of leads and accounts to organize and prioritize outreach efforts more effectively.
Saved Leads and Accounts:
Save and track specific leads and accounts for easy monitoring and ongoing engagement.
Sales Navigator Mobile App:
Access key features on the go with the mobile app, allowing sales professionals to stay connected and productive from anywhere.
Reviews
LinkedIn Sales Navigator has a 4.3 star rating out of 5 according to G.2.com
Crunchbase
Crunchbase is a powerful database that allows you to use various advanced filters, to help you find target accounts.
You can find things such as contact information, like employee phone numbers, or email addresses.
Crunchbase also allows you to filter by industry, technology, investors, funding and events.
Pricing
There are various pricing plans to choose from.
You could choose a monthly plan at $99 per month, or $49 per month if you pay annually.
Features
Company Profiles
Detailed profiles for a wide range of companies, including information on their founding date, location, industry, funding rounds, and key personnel.
Funding Information:
Details about funding rounds, including the amount raised, investors involved, and the date of each funding round.
Investor Profiles
Information about venture capital firms, angel investors, and other entities that invest in startups.
Acquisitions and Exits:
Data on acquisitions, mergers, and other exits of companies, providing insights into the growth and evolution of businesses.
News and Insights
Latest news and articles related to the startup and business world, offering insights into trends, market dynamics, and industry developments.
Filtering and Searching
Robust search and filtering capabilities that allow users to find specific companies, investors, or relevant information based on various criteria.
API Access:
Crunchbase provides an API (Application Programming Interface) that allows developers to integrate Crunchbase data into their applications, websites, or tools.
Advanced Analytics:
Premium users can access advanced analytics tools and insights, allowing them to analyze trends, identify investment opportunities, and make data-driven decisions.
Reviews
According to G2.com Crunchbase has a 4.5 star rating out of 5.
Apollo.io
Apollo is one of the best sales tools for finding the freshest lead data.
If you need to find 1000 new leads or 100,000 verified emails and phone numbers, Apollo’s database has 275M+ contacts.
It also has a Chrome extension, which allows for easy integrations with other tools that you might use.
You can also use it to create a sales pipeline.
Pricing
There are two pricing options. Whether you would like to pay annually or monthly.
Features
Contact Database:
Extensive database of business contacts and prospects.
Access to detailed information about individuals, including their roles, responsibilities, and contact details.
Company Database:
A comprehensive database of companies, providing information such as industry, size, location, and key contacts.
Prospecting Tools:
Tools for identifying and targeting potential leads and prospects.
Advanced search and filtering options to refine and customize prospect lists.
Sales Engagement:
Email tracking and analytics to monitor the effectiveness of email campaigns.
Automation features for follow-ups, drip campaigns, and personalized outreach.
Integration Capabilities
Integration with customer relationship management (CRM) systems, allowing users to seamlessly sync data between Apollo.io and their CRM.
Analytics and Reporting:
Insights into user engagement and prospect interactions. Analytics tools to measure the success of sales and marketing efforts.
Lead Enrichment:
Automatic enrichment of lead and contact data with additional information such as social profiles and company details.
Email Verification:
Tools to verify and validate email addresses to improve deliverability and reduce bounce rates.
Sales Intelligence:
Behavioral insights and signals to help sales teams understand prospect engagement and prioritize leads.
Team Collaboration
Collaboration features to facilitate communication and information sharing within sales teams.
Customization and Personalization:
Ability to customize outreach campaigns and messages for a more personalized approach.
Reviews
According to G.2, Apollo.io has a 4.8-star rating out of 5.
Chat GPT
We use Chat GPT for building prospecting lists. Most people might use it for writing outreach messages, but these messages come across as robotic and lack personalization.
This is why we would rather use it to help us build in-depth lists of our client’s target audiences.
We use a Google Sheet add-on called GPT for Sheets and Docs.
It does the following:
We use this tool in our lead generation efforts to enhance prospecting lists we’re constructing, by filling in details that tools such as Apollo, Zoominfo, and Crunchbase might lack.
Consider this scenario:
Suppose you’re running a campaign targeting B2B companies.
Unfortunately, relying solely on Zoominfo to accurately identify B2B companies can be a challenge.
While it does offer some functionality in this regard, experience tells us it’s not consistently 100% accurate.
Historically, ensuring accuracy meant dedicating a team member to comb through and verify the data manually.
Which as you can imagine takes time.
Now, with Chat GPT for sales, you can use it as a second set of eyes for your list.
How does it work?
Ask a question to the chat feature like: “Are these companies B2B? Respond with a one-word answer, yes or no.”
Apply this process across your entire sheet, and suddenly, you’ve effectively eliminated like 15% of incorrect accounts from your prospecting lists.
This article: How to Use Chat GPT For Sales goes into more detail on how we use chat GTP to help us build lists of qualified leads.
Pricing
Chat GPT has a free plan, but they also offer a subscription of about $20 per month for Chat GPT Plus.
Features
Conversational Abilities:
ChatGPT is adept at engaging in coherent conversations. It understands context, allowing users to have more natural interactions.
Contextual Understanding:
The model can comprehend and respond to user inputs in a way that takes into account the context of the conversation, making the interactions more coherent.
Content Generation:
ChatGPT can generate contextually appropriate text across a variety of topics. This makes it useful for content creation, brainstorming, and idea generation.
Code Generation:
Users can request code snippets for various programming languages, making ChatGPT a helpful tool for software developers and those seeking assistance with coding tasks.
Language Translation:
ChatGPT can assist with language translation, making it useful for users who need help converting text from one language to another.
Question Answering:
The model is pretty accurate at answering factual questions.
It’s important to note that while ChatGPT may work really well in many language-related tasks, it may not always produce accurate or contextually precise responses.
Reviews
Chat GPT has received 4.7 stars out of 5 according to G2.com.
SEO and Content Marketing tools
Clearscope
Clearscope allows you to use the correct keywords for content writing. Besides this, it also offers keyword research tools, as well as content tracking.
It’s an all in one SEO tool that allows us to rank for Google’s number 1 coveted spot.
Pricing
Clearscope is on the pricier side, compared to some other lead generation tools; but we have found it to be the best SEO software to optimize content.
What’s great though, is that there are no hidden fees, and for $99 per month, you will have access to the above features.
Features
Content Analysis:
Analyzes existing content to provide insights into its quality and relevance.
Keyword Research:
Offers keyword suggestions and insights to help optimize content for search engines.
Competitor Analysis:
Identifies competitors and analyzes their content strategies to uncover potential opportunities.
Content Grader:
Scores content based on factors like readability, comprehensiveness, and relevance to target keywords.
Topic Recommendations:
Provides suggestions for relevant topics and subtopics to enhance content depth and coverage.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Recommendations:
Offers actionable recommendations to improve content’s search engine ranking and visibility.
Real-time Collaboration:
Facilitates collaboration among team members, allowing them to work together on content optimization.
Content Briefs:
Generates content briefs that outline key information and elements to include in new content creation.
Performance Tracking:
Monitors and tracks the performance of optimized content over time, providing insights into its impact on search rankings.
Integration with Content Management Systems (CMS):
Integrates with popular CMS platforms, streamlining the workflow for content creators and editors.
SERP (Search Engine Results Page) Analysis:
Examines the current SERP for target keywords, helping users understand the competition and user intent.
Review
Clearscope has recieved a 4.9 star rating out of 5 according to G2.com
Leadfeeder
Leadfeeder allows you to identify website visitors. It helps you identify which companies are visiting your site, which will allow you to contact companies that would actually be quality leads.
Leadfeeder also integrates with tools such as Hubspot, Pipedrive and Salesforce.
Pricing
Pricing ranges from free (a 14-day free demo trial) to €139 per month.
Features
Company Identification:
Identifies the names and details of companies visiting your website, turning anonymous traffic into actionable data.
Visitor Behavior Tracking:
Reveals the specific behavior and interactions of companies as they navigate through your website.
Lead Scoring:
Provides a scoring mechanism to prioritize and evaluate leads based on their engagement and potential interest.
Remote Employee Recognition
Capable of identifying companies and their employees, even if they are working remotely.
Integration with CRM:
Integrates seamlessly with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems, allowing for streamlined lead management.
Lead Details and Contact Information:
Offers detailed information about leads, including contact details and relevant data for effective follow-ups.
Custom Feeds and Filters:
Allows users to create custom feeds and apply filters to focus on specific segments or criteria within their lead data.
Daily Email Alerts:
Sends daily email alerts notifying users about companies that have visited their website, helping in timely follow-ups.
Web Visitor Insights:
Provides insights into the companies’ website visits, enabling a better understanding of their interests and needs.
Advanced Analytics and Reporting:
Offers analytics tools and reporting features to track and measure the effectiveness of lead generation efforts.
Leadfeeder Tracker
Utilizes a tracking script to monitor website visitors and gather data on their company details and activities.
Reviews
Leadfeeder has a 4.3 rating out of 5 stars according to G2.com
OptinMonster
OptinMonster is a user-friendly lead generation and conversion tool that helps website owners convert visitors into subscribers or customers.
It provides a variety of customizable and attractive opt-in forms, such as pop-ups, floating bars, and slide-ins, to capture the attention of website visitors.
This tool also integrates with:
- Mailchimp
- Klaviyo
- Google Analytics
- Zapier
- Hubspot
- Webhooks
- Brevo
Pricing
There are various pricing packages to choose from, and each pricing plan offers something different. You might have to check out their website to see which plan would suit you best.
Features
Opt-in Forms:
Offers a variety of opt-in form types, including pop-ups, floating bars, slide-ins, and more.
Drag-and-Drop Builder:
Intuitive and user-friendly drag-and-drop builder for creating and customizing opt-in forms without coding.
Campaign Types:
Supports various campaign types, such as lightbox popups, fullscreen overlays, inline forms, and gamified wheels.
Targeting and Segmentation:
Advanced targeting options to display personalized messages to specific audience segments based on behavior, geolocation, and more.
Exit-IntentTechnology:
Detects user behaviour and triggers opt-in forms when a visitor is about to leave the website.
A/B Testing:
Allows users to create and test multiple versions of opt-in forms to determine the most effective design and messaging.
Analytics and Insights:
Provides analytics and insights into the performance of opt-in forms, conversion rates, and user interactions.
Integration with Email Marketing Platforms:
Seamless integration with popular email marketing services to sync and manage collected leads.
Reviews
Optinmonster has a 4.3 star rating out of 5 according to G2.com
Email Marketing tools
Quickmail.io
Quickmail is an email warm-up tool that helps your email address develop a good sender reputation. This reliable deliverability tool will ensure that your well-written sales messages don’t end up in your email list’s spam folder.
Quickmail will monitor and maintain the health of your inbox so that your emails will have a greater chance to land in your recipient’s inbox.
This auto warmer integrates with CRMs like Hubspot, Pipedrive and even Zapier.
Pricing
There is a pricing tier for every business. From $49 per month to an expert plan that’s $129 per month.
Features
Email Campaign Automation:
Automates the process of sending personalized and targeted email campaigns.
Sequencing
Enables users to create and manage email sequences to nurture leads and prospects.
Email Tracking:
Provides email tracking capabilities to monitor when recipients open emails, click on links, and engage with content.
Analytics and Reporting:
Offers analytics tools and reporting features to assess the performance of email campaigns.
A/B Testing:
Allows users to conduct A/B testing on different elements of email campaigns to optimize for better results.
Reply Detection
Includes features for detecting and managing replies from recipients, streamlining the follow-up process.
Email Warm-up:
Provides features to warm up email accounts gradually, helping to establish a positive sending reputation.
Reviews
Quickmail.io has a 4.6-star rating out of 5 according to G.2.com
Neverbounce
At Salesbread we use Neverbounce to verify email addresses. There’s no point in writing the perfect cold email, only to have it bounce.
This also ensures good email deliverability.
It also has a ton of interrogations, and if you don’t see your integration, there is an option to build your own.
With:
- Custom API
- Javascript Widget
- Webhook
Pricing
Neverbounce offers a pay-as-you-go rate. So for example, if you have 1000 emails, you will end up paying $8.
There is also a subscription plan too.
Features
Email Verification:
Verifies email addresses in real-time, identifying invalid, disposable, or risky email addresses.
Bulk Email Verification
Allows users to upload and verify email lists in bulk, ensuring data accuracy and hygiene.
List Cleaning
Cleans and removes invalid or risky email addresses from existing contact lists to improve deliverability.
Spam Trap Detection:
Detects and flags email addresses that may be associated with spam traps to protect the sender’s reputation.
Real-Time Verification:
Provides instant verification results to support real-time decision-making in email marketing campaigns.
Reviews
Neverbounce has received a 4.3-star rating out of 5 according to G2.com.
Linkedin automation tools
Expandi
Expandi is a LinkedIn automation tool that helps users grow their network and engage with potential leads.
It works by automating tasks on LinkedIn like sending connection requests and follow-up messages.
It’s important for users to use automation tools responsibly and that’s why we like Expandi because it has daily limits. We have never had a LinkedIn account blocked.
Pricing
For $79 per month, you will receive 10 campaign types and 7 scraping approaches.
Features
Automated Connection Requests:
Enables users to send personalized connection requests to targeted LinkedIn profiles automatically.
Message Sequences:
Supports the creation of automated message sequences for follow-ups and engagement with connections.
Campaign Management:
Provides tools to set up and manage targeted outreach campaigns on LinkedIn.
Smart Inbox:
Organizes responses and messages from LinkedIn connections in a centralized inbox.
Profile Views:
Allows users to view profiles of targeted individuals to increase visibility and engagement.
LinkedIn Groups Automation:
Offers automation features for engaging with LinkedIn groups, fostering community involvement.
Compliance and Safety:
Incorporates features to help users stay compliant with LinkedIn’s policies and avoid potential risks.
Drip Campaigns:
Supports the creation of drip campaigns for scheduled and automated follow-ups over time.
LinkedIn Connection Limits Management
Provides features to manage and stay within LinkedIn’s connection limits to maintain account health.
Reviews
Expandi has received 4 stars out of 5 according to G2.com
Other helpful lead-generation tools
Merge/csv.com
This tool helps us combine prospect sheets across different sources without copying and pasting them. This just makes our prospecting process easier.
Google Sheets formula “VLookUp.”
VLookUp, allows you to merge sheets and helps us combine our data really nicely.
Basically, if you have two sheets, and one sheet has all the scraped data on Shopify preferred partners; And there is a rating on the Shopify page and all this data is in one sheet, and it says
“Company XYZ has a 4.9 rating on Shopify Plus directory.”
You would then find the marketing person of Company XYZ on LinkedIn Sales Navigator.
Now you have two sheets.
One with the company details, and another from your LinkedIn Sales Nav export.
You need to sometimes carry over “rating”, so that you can mention it in your campaign on Linkedin.
We use this formula “VLookUp” to merge those extra data points across different spreadsheets into one.
The video below explains how to use this formula: https://www.microsoft.com/
In Conclusion
Whether you’re using these tools for inbound or outbound lead generation, they can come in handy.
Some are pricier than others, but most have excellent reviews, and from personal experience, we can testify to some of the above tools.
(If you’re not happy with the leads your sales reps are bringing in, why not hop on a free 15-minute strategy call with Salesbread? We would love to show you our process for booking one qualified lead per day and help you bring the strategy in-house.)