I’ll get straight to the point – it’s Google. Or Yahoo. Or Bing.

There are a variety of companies like Hoovers or D&B who have been selling leads for decades, and even folks like SalesGenie and JigSaw let small business owners “cherry pick” lists to buy at small volumes. But do they work?

Maybe it’s time to take a step back and define what “does it work” means. Read on…

Leads mean sales, but leads can cost, and some leads can downright suck.

Let me start by stating that not every business needs to ‘buy’ leads – retail storefronts attract customers by signage and location while some industries (like local Government-related contractual work) match vendors by public postings. But there are still many small businesses (like mine) that need leads of potential customers who are interested in my products and services.

Read on…