In the world of B2B prospecting, the quality of contacts is one of the most important factors you simply cannot overlook if you want your sales strategy to succeed! Yet, many people still turn to buying databases, thinking they’re making the right choice by saving time with pre-built files—but most of the time, these files don’t deliver the expected results. The problem? Outdated data and questionable data sources… But is it really the best solution? In this article, we’ll explore the issue by explaining why purchasing databases from providers isn’t always recommended, and we’ll show you how to build your own prospecting database using automation tools like Emelia to scrape LinkedIn Sales Navigator and Scrap.io to leverage Google Maps. Get ready to discover an approach that is both more authentic (but automated 🤖) and more effective for boosting your sales efforts (and for stopping the unnecessary waste of time)!

❌ Questionable Quality and Outdated Data

Buying a database might seem like a great idea—the quick solution to obtaining a large number of contacts—but in reality, it’s not quite that simple. Databases offered by some providers often contain outdated or incorrect information. It’s very common for email addresses to be inactive or for contact details to have changed. So, what’s the point? Clearly, this will only hurt your efficiency, as you’ll waste time processing and trying to use data that isn’t worth it. Moreover, you’ll get unsatisfactory results for your prospecting campaigns, with low open rates and little to no responses from your prospects.

In addition, these purchased lists do not account for regular data updates. Today, where information evolves quickly, outdated data can turn your campaign into a real waste of time and resources.

❌ Legal Risks and Non-Compliance with GDPR

Another important point to consider today is compliance with regulations—especially in Europe with GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation). If you purchase email lists without verifying how they were collected, you may expose yourself to penalties. That’s right—even in B2C, if contacts haven’t consented to receive your commercial communications, you risk damaging your reputation and potentially facing financial sanctions.

Building your own database ensures transparency and legality in data acquisition. You can then implement an opt-in strategy where contacts willingly agree to receive your information.

❌ Lack of Personalization and Engagement

Generally, the databases you can buy are often generic and don’t take into account the specifics of your market or your targets. As a result, your prospects will receive messages without the right hook or icebreaker to prompt them to read your email or even reply. Without accurate data about your prospects, your messages won’t really resonate with their actual needs, which will only reduce the effectiveness of your prospecting efforts.

When you build your own database, you have complete control over the quality and relevance of the information. You can segment your lists according to precise criteria (industry, company size, geographical area, etc.) and thus personalize your messages from start to finish for top engagement!

✅ A Tailored Approach for Precise Targeting

Building your own database gives you complete control over the information you collect. You can precisely identify the profiles that meet your prospecting criteria, which maximizes your chances of success for your campaigns. This tailored approach allows you to create finer market segments and develop personalized communication strategies that speak directly to your prospects’ needs.

That’s the only way that works today—the personalization of your messages. And to personalize, you need enough criteria and information about your prospects to customize en masse using personalization variables in your messages (to scale your personalization) and even better, to generate fully personalized sequences with AI. To personalize your messages with AI, you need as much detailed information about your prospects as possible. It goes beyond just the name, surname, and company name—it’s become too generic and limiting to stick only to those classic pieces of information. With tools like Emelia, which extracts data from LinkedIn Sales Navigator, you can export highly detailed data on your prospects, such as their professional experience, LinkedIn profile summary, and much more. Imagine being able to scale the personalization of your messages on lists of 1,000 or 10,000 prospects with just a few clicks!

✅ Regular Updates and Guaranteed Reliability

When you build your database in-house, you are in charge of tracking and updating the data. You can implement tools and processes that ensure the information remains current and relevant. You know which data needs to be updated—you manage your database!

A current contact is a quality contact, and a regularly updated database avoids issues with incorrect email addresses or outdated contact details.

✅ Long-Term Savings

While buying lists might seem economical in the very short term, it quickly becomes costly when you factor in the low conversion rates and the wasted potential of your resources (both human resources to manage this part and unnecessary financial expenses).

By investing in creating your own database, you adopt a more strategic approach that, although initially demanding in terms of time and effort, proves to be a much more cost-effective solution in the long run. You end up with a tool that you can optimize and reuse for all your campaigns, while reducing the costs associated with repeatedly purchasing new lists.

Now that we’ve seen why it’s better to build your own database, let’s look at the concrete methods to do so. Two tools stand out in this approach: Emelia for scraping LinkedIn Sales Navigator and Scrap.io for leveraging Google Maps.

Scraping LinkedIn Sales Navigator with Emelia

Why Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator?

LinkedIn Sales Navigator is a premium version of LinkedIn designed specifically for sales professionals. It offers advanced search and segmentation features, allowing you to identify prospects based on various criteria (role, industry, location, company size, etc.). Using this tool gives you access to a high-quality professional network with up-to-date information on your potential targets.

How Emelia Simplifies Scraping

Emelia is a scraping tool that integrates seamlessly with LinkedIn Sales Navigator. It allows you to automatically extract relevant data from your prospects (name, role, email, company, etc.).

• Automation: Emelia automates data collection, saving you valuable time.

• Personalization: You can extract the information that will let you personalize all your messages to your prospects, ensuring a custom-built database.

• Continuous Updates: The data available on LinkedIn Sales Navigator is updated in real time, so you don’t have to worry about outdated information when using this professional social network.

Tips for Optimal Use

To make the most out of LinkedIn Sales Navigator and Emelia, it’s essential to define precise search criteria from the start. Consider:

• Identifying the most relevant industries and roles for your business.

• Setting up filters to exclude profiles that do not match your objectives.

• Scheduling regular scraping sessions to keep your database up to date.

Leveraging Google Maps with Scrap.io to Prospect Local Businesses

If your goal is to prospect local businesses, Google Maps is an invaluable resource. With Scrap.io, you can extract valuable data directly from Google Maps.

Why Google Maps?

Google Maps does more than just provide directions or customer reviews—it’s also a rich platform full of information about local businesses. You can find:

• Precise contact details (address, phone number, website).

• Customer reviews that serve as indicators of reputation and reliability.

• Information on business hours, type of business, etc.

How Scrap.io Simplifies the Process

Scrap.io is a scraping tool dedicated to extracting data from Google Maps. It allows you to gather a large amount of information in just a few clicks.

• User-Friendly Interface: Even if you’re not tech-savvy, Scrap.io offers an easy-to-use interface.

• Mass Extraction: The tool can handle hundreds or even thousands of business profiles in record time.

• Smart Segmentation: You can organize your data according to specific criteria (type of business, location, etc.) for more targeted prospecting.

After exporting data from Scrap.io, you only need to import it into Emelia to launch your campaigns!

Best Practices for Scraping Google Maps To successfully extract data from Google Maps, keep these tips in mind:

• Define a precise geographical area: Focus on the regions where you want to prospect.

• Filter by business type: Only gather information on businesses that match your target profile.

• Respect the terms of use: Ensure that your scraping activities comply with Google’s conditions to avoid blocks or legal issues.

Optimizing Your Prospecting with a Quality Database

Once your database is built, the next step is to use it effectively in your prospecting campaigns. Here are some tips to maximize your success:

Personalize Your Messages

As mentioned earlier, personalization is a key element of a successful prospecting campaign. With your custom database, you can segment your contacts and tailor your messages according to the specific needs and characteristics of each segment.

• Ask AI to write your ultra-personalized message sequences with Emelia's Magic Writer feature.

• Use first names: A personalized message that starts with the recipient’s first name creates a direct connection.

• Refer to specific details: If you’ve identified common points or specific needs, mention them to show that your message isn’t generic.

• Experiment with different formats: A/B testing, personalized subject lines, tone of communication… there are many elements to try to find the winning formula.

Set Up Follow-Up Workflows

Prospecting doesn’t stop with the sending of a first email. To maximize conversions, it’s crucial to set up automated workflows that track the progress of your contacts. Emelia allows you to schedule your sequence so that each email is sent automatically—no need to worry about it, Emelia handles it for you.

• Schedule regular follow-ups for contacts who haven’t responded to your initial message.

• Monitor interactions: Analyze open, click, and response rates to adjust your strategy accordingly.

• Use an integrated CRM: Manage all interactions in one place for a comprehensive view of your prospects’ journey.

To illustrate the effectiveness of building your own database, here are a couple of real-world examples:

Case Study 1: A Rapidly Growing B2B Startup

Consider a startup specializing in SaaS solutions for businesses. Initially, the startup purchased email lists from providers, resulting in very low open and conversion rates—not to mention numerous outdated email addresses. Faced with this situation, the team decided to switch to a DIY solution. By using Emelia to scrape LinkedIn Sales Navigator, they built a highly targeted database that exactly matched the decision-makers in their target companies.

The results were spectacular:

• A 40% increase in email open rates.

• A significant improvement in conversion rates, thanks to personalized and relevant messages.

• Better management of follow-ups through the integration of a CRM and automated workflows.

Case Study 2: A Local Business Going Digital

For local businesses, digital prospecting has become an indispensable growth lever. A restaurant owner wanted to reach a wider audience through targeted prospecting. By using Scrap.io to extract data from Google Maps, the owner was able to gather information on establishments within the desired geographic area.

The strengths of this approach included:

• Ultra-localized data collection, allowing for the targeting of prospects likely interested in local offers.

• The ability to segment the database by business type, optimizing the personalization of marketing messages.

• Regular data updates, ensuring that communication remains relevant and aligned with the real-world situation.

Even though building your own database is a rewarding approach, certain mistakes should be avoided to maximize its benefits:

• Not Verifying Data Quality: It’s crucial to implement verification tools to eliminate incorrect contacts or invalid email addresses. Email validation tools should be integrated into your process to ensure a clean and effective database.

• Neglecting Segmentation: A homogeneous database is often less effective than a segmented one. Take the time to classify your contacts based on precise criteria to better tailor your messages and improve response rates.

Buying B2B email databases from providers might seem tempting to save time, but it comes with numerous drawbacks: outdated data, legal risks, lack of personalization, and low engagement rates. In contrast, building your own database gives you complete control over the quality and relevance of the collected information, thereby maximizing the effectiveness of your prospecting campaigns.

By adopting automation tools like Emelia to scrape LinkedIn Sales Navigator and Scrap.io to leverage Google Maps, you can scale your B2B prospecting easily and at a lower cost. Building your own database isn’t just an alternative to buying—it’s a winning strategy for those who want to run effective, sustainable prospecting campaigns. So, the next time you consider purchasing a list, remember that building your own is often the key to achieving long-term, concrete results.