List Building Case Study: 80,000 Verified IT Contacts in 14 Months

Project Snapshot

Company: ReadyWorks
Industry: Technology
Target Location: United States
Target Prospects: IT and security decision-makers at companies with 20 to 500 employees
Service Provided: Custom List Building
Campaign Goal: Build a verified contact database of IT and security decision-makers
Campaign Duration: 14 months
Data Points Per Record: Direct dial, verified business email, LinkedIn profile
Email Bounce Rate: Under 1%

Data Build Metrics

Build volume that supported the delivered database.

• Records Delivered: 80,000+
• Average Monthly Delivery: 5,700+
• Data Points Per Record: 3

Company Overview

ReadyWorks helps businesses bring information from different IT systems into one place and automate everyday tasks. Their software makes it easier for IT teams to monitor equipment, manage updates and plan technology changes. ReadyWorks needed a contact database that matched the buying committee title by title and stayed accurate long enough to work.

The Challenge

ReadyWorks already had contact lists but struggled to find the right people for its sales team to reach.

The problems they faced:

• No single database covered all the IT and security roles they needed
• Broad job title searches returned contacts outside their target roles
• Many phone numbers were missing, incorrect or led to the main office
• Bounced emails hurt their sender reputation and limited email outreach
• The sales team spent too much time finding and checking contacts
• Contact details became outdated faster than the team could update them

Keeping the list up to date was another challenge. As IT and security professionals changed roles or companies, their contact details became outdated. ReadyWorks needed a database built around its target roles, checked before delivery and updated regularly. 

Before vs After: The Shift in ReadyWorks’ Contact Data

In short, ReadyWorks moved from buying general-purpose data to commissioning a database built against its own buying committee.

Project Objectives

• Define the ideal customer profile by company size, location and job title
• Find IT and security decision-makers across all 50 states
• Include a direct phone number, verified email and LinkedIn profile for every contact
• Keep the email bounce rate below 1%
• Deliver new contacts regularly to keep outreach running steadily

List Build Methodology

ICP Definition

We defined the target companies and contacts using four criteria:

• Company size: 20 to 500 employees
• Location: United States
• Industry: All industries
• Job titles: A specific list agreed with ReadyWorks

We kept the search open across industries to reach people in the target roles at companies that matched the size and location requirements.

Title Mapping

We built the file against twelve named titles in three groups:

• Executive: CIO, CTO, CISO
• Infrastructure and operations: IT Manager, IT Operations Manager, Infrastructure Manager, Network Manager, Systems Manager, Server Manager
• Security and compliance: Security Manager, SOC Manager, Compliance Manager

Companies with 20 to 500 employees, one person may handle several IT responsibilities. We checked for duplicate contacts across titles. Identifying the right roles is also a key part of our IT lead generation services.

Sourcing

We used commercial B2B databases to find companies and LinkedIn Sales Navigator to check contacts against ReadyWorks’ target job titles.

• Found US companies with 20 to 500 employees using B2B databases
• Used LinkedIn Sales Navigator to find people in the target roles and check their current job titles
• Compared each contact’s details across multiple sources before adding phone numbers and emails

These checks helped us spot outdated or conflicting details before moving contacts to the next step.

Enrichment

We added three contact details to each record:

• Direct phone number
• Verified business email
• LinkedIn profile link checked against Sales Navigator

We only delivered records that included all three details.

Verification Criteria

We checked every record before delivery to confirm:

• Current job title and employer matched the target criteria
• The company was based in the US and had 20 to 500 employees.
• Business email passed format, domain and mailbox checks through ZeroBounce
• Direct phone number connected to the named person
• LinkedIn profile was active and matched the contact’s name and company
• No duplicate entries or contacts from the suppression list were included

We corrected or removed any record that failed these checks.

Delivery Method

• Delivered in monthly batches
• CSV in a fixed column schema, ready for CRM import without remapping
• Suppression list refreshed each cycle so ReadyWorks never received a contact it had already worked
• Rejected records logged rather than silently dropped, so the client could see what was filtered and why

This is the standard delivery model across our custom list building services.

Project Results

ReadyWorks received verified contacts each month, giving its sales team a steady list of people to reach.

Data Quality Outcomes

• Total contacts delivered: 80,000+
• Average monthly delivery: roughly 5,700 contacts
• Email bounce rate: under 1%
• Direct phone numbers: included for every delivered contact
• LinkedIn profiles: included for every delivered contact
• Records rejected before delivery: roughly one in five sourced contacts

We removed records that failed our checks so ReadyWorks received contacts that met the agreed requirements.

Project Timeline: How We Built the Database Over 14 Months

We completed the project in three phases, increasing delivery volume as we improved our checks.

• Phase 1 (Months 1 to 4): Setup and first deliveries. We agreed on the target titles and file format, then delivered the first batches. We reviewed how those contacts performed during outreach to identify needed changes. We delivered about 14,000 records.
• Phase 2 (Months 5 to 9): Expanding coverage. We added more companies across all states and used feedback from earlier checks to improve contact selection. We delivered about 29,000 records.
• Phase 3 (Months 10 to 14): Regular delivery and updates. We reached our highest delivery volume and checked earlier contacts for changes in roles or contact details. We delivered about 37,000 records.

During the final phase, monthly deliveries stayed steady and the email bounce rate remained under 1%.

Why the Build Worked

• Clear target roles: We used 12 specific job titles to focus on the people ReadyWorks wanted to reach. Our B2B lead generation services start with the same focus on reaching the right people.
• Complete contact details: Every record included a direct phone number, verified business email and LinkedIn profile.
• Checks before delivery: We corrected or removed inaccurate records before they reached the sales team.
• Regular updates: We checked earlier batches for changes in jobs, companies and contact details.
• Email verification: We checked every address through ZeroBounce to help reduce bounces. The reported bounce rate stayed under 1%.
• Consistent requirements: We followed the same core requirements for 14 months, making each batch easier to use and compare.

Sample List Build Workflow

• Agree on the target company size, location and job titles
• Find companies that match the size and location requirements
• Identify people in the target roles at those companies
• Add direct phone numbers, business emails and LinkedIn profiles
• Check every field and verify each email through ZeroBounce
• Remove contacts already delivered or included on the suppression list
• Deliver the list in the agreed format and record why each rejected contact was excluded

For software companies that also need help with outreach, our SaaS lead generation services cover prospecting, follow-ups and demo booking. 

Key Performance Summary

• Project duration: 14 months
• Total records delivered: 80,000+
• Data points per record: 3
• Named titles covered: 12
• Geography: all fifty states
• Company size band: 20 to 500 employees
• Email bounce rate: under 1%
• Direct dial and LinkedIn coverage: 100%