B2B data is information about businesses and the people who work in them: company details such as industry, headcount and revenue, and contact details such as job titles, business email addresses and direct-dial phone numbers. B2B stands for business-to-business, so B2B data describes the companies you sell to and the buying committee inside each one.
Here's what that looks like in practice. A cybersecurity vendor selling to US hospitals filters for hospitals with 500 or more employees, and pulls the direct dial for each CISO that's viewed their website in the last 30 days. That's firmographic, contact, and signal data in one list. Without it, reps call down a list in no clear prioritized order.
Getting B2B data is easy. Keeping it accurate is hard. For example, people change jobs constantly, and providers like ZoomInfo detects 15 to 20 million job changes every month.
This guide covers the five types of B2B data, where it comes from and how to judge its quality. Then it gets practical: how to buy it, what it costs, the GDPR, PECR and CCPA rules that apply, and how six providers compare, ZoomInfo included.
The five types of B2B data, and what each one does
Each type answers a different question about an account. The table at the end of this section sums them up.
Contact data
Contact data is information about the individual people inside your target companies. The core fields are:
Full name and current job title, which tell you whether someone decides, influences or uses
A verified business email address in the person's own name
A direct-dial or mobile number that reaches the person without going through the switchboard
The reporting line, so you can see who sits above and below them
According to Forrester's State of Business Buying 2026, the typical buying decision now includes 13 internal stakeholders and nine external influencers. Without hierarchy data, you're guessing at the buying committee.
Firmographic data
Firmographics are the company-level attributes that decide whether an account match your ideal customer profile (ICP):
Industry, usually as NAICS or SIC codes plus the provider's own vertical tags
Employee headcount
Annual revenue, often modeled from filings and headcount
Headquarters and subsidiary locations
Ownership: public, private, PE-backed, nonprofit or government
Firmographics are the base of your ICP. They're also where providers often disagree. The same company can show three different headcounts on LinkedIn and in two databases, depending on whether contractors, subsidiaries and overseas offices count. Ask every provider how it counts headcount. The roundup of the best B2B data vendors and providers compares eight platforms on accuracy, coverage, integrations, compliance and pricing.
Technographic data
Technographics show what technology a company runs: its CRM, marketing automation, ERP, cloud infrastructure and analytics stack. Providers assemble it from job postings that name required tools, code tags on company websites, vendors' published customer lists and direct verification. Three uses come up most:
Competitive displacement. Find companies running a competitor's product.
Complementary selling. Find companies whose stack is a natural fit for yours.
Disqualification. Rule out accounts built on technology you don't support.
Companies don't announce every tool they adopt or retire, so what shows up publicly can lag real usage by months. Treat technographics as a strong signal and confirm them in discovery.
Intent data
Intent data captures research behavior suggesting a company is looking at a topic related to what you sell. The signals come from content consumption across B2B publisher networks, search activity aggregated to the company, and visits to your own website, including the pricing page.
Use intent to rank accounts. A surge in research on cloud security shows interest in the category. It doesn't say they have budget, a project or any idea who you are, so discovery still decides whether it's a real opportunity. ZoomInfo tracks 4,500+ intent topics and 85M+ weekly signals, but here are some more intent data platforms to consider.
Signal data
Signal data is events that happen when an account might be moving in-market to buy soon, often due to shifts in their business. They range from opening new franchise locations, to when a company receives funding. Here's what to look for:
Funding rounds, which often pay for new tools and hires
Executive changes, since a new CRO tends to review the sales stack early
Hiring surges in one function
Mergers and acquisitions, which create integration and consolidation work
New offices, franchise locations, or new markets
Signals give outreach a reason to land now. "We help companies like yours" becomes "You raised a Series C last week and you're hiring SDRs, so here's how we help new reps ramp."
B2B data types summary
Data type | What it tells you | How you use it |
|---|---|---|
Contact data | Who to call and email | Direct outreach to decision-makers |
Firmographic data | Which companies fit | Account qualification and prioritization |
Technographic data | What technology they run | Competitive targeting and positioning |
Intent data | What they're researching | Prioritizing accounts researching your category |
Signal data | When something changed | Timing your outreach |
Where B2B data comes from
B2B data comes from two places: what you collect yourself, and what you license from a provider, either from a standard database or as a custom build. Most teams need both.
First-party data
First-party data is what you collect through your own operations:
CRM records of customers and prospects
Marketing automation engagement and form fills
Website analytics
Sales calls, support tickets and product usage
You control first-party data and know where it came from. Its limit is reach. It only covers people who already know you, so teams that want to sell beyond their funnel add a B2B contact database.
Third-party data from providers
Third-party providers collect and verify business information in bulk. Their sources include public records and company registries, company websites (careers pages, press releases, leadership bios), business directories and professional networks. Some add contributor networks and human research teams on top. When a provider calls its own data first-party, it means it collected the data itself rather than buying it from another source.
ZoomInfo crawls 10M+ web pages a day, combines that with a contributor network and 300+ human researchers, and processes 1.5B+ data points daily. ZoomInfo says every data point on its platform is traceable to its origin: a web crawl, a contributor signal or research team validation. Ask any provider for the same, record by record. For the wider vendor market, see these ten third-party data providers.
Custom data
Custom data is a dataset built to your spec instead of pulled from a standard database. Think every dental group in Texas with three or more locations, or every UK manufacturer that exports to Germany. Providers build it by combining their core database with targeted research.
It costs more per record and takes longer to arrive. For a niche or thinly covered market, it's often the only option. Before you order, ask how the records will be researched, when they'll arrive and how they'll be kept current after delivery. ZoomInfo's enterprise data services handle large-scale, complex and custom data requests.
How GTM teams use B2B data
Sales, marketing and RevOps teams draw on the same records for different jobs.
Sales prospecting and outbound
Sellers use B2B data every day for outbound sales: mapping a territory, researching an account before a call, building a list of verified contacts and reaching more than one person in the same buying committee. Direct dials matter most here. Outreach improved its connect rates 7x within three weeks of adding ZoomInfo direct dials, after a first year of email-only prospecting.
"Since implementing ZoomInfo, we have immediately increased access to our ICP by 10%. This has given us over $4.9M in pipeline alone in the past two quarters."
Marketing and demand generation
For marketing, B2B data becomes a B2B marketing database: the set of accounts and contacts every campaign draws from. Database marketing is the practice of segmenting that set by firmographics, technographics and intent, instead of buying a fresh list each time. It powers lead generation, ABM target lists, lead scoring and shorter forms that fill in the rest of the record automatically.
"ZoomInfo is our one source of truth for account data, and even more so for contact data. There's no other provider in the market that provides you with that level of detail."
RevOps and data operations
RevOps teams own the health of the data. They dedupe records, update stale fields, route leads by territory and keep enrichment running so forecasts and scoring models work from current information. Data enrichment tools can keep those fields filled and current automatically.
"With ZoomInfo, we've been able to increase the odds of reaching our target customers, augment the information that trade shows provide, and gain a more complete view of those prospects."
How to evaluate B2B data quality
Data quality has four parts, and a provider that scores well on one can fall short on another. Test all four before you sign anything.
Accuracy
Accuracy is whether a record matches reality today. A verified email is accurate, and so is a direct dial that reaches the right person. A job title two roles out of date isn't, however recently the record was "refreshed."
Ask what share of a provider's records were verified in the last 90 days. Then ask whether it can show a verification date for each record, or only one date for the whole database. Emails should be verified at the mail server as well as checked for format. Phone numbers should be tested for connection.
Coverage
Coverage is whether the database holds your accounts and the people in them. A database of 500 million contacts is only useful if those contacts sit in your industries, regions and company sizes.
In your sample match (see "Test before you sign" below), look for at least three verified contacts per account. Test each region separately. A provider that's deep in North America can be thin in Germany or the Nordics, and the only way to know is to check your own list.
Freshness
Freshness is how recently a record was checked. B2B data goes stale as people move, and every job change can leave a CRM record pointing at someone who's gone. The guide to B2B data decay gives decay rates for emails, job titles and phone numbers.
Ask for the re-verification schedule, and what happens to a record that fails a check. It should be flagged or removed, not left in place with an old date on it.
Compliance
Compliance is whether you can legally use the data where you sell. The rules differ between the EU, the UK and the US, and each one is covered below. At the evaluation stage, ask for the provider's certifications as documents, its data processing agreement and a description of how it sources records that your legal team can review.
How to buy B2B data
There are four ways to buy B2B data, and each suits a different need.
Buying route | What you get | Best for | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
One-off list | A file of records filtered to your criteria, usually licensed for a fixed term | A single campaign or event | Decay starts the day it arrives, and the license may limit reuse |
Subscription platform | Search, export and CRM enrichment on a live database, priced per seat or in credits | Sales and marketing teams prospecting every day | Credit caps and per-seat costs as the team grows |
API or data-as-a-service | Bulk data or enrichment delivered into your CRM, warehouse or AI tools | RevOps and data teams | Integration work and pricing by record volume |
Custom dataset | Records researched to your spec | Niche or thinly covered markets | Lead time and cost per record |
Questions to ask before you buy
Where does each record come from, and when was it last verified?
How do you define and count headcount, revenue and industry?
What match rate do you get on a sample of our own accounts?
How many contacts do you hold in each region we sell into?
What's your lawful basis for processing EU and UK contacts, and do you tell people you hold their data?
Do you screen phone numbers against do-not-call registers such as the UK's TPS and CTPS?
Who is the data controller once records are in our CRM, and will you sign a data processing agreement?
How do opt-outs and deletion requests reach our copy of the data?
What happens to the data we've exported if we cancel?
Test before you sign
Run a proof of concept on your own data, not the provider's demo. Pull 500 to 1,000 accounts from your CRM, ask each provider to match and enrich them, and compare fill rates for direct dials, emails and job titles. Then call a sample. A number that connects to the right person is the accuracy test that counts.
The guide on how to purchase B2B sales data covers other providers and more questions to put to each one.
How much does B2B data cost?
At one end, free plans give you a few credits a month. At the other, enterprise providers sell custom annual contracts, and most don't publish their prices. What you pay depends on the pricing model, the number of seats and records, and which data types you need beyond basic contacts.
Pricing model | How it works | Where you'll see it |
|---|---|---|
Per record | You pay for each contact or company in a list or dataset | List brokers and custom datasets |
Per seat | A monthly or annual fee for each user | Apollo, Kaspr, or Lusha are examples |
Credits | Each plan includes credits, and each export or contact reveal uses some | Apollo, Lusha, Cognism, ZoomInfo and D&B Hoovers |
Platform contract | A custom annual price based on seats, records and modules | ZoomInfo, Cognism and D&B Hoovers |
Is B2B data legal? GDPR, PECR and CCPA rules
Yes. Buying and using B2B data is legal in the EU, the UK and the US, with conditions.
Which rules apply depends mainly on where your contacts are. GDPR and UK GDPR also cover any company established in the EU or UK, wherever its contacts are. This section is general information, not legal advice, so check your own use with your legal team.
What to ask a provider about compliance
Questions 5 to 8 in the buying list above cover lawful basis, notification, do-not-call screening, controller roles and opt-outs. Add two more:
Which security and privacy certifications it holds, as documents your team can file
Whether it's registered as a data broker in California, and how it handles deletion requests from DROP
ZoomInfo is GDPR and CCPA compliant and holds ISO 27001, ISO 27701, and SOC 2 Type II certifications. There's also our Trust Center, which is packed full of useful resources around our security and compliance procedures.
B2B data in the UK and Europe
Teams selling into the UK and the rest of Europe need two things from a provider: coverage of their markets, and data they can use under GDPR, UK GDPR and PECR.
Coverage outside North America varies between providers, so ask for regional figures and test them. ZoomInfo's data lists 66M+ contacts, 20.5M+ companies and 18.5M+ mobile numbers in Europe. Cognism, which focuses on Europe, is compared with ZoomInfo below.
For company-level data in the UK, start with Companies House. It's free to search, and it gives you a company's registered address, date of incorporation, officers and filing history. It doesn't give you email addresses, phone numbers or buying signals. For the people at those companies, use a provider with UK coverage, and screen every number against the TPS and CTPS before you call.
Inside the EU, GDPR applies as described above. Each country also sets its own rules for marketing email and calls, so check the rules in each market before a campaign goes out.
Comparing B2B data and intelligence platforms
Here's a summary of six B2B data and intelligence providers. Each is judged on who it suits, how it prices, coverage in its own published figures and what it adds beyond contact records.
Provider | Best for | Pricing | Coverage (provider's own figures) | Beyond contact data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Teams that an AI GTM platform for sales, marketing and RevOps | Free to start with consumption credits | 500M+ contacts, 100M+ companies | Intent, signal, and technographic data and a stringent verification process for accuracy | |
Teams selling mainly into Europe that only need data | Quote-based; Standard and Pro plans include 5 seats | 90% of Director-level and above contacts in Europe and the US | Phone-verified mobile numbers, do-not-call screening, Bombora-powered intent data, plus job-change signals | |
Company-level data and account lists | D&B Hoovers quote-based; Essentials is $49 a month or $529 | 650M+ organizations in D&B's database; over 500 million contacts in D&B Hoovers | D-U-N-S Numbers, buying signals, MCP connection | |
Small teams that want data and outreach in one tool | Free plan; paid plans $49 to $119 per seat a month, billed annually | 240M+ contacts, 30M+ companies | Sequences and dialing tasks triggered by signals | |
Small teams and individual reps | Free plan with 40 credits a month; paid plans from $37.45 a month, billed yearly | 515M+ contacts, 29M+ companies | 26 buying signals including intent and job changes, MCP server for AI tools |
Putting B2B data to work: a RevOps implementation checklist
Choosing a provider is one decision. Getting value from the data is a separate project, and most of the work happens after the contract is signed.
Score your current CRM on accuracy, coverage and freshness before the new data arrives, so you can measure the change.
Write your ICP down in firmographic terms, and use it to decide which records to enrich first.
Agree on matching and dedupe rules before the first load, or the new data will create duplicates.
Decide what triggers enrichment: a new form fill, a new account in a territory, a job change on an existing contact.
Sync opt-outs and do-not-call flags into every tool that sends email or places calls.
Run a 30-day intent pilot on one account segment, and compare its meeting rate with the rest of the territory.
Re-enrich on a schedule, quarterly at minimum, and flag or remove records that fail re-verification.
Frequently asked questions about B2B data
What does B2B data mean?
B2B data means information about businesses and the people who work in them. B2B stands for business-to-business. It covers company details such as industry, headcount and revenue, and contact details such as job titles, business emails and direct dials. Sales, marketing and RevOps teams use it to choose target accounts, reach the right people and time their outreach.
What is an example of B2B data?
Take a record for a mid-size US hospital. It holds the hospital's headcount and revenue (firmographic data) and the security software it runs (technographic data). It shows recent research on cloud security (intent data) and a new CISO hired last month (signal data). And it gives that CISO's verified email and direct dial (contact data).
What are the main types of B2B data?
The five main types are contact data, firmographic data, technographic data, intent data and chronographic data. Contact data tells you who to reach, firmographics tell you which companies fit, and technographics show what they run. Intent data shows what they're researching, and chronographic data flags events such as funding rounds and leadership changes that open a buying window.
How much does B2B data cost?
B2B data costs anything from nothing on a free plan to a custom annual contract.
Who are the top B2B data providers?
Widely used B2B data providers include ZoomInfo, Cognism, Dun & Bradstreet, Apollo, Lusha. They differ most on regional coverage, on what they add beyond contact records, such as intent and job-change signals, and on pricing, from free self-serve plans to custom annual contracts. The comparison table in this guide sets them side by side.
Which B2B data provider is the best?
The best B2B data provider is the one with the highest match rate on your own target accounts, in the regions you sell into, under the privacy rules that apply to you. ZoomInfo suits teams that want an all in one AI GTM platform across sales, marketing and RevOps.
Does GDPR apply to B2B data?
Yes, wherever the data identifies a person. GDPR and UK GDPR don't cover data about limited companies themselves, but a named contact's work email, phone number or job title is personal data. Most B2B prospecting relies on legitimate interests as its lawful basis, and you must tell people where you got their data and stop if they object.
Are B2B cold emails legal?
Yes, in the UK and the US, with conditions. In the UK, PECR lets you email named people at limited companies and LLPs without prior consent, as long as you identify yourself and offer an opt-out. UK GDPR still applies, because a named person's work email is personal data: you need a lawful basis, usually legitimate interests, and you must tell people where you got their details and stop if they object. Sole traders and some partnerships need consent or the soft opt-in.
In the US, the CAN-SPAM Act applies to business-to-business email and requires an accurate header and subject line, a clear disclosure that the message is an ad, a valid postal address and an opt-out you honor within 10 business days. EU countries set their own rules, so check each market.
Where can I find a B2B database in the UK?
For company information, the UK's Companies House register is free to search and lists each company's registered address, officers and filing history. For contacts at those companies, use a B2B data provider with UK coverage, and screen every number against the TPS and CTPS before you call. ZoomInfo has 66M+ contacts and 20.5M+ companies in Europe.
How quickly does B2B data go out of date?
Fast enough that a list bought once starts aging the day it arrives. People change jobs, companies merge and phone numbers change: ZoomInfo detects 15 to 20 million job changes every month. Re-enrich your CRM at least quarterly, and choose a provider that can show when each record was last verified.
