Building Lists In-House vs VerifiedByTed
Your team knows your ICP best. But is building and verifying lead lists the best use of their time?
Feature-by-Feature
| Feature | Building Lists In-House | VerifiedByTed |
|---|---|---|
| Data sourcing | Your team uses ZoomInfo, LinkedIn, etc. | Ted researches across multiple sources automatically |
| Verification | Manual spot-checks or separate verification tools | SMTP-verified within 7 days, every lead |
| Time investment | 15-25 hours/month for 200-500 leads | 0 hours -- leads delivered ready to use |
| Tool costs | ZoomInfo + verification tool + LinkedIn Sales Nav | All included in lead price |
| Quality consistency | Depends on who is building the list that week | Same systematic verification every delivery |
| ICP scoring | Manual or basic CRM scoring | AI-scored 1-100 against your specific criteria |
| Deliverability guarantee | No guarantee (self-managed risk) | 97%+ guaranteed with replacement |
| Scalability | Linear with headcount | Scales with subscription tier |
Where Building Lists In-House Wins
Institutional knowledge
Your team knows your market better than anyone. They can spot nuances in company fit that external services might miss, especially for very niche or unusual ICPs.
Real-time adjustments
When your ICP shifts mid-campaign, your team can adjust immediately without waiting for a new delivery. In-house gives you maximum control over timing and targeting.
No external dependency
You are not dependent on a vendor for a critical input to your sales process. If data quality is core to your competitive advantage, owning the process has strategic value.
Learning effects
Building lists teaches your team about your market. The patterns they notice while researching leads can inform product, marketing, and strategy decisions.
Where VerifiedByTed Wins
Time back for your team
15-25 hours per month of list building is 15-25 hours your team is not spending on selling, strategy, or customer conversations. VerifiedByTed gives that time back.
Lower total cost
When you add up tool subscriptions ($1,500-$3,000/month for ZoomInfo + verification tools + LinkedIn), plus labor cost, in-house list building costs $4,000-$8,000/month for 500 leads. VerifiedByTed delivers 500 verified leads for $2,199/month.
Better verification
Most in-house teams do not perform SMTP-level verification on every lead. They spot-check or rely on tool-level verification that misses stale contacts.
Consistent output
In-house quality varies by who is building the list, how busy they are, and whether they cut corners under deadline pressure. VerifiedByTed delivers the same quality regardless of timing.
Cost Comparison
Building Lists In-House
VerifiedByTed
Choose Building Lists In-House If...
- Data quality is a core competitive advantage you want to own internally
- Your ICP is extremely niche and requires deep domain expertise to identify
- You have dedicated resources with capacity for list building
- You want maximum control over every aspect of your data process
Choose VerifiedByTed If...
- Your team's time is better spent on selling than list building
- You want to reduce tool subscription costs
- You need guaranteed deliverability without managing verification tools
- You want consistent quality without depending on individual team members
- You want to scale lead volume without scaling headcount