How to build a prospect list of UK accountants in an afternoon
A practical walk-through: from a blank search to a saved list and a first campaign, with the checks that stop you wasting your time.
You don't need thousands of names. You need a tight list of practices you can actually help, with a reason to get in touch, and that takes an afternoon.
1. Decide who you can help
Write one sentence before you touch the search: the size of practice, the town, and what you sell them. Practices of two to ten people in South Yorkshire that need better IT is a list. Accountants isn't.
2. Search the book
Open The UK book, then Businesses. Pick the Accountants sector and your postcode areas. Searching is free, so try a few combinations and watch the count.
3. Narrow to people you can reach
Add the filters that matter: a named director, and a checked email if you're writing. If you're calling, filter to a phone number instead. Each filter cuts the list, so stop when the count is one you could realistically work.
4. Open five records
Before you save anything, open five and read them. Look at How we know: how many independent places agree on the director and the email, and when we last checked. If the records feel thin, widen the place, not the filters.
5. Save the list
Select the businesses and press Add to list. Name it for what it is, such as Sheffield accountants, before January. A saved search will find new practices later without you rebuilding it.
6. Find a reason to get in touch
Open Adapt Insights and set your feed to the same sector and place. A practice that has just taken on a director, moved office or started hiring has a reason to talk to you now. Put those at the top.
7. Start small
Press Start a campaign from the list. A campaign is planned at about 20 a day from each mailbox, so a list of a hundred takes a few days. Every first email waits for your OK, so read it as if you were the director.
8. Follow up another way
An email that isn't answered is a reason to try a phone call, not another email. Put the practices that haven't replied into a call list.
That's the whole job: a tight list, a reason, a small start and a second route. Selling to accountants has more.
More from the blog.
A green tick next to an email address sounds like a promise. Here is what it proves, what it doesn't, and why we show four labels instead of one.
A catch-all server says yes to every address, including ones that don't exist. Here is what that means for your list, and how to send to them safely.
Who you are writing to decides which rules apply. A plain-English guide to companies, sole traders and what PECR asks of you.
See it in the book.
Start free and search the UK, with every field labelled.