Replacing a sales intelligence platform can feel like a much bigger project than it actually is.<\/p>\n
Your sales team already has workflows.<\/p>\n
Your CRM already contains account and contact records.<\/p>\n
Your salespeople already know how to prospect.<\/p>\n
And your organization may already be using a platform like ZoomInfo or Apollo.<\/p>\n
So why change?<\/p>\n
For many companies, the answer isn’t that their current platform is completely broken.<\/p>\n
It’s that their sales process has evolved.<\/p>\n
The team needs better market visibility.<\/p>\n
Salespeople need more than contact information.<\/p>\n
Research takes too long.<\/p>\n
The existing database doesn’t uncover enough new opportunities.<\/p>\n
Or leadership is questioning whether the platform is producing enough value for what the company is paying.<\/p>\n
That raises an important question:<\/p>\n
How do you evaluate a sales intelligence alternative without disrupting your sales operation?<\/strong><\/p>\n The answer is to treat the process less like a software replacement and more like a controlled sales experiment.<\/p>\n The biggest mistake companies make is starting with the software.<\/p>\n They ask:<\/p>\n \u201cWhat should we replace ZoomInfo with?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n or:<\/p>\n \u201cWhat’s the best Apollo alternative?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Instead, start with your sales process.<\/p>\n Ask:<\/p>\n What are we actually using our current platform for?<\/strong><\/p>\n For example:<\/p>\n You may discover that your sales team uses only a fraction of the platform’s capabilities.<\/p>\n You may also discover that the most important problems aren’t being solved at all.<\/p>\n That information should drive your evaluation.<\/p>\n There isn’t one reason a company decides to evaluate a new sales intelligence platform.<\/p>\n Common triggers include:<\/p>\n The organization is spending significant money but isn’t seeing enough measurable return.<\/p>\n Salespeople encounter outdated, incomplete or inaccurate information.<\/p>\n The platform doesn’t surface enough of the companies the sales team actually wants to target.<\/p>\n The company purchased the technology, but salespeople aren’t consistently using it.<\/p>\n Reps still spend significant time researching companies outside the platform.<\/p>\n The company has entered a new market, territory or customer segment.<\/p>\n Sales leaders want their teams to use AI for prospecting, research and account intelligence.<\/p>\n The platform doesn’t fit how the organization actually wants its sales team to work.<\/p>\n Any one of these can justify an evaluation.<\/p>\n But none automatically means you should switch.<\/p>\n Before testing an alternative, document what your current system actually does for your team.<\/p>\n Create a simple audit.<\/p>\n This exercise often reveals something important:<\/p>\n The platform isn’t necessarily the problem. The workflow is.<\/strong><\/p>\n Or you may discover that your current platform simply isn’t solving the problems your sales organization has today.<\/p>\n Either finding is valuable.<\/p>\n Once you’ve audited the current platform, identify the gaps.<\/p>\n For example:<\/p>\n Your reps can search known companies, but struggle to discover new ones.<\/p>\n Your team can find contact information but has limited context about the account.<\/p>\n Reps still use multiple websites and tools to understand a company.<\/p>\n The platform produces lists, but doesn’t help determine which accounts deserve attention.<\/p>\n Your team finds missing or outdated information.<\/p>\n Information doesn’t easily translate into the next sales action.<\/p>\n These gaps should become your evaluation criteria.<\/strong><\/p>\n Don’t buy another platform until you know what you want it to improve.<\/p>\n One of the easiest ways to conduct a bad sales intelligence evaluation is to compare database size.<\/p>\n For example:<\/p>\n Platform A has X million contacts.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Platform B has Y million contacts.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n That sounds impressive.<\/p>\n But database size doesn’t tell you how useful the information will be to your sales team.<\/p>\n The more important questions are:<\/p>\n A sales team doesn’t need the biggest database.<\/p>\n It needs the right intelligence for the market it is trying to win.<\/strong><\/p>\n The best way to evaluate an alternative is to use your actual sales process.<\/p>\n Don’t rely exclusively on a vendor demonstration.<\/p>\n Take a representative sample of real accounts.<\/p>\n We recommend starting with 10 accounts.<\/strong><\/p>\n These could be:<\/p>\n Then run the same exercise in both platforms.<\/p>\n For each account, ask both platforms the same questions.<\/p>\n Can the platform find similar companies?<\/p>\n Can it identify relevant decision-makers?<\/p>\n What can your sales team learn about the company?<\/p>\n How accurate and useful is the information?<\/p>\n How long does it take a salesperson to prepare?<\/p>\n What additional accounts can you discover?<\/p>\n Does the information help the salesperson determine what to do next?<\/p>\n This gives you an apples-to-apples comparison.<\/p>\n And it removes much of the noise from vendor marketing.<\/p>\n A platform can have dozens of impressive features and still fail to improve your sales process.<\/p>\n That’s why you should measure outcomes.<\/p>\n For example:<\/p>\n How many relevant accounts did each platform uncover?<\/p>\n How many useful contacts were identified?<\/p>\n How much of the information was accurate?<\/p>\n How long did it take a salesperson to prepare an account?<\/p>\n Could salespeople find what they needed without extensive training?<\/p>\n Did the team actually use the platform?<\/p>\n Did the information result in more meaningful prospecting activity?<\/p>\n Did the test generate qualified conversations or opportunities?<\/p>\n The goal isn’t to find the platform with the longest feature list.<\/p>\n It’s to find the platform that improves the sales process.<\/p>\n Replacing sales intelligence software does not mean replacing your CRM.<\/p>\n Your CRM should remain the system of record for your customer and sales data.<\/p>\n The sales intelligence platform should provide intelligence around that system.<\/p>\n Think of the architecture like this:<\/p>\n CRM<\/strong><\/p>\n Your known customers, prospects and sales activity.<\/p>\n \u2193<\/p>\n Sales Intelligence<\/strong><\/p>\n Additional accounts, contacts and information.<\/p>\n \u2193<\/p>\n AI \/ Market Intelligence<\/strong><\/p>\n Discovery, research, prioritization and insights.<\/p>\n \u2193<\/p>\n Sales Workflow<\/strong><\/p>\n Outreach, meetings and pipeline.<\/p>\n This separation can make a platform transition much easier.<\/p>\n You’re not rebuilding your entire sales infrastructure.<\/p>\n You’re evaluating the intelligence layer around it.<\/p>\n If your current platform is deeply embedded in your organization, there may be no reason to immediately shut it down.<\/p>\n Instead, run a controlled pilot.<\/p>\n Choose a small group of salespeople.<\/p>\n Run the same accounts through both platforms.<\/p>\n Track the metrics that matter.<\/p>\n Ask the salespeople which workflow they prefer.<\/p>\n If the alternative demonstrates meaningful value, expand the test.<\/p>\n Move workflows gradually.<\/p>\n This reduces operational risk.<\/p>\n It also gives leadership actual evidence before making a larger technology decision.<\/p>\n That’s important information too.<\/p>\n You shouldn’t switch simply because another platform has AI.<\/p>\n If your current system:<\/p>\n then changing platforms may not make sense.<\/p>\n The purpose of an evaluation isn’t to prove that your current platform is bad.<\/p>\n It’s to determine whether there is a better fit for your sales organization.<\/p>\n The biggest difference when evaluating newer sales intelligence platforms may not be another database.<\/p>\n It may be the way salespeople interact with information.<\/p>\n Traditional prospecting often starts with filters:<\/p>\n Industry \u2192 Location \u2192 Employee count \u2192 Job title<\/strong><\/p>\n AI can allow the salesperson to start with a business question.<\/p>\n For example:<\/p>\n \u201cFind companies similar to our top customers that aren’t currently in our CRM.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Or:<\/p>\n \u201cFind sports organizations that could be strong sponsorship prospects.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Or:<\/p>\n \u201cResearch this account and tell me what I should know before contacting them.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Or:<\/p>\n \u201cFind companies in this territory that match our customer profile but haven’t been targeted.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The shift is from:<\/p>\n Searching a database<\/strong><\/p>\n to:<\/p>\n Interacting with market intelligence.<\/strong><\/p>\n That is one of the biggest reasons sales teams are beginning to evaluate AI-powered alternatives.<\/p>\n The better question is:<\/p>\n \u201cWho helps our sales team turn information into action?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Your salespeople don’t get paid to build lists.<\/p>\n They get paid to create conversations, opportunities and revenue.<\/p>\n Every hour a salesperson spends:<\/p>\n is an hour they aren’t spending selling.<\/p>\n The technology should help reduce that friction.<\/p>\n Before choosing a replacement, score each platform from 1\u20135.<\/p>\n Don’t let one feature determine the decision.<\/p>\n Look at the overall impact on the sales process.<\/p>\n The answer depends on the complexity of your organization.<\/p>\n But you don’t need months to determine whether a platform deserves a closer look.<\/p>\n A focused pilot can begin with:<\/p>\n 10\u201350 real accounts<\/strong><\/p>\n and a small group of salespeople.<\/p>\n The objective isn’t to prove the entire platform in a few days.<\/p>\n It’s to answer a more basic question:<\/p>\n Does this platform meaningfully improve how our team finds, researches and prioritizes sales opportunities?<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n If the answer is yes, expand the evaluation.<\/p>\n If the answer is no, you’ve learned something without disrupting the organization.<\/p>\n Technology doesn’t create value if salespeople don’t use it.<\/p>\n When evaluating an alternative, ask your reps:<\/p>\n Sales adoption can be more important than another feature on a product page.<\/p>\n The best sales intelligence platform is the one your team actually uses.<\/p>\n Consider a deeper evaluation if several of these statements are true:<\/p>\n You don’t need all ten.<\/p>\n Even a few can justify testing alternatives.<\/p>\n The safest way to evaluate a sales intelligence alternative is simple:<\/p>\n Don’t replace the entire system first.<\/strong><\/p>\n Test the intelligence.<\/p>\n Use your existing accounts.<\/p>\n Run the same searches.<\/p>\n Research the same companies.<\/p>\n Find the same contacts.<\/p>\n Measure the same outcomes.<\/p>\n Then ask:<\/p>\n Which platform helps our sales team see more opportunities with less work?<\/strong><\/p>\n That answer should drive the decision.<\/p>\n FAC Intelligence is designed for teams that want to go beyond traditional prospecting databases.<\/p>\n The platform combines AI-powered search, account discovery, contact intelligence and company information to help sales teams identify and research opportunities.<\/p>\n Rather than asking salespeople to manually work through databases and multiple sources, FAC Intelligence is designed to let teams explore their market using natural-language questions.<\/p>\n For example:<\/p>\n \u201cFind companies similar to our best customers that aren’t currently in our CRM.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Or:<\/p>\n \u201cFind potential prospects in this market and identify the relevant decision-makers.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Or:<\/p>\n \u201cResearch these 10 accounts and show me what my sales team should know.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n The goal isn’t necessarily to replace every system your team uses.<\/p>\n It’s to determine whether a more intelligent prospecting workflow can help your team find more opportunities and spend less time researching.<\/p>\n If you’re currently using ZoomInfo, Apollo or another sales intelligence platform, don’t take our word for it.<\/p>\n Give FAC Intelligence 10 real accounts<\/strong> you’re currently targeting.<\/p>\n We’ll show you what the platform can uncover.<\/p>\n Compare:<\/p>\n Then let your sales team decide.<\/p>\n Your CRM contains what you already know.<\/strong><\/p>\n The question is:<\/p>\n What are you missing?<\/strong><\/p>\n Explore FAC Intelligence<\/a><\/p>\n
\nDon’t Start by Replacing the Platform<\/h1>\n
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\nWhy Companies Start Looking for Alternatives<\/h1>\n
Cost<\/h3>\n
Data quality<\/h3>\n
Limited market coverage<\/h3>\n
Low adoption<\/h3>\n
Too much manual research<\/h3>\n
Changing sales strategy<\/h3>\n
AI expectations<\/h3>\n
Workflow limitations<\/h3>\n
\nFirst: Audit Your Current Platform<\/h1>\n
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\n \nSales Activity<\/th>\n Current Platform<\/th>\n How Often Used<\/th>\n Satisfaction<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n Account discovery<\/td>\n Yes\/No<\/td>\n Daily\/Weekly<\/td>\n High\/Medium\/Low<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Contact discovery<\/td>\n Yes\/No<\/td>\n Daily\/Weekly<\/td>\n High\/Medium\/Low<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Account research<\/td>\n Yes\/No<\/td>\n Daily\/Weekly<\/td>\n High\/Medium\/Low<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Data enrichment<\/td>\n Yes\/No<\/td>\n Daily\/Weekly<\/td>\n High\/Medium\/Low<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Prospect list building<\/td>\n Yes\/No<\/td>\n Daily\/Weekly<\/td>\n High\/Medium\/Low<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Outreach<\/td>\n Yes\/No<\/td>\n Daily\/Weekly<\/td>\n High\/Medium\/Low<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n CRM integration<\/td>\n Yes\/No<\/td>\n Daily\/Weekly<\/td>\n High\/Medium\/Low<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n AI-assisted research<\/td>\n Yes\/No<\/td>\n Daily\/Weekly<\/td>\n High\/Medium\/Low<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\nIdentify the Gap Before Choosing an Alternative<\/h1>\n
Gap #1: Account discovery<\/h3>\n
Gap #2: Market intelligence<\/h3>\n
Gap #3: Research<\/h3>\n
Gap #4: Prioritization<\/h3>\n
Gap #5: Data<\/h3>\n
Gap #6: Workflow<\/h3>\n
\nDon’t Compare Platforms by Database Size<\/h1>\n
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\nRun a Side-by-Side Test<\/h1>\n
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\nThe 10-Account Test<\/h1>\n
Account discovery<\/h3>\n
Contact discovery<\/h3>\n
Account research<\/h3>\n
Data quality<\/h3>\n
Research speed<\/h3>\n
Market expansion<\/h3>\n
Sales action<\/h3>\n
\nMeasure the Work, Not Just the Features<\/h1>\n
1. Accounts discovered<\/h3>\n
2. Relevant contacts<\/h3>\n
3. Data accuracy<\/h3>\n
4. Research time<\/h3>\n
5. Ease of use<\/h3>\n
6. Adoption<\/h3>\n
7. Sales activity<\/h3>\n
8. Pipeline<\/h3>\n
\nKeep Your CRM at the Center<\/h1>\n
\nDon’t Switch Everything at Once<\/h1>\n
Phase 1: Test<\/h3>\n
Phase 2: Compare<\/h3>\n
Phase 3: Measure<\/h3>\n
Phase 4: Validate<\/h3>\n
Phase 5: Expand<\/h3>\n
Phase 6: Transition<\/h3>\n
\nWhat If Your Team Likes Your Current Platform?<\/h1>\n
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\nWhere AI Changes the Evaluation<\/h1>\n
\nThe Question Isn’t \u201cWho Has More Data?\u201d<\/h1>\n
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\nA Simple Sales Intelligence Replacement Scorecard<\/h1>\n
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\n \nCategory<\/th>\n Weight<\/th>\n Current Platform<\/th>\n Alternative<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n Account discovery<\/td>\n High<\/td>\n <\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Contact discovery<\/td>\n High<\/td>\n <\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Data accuracy<\/td>\n High<\/td>\n <\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Account research<\/td>\n High<\/td>\n <\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Market intelligence<\/td>\n High<\/td>\n <\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n AI capabilities<\/td>\n Medium<\/td>\n <\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Ease of use<\/td>\n High<\/td>\n <\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n CRM integration<\/td>\n High<\/td>\n <\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Sales workflow<\/td>\n High<\/td>\n <\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Adoption<\/td>\n High<\/td>\n <\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Cost\/value<\/td>\n High<\/td>\n <\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\nHow Long Should a Sales Intelligence Pilot Take?<\/h1>\n
\nDon’t Forget the Human Factor<\/h1>\n
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\nWhen Is It Time to Replace Your Sales Intelligence Platform?<\/h1>\n
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\nReplacing ZoomInfo or Apollo Doesn’t Have to Mean Starting Over<\/h1>\n
\nFAC Intelligence: Test It Against Your Existing Workflow<\/h1>\n
\nGive Us 10 Accounts. See What You’re Missing.<\/h1>\n
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