Prospecting & Contact Data
How to Verify Prospect and Contact Data
To verify prospect and contact data, check that each company is still operating, each contact still holds the role, each address is deliverable and no record appears twice, then give every record a confidence level. Hold back low-confidence rows until they are confirmed, because a wrong detail on a postcard does more damage than no detail at all.
Practical guide · Published September 20, 2026 · Written by Jeffrey Huis in 't Veld
Why verification matters
Personalization signals that a postcard was meant for the recipient, which is exactly why errors hurt. A misspelled company, an outdated title or a person who left last year turns a strong touch into an obvious mistake. As the guidance on personalizing with the recipient's company puts it, data quality is the main risk of personalization.
Check the company
Confirm the company is still operating and still fits your ICP. Look for a working website, recent activity and a current listing. Companies that have closed, merged or changed what they do are easy to miss in older data sources.
Check the role
Confirm the contact is still in the position. A recent profile, an announcement or the company's current team page are all good evidence. A name found only on an old page or in an old export should be treated as unverified. Titles change often, so check the exact wording you plan to print.
Check the address
Confirm the address is deliverable and is where the contact receives mail. See how to find a business mailing address for sources and formatting.
Remove duplicates
Duplicates come in several forms: the same company under two spellings, a parent and its subsidiary listed separately, or the same person appearing twice with different titles. Duplicates are wasteful and can also make a company feel spammed, so resolve them before print.
Score confidence
A simple three-level score is enough. High confidence means recent evidence from a reliable source. Medium means one source or slightly older evidence. Low means old, conflicting or missing evidence.
| Confidence | What it looks like | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| High | Recent evidence from a reliable source, and the details agree | Include in the mailing |
| Medium | One source, or evidence that is somewhat dated | Include, or recheck first if the account is high value |
| Low | Old, conflicting or missing evidence | Hold back until confirmed, or mail a role instead of a name |
Keep the source and date
For every record, note where the information came from and when you checked it. It makes rechecks faster, helps you decide which sources to trust, and shows which records are getting stale.
Frequently asked questions
That each company is still operating, each contact still holds the role, each address is deliverable and no record is duplicated.
Hold them back until they are confirmed, or mail a role at the company instead of a named person. Printing unverified details risks a visible mistake.
Before every campaign. Roles and companies change quickly, so older data should be rechecked instead of reused as-is.
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