For B2B revenue teams, the pressure to grow never really stops. Budgets shrink, buying committees grow, and your ideal customer profile shifts every quarter. But through it all, one thing doesn’t change: you need more and better contacts to keep your pipeline moving.
So where should those contacts come from?
The 2025 GTM team data survey, commissioned by YourICP, shows that most teams aren’t relying on a single source. Instead, they’re mixing inbound leads, co-marketing partnerships, purchased lists, and event leads to hit their numbers.
That mix creates both opportunity and risk.
Teams are using every channel, but not always getting clean results.
When asked which contact acquisition methods are most important, GTM leaders gave surprisingly balanced responses:
57% of teams say organic inbound marketing is the most important, 47% say partnerships and co-marketing, 47% purchase their data from vendors, and 34% said events and trade shows.
This split highlights a common reality: most teams are trying everything. But when no single method dominates, quality control becomes harder. Only 37% of respondents said inbound was their most important source of new contacts, suggesting that many are supplementing their databases in more reactive ways.
And that’s where things often go sideways.
Why many contact sources fall short
Inbound leads tend to be more relevant, but they’re slower to scale. Purchased lists can provide volume quickly, but the data is often outdated, incomplete, or misaligned. Event leads may seem promising, yet they often lack the detail needed for follow-up.
When you rely on multiple sources without strong data practices, things slip through the cracks. Duplicates pile up. Job titles are missing. Contacts go stale before they ever reach a rep.
You don’t just lose money—you lose time, trust, and momentum.
The case for cleaner acquisition
Our survey findings point to a growing need. Teams don’t just need more contacts; they need better ones. That means:
- Knowing where your data is coming from
- Verifying it before it hits your CRM
- Matching it to your ideal customer profile
- Having the flexibility to scale without committing to rigid contracts
Some teams build this in-house. Others curate across vendors. Some turn to third party data providers and purchase contacts.
It’s not about picking one channel. It’s about making sure every source meets a higher standard for accuracy and fit. Otherwise, it can create noise and garbage in your CRM and in your outreach.
Rethinking your data mix
The survey also shows that smaller companies rely more heavily on partnerships and events to reach new audiences. But those channels often require long lead times and offer little insight into data quality.
If you’re focused on pipeline growth, ask yourself:
- Which sources consistently deliver clean, usable data?
- Are you paying for volume or for value?
- How easily can you adjust your approach as your ICP changes?
If the answers aren’t clear, now is a good time to audit your contact acquisition strategy. Better data doesn't always mean more data. It means more of the right data, delivered when you need it.
This challenge is exactly what led us to create YourICP. We focus on data quality over volume, selecting the right vendors based on your ideal customer profile and validating every contact before it enters your CRM.
For detailed survey results and benchmarks, download the full report.