Prospecting software data: UK privacy basics

What to take away

Prospecting software can draw on public company records, professional research, directories and enrichment data, but each source brings different data-quality and privacy considerations.

Companies House: the free backbone

Companies House holds registered names, numbers, addresses, filing history and officer appointments. It is a public register, so you can pull the whole list under an open licence rather than scraping it. The Companies House page on GOV.UK lists the bulk data products.

Treat the register as a starting filter rather than a contact list. Registered office addresses are often an accountant, a virtual office or a formation agent, so a mailshot there rarely reaches a decision maker. Use it to size and segment a market instead.

Officer records help you find directors and their other appointments. Cross-matching is where the register earns its keep: a director with three live companies is warmer than a dormant shell with one filing. Officer names are personal data, so handle them on that basis.

SIC codes are self-reported and often stale, so pair the code filter with recent filing activity. The register is a strong free layer before you pay for anything, and our notes on free prospecting tools explain where it stops being enough.

Directories, trade bodies and chamber lists

Trade association directories, chamber of commerce lists and sector yearbooks work because membership implies a live business. Coverage is patchy and most are refreshed annually, so expect stale entries.

Telephone prospecting falls under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations. Screen numbers against the TPS and CTPS before you call and keep the screening record with a date. The ICO's direct marketing and privacy guidance sets out the screening and consent records expected for calls and email.

LinkedIn data and what you may store

LinkedIn is a research tool first. Reading that someone is a finance director at a Manchester manufacturer carries no obligation. Copying it into a spreadsheet creates a personal data record, and the usual rules attach.

Scraping at scale breaches LinkedIn's terms and is a weak foundation for a pipeline you intend to keep. Manual research on a shortlist of named accounts is defensible. Automated harvesting of tens of thousands of profiles is not.

Even manual research needs a lawful basis. Legitimate interests usually fits business-to-business prospecting, but you must record the assessment and honour deletion requests. Keep the stored fields to the minimum needed for the approach.

Buying enrichment: audit trails over match rates

Paid enrichment services append work emails, direct dials, revenue bands and technology flags. Match rate is the headline number; the audit trail matters more.

You need a lawful basis for processing, and Article 14 adds a duty to inform people when their data came from elsewhere. The UK GDPR text is worth reading before signing a contract.

Put responsibilities in writing: who is controller for the appended records, who handles erasure requests, and how suppression lists sync back. A vendor that cannot answer that in a processing agreement is a liability, not a shortcut.

Map the fields you buy onto your CRM so the source and collection date travel with each record. Our comparison of prospecting software CRM integration covers how that mapping breaks.

Comparing the main UK sources

The table sets out what each source gives you and where the compliance work sits.

In practice most UK teams run Companies House as the spine, add one directory for sector coverage, and buy enrichment only for the accounts that survive qualification.

Common questions

Which Companies House fields can I use for marketing?

Company names, numbers, SIC codes, filing dates and registered addresses are public. Officer names are personal data, so keep that processing minimal.

Are UK phone directories safe to call from?

The data itself is not the problem; the call is. Screen every number against the TPS and CTPS, keep records of when you screened, and stop calling anyone who objects.

Do I need consent to store LinkedIn profile data?

Not always. Consent is one lawful basis among several, and legitimate interests often fits B2B research involving professional roles. Record the balancing assessment and delete on request.

How often should prospecting data be re-screened?

Re-screen phone numbers before each calling wave, and re-check email suppression lists at least monthly. Company records move faster than people records, so refresh firmographics every quarter.