Question 1

Where does the data come from?

Accepted Answer

Public records: new business license and registration filings from city, county, and state open-data portals — including statewide Secretary of State and Comptroller registries — plus a free technographic check of whether a business already accepts cards. We refresh weekly so the list stays current. No credit-bureau data, ever. When a prospect asks how you found them, you can say you saw their new-business filing in the public record, usually the Secretary of State.

Question 2

How fresh are the leads?

Accepted Answer

Every lead is either about to open or opened within the last few months, inside the new-account window. The list is refreshed weekly from the latest public filings, so you are not working a stale list.

Question 3

How much does Merchant Signal cost?

Accepted Answer

Start free with one full ZIP, no card. After that you pay for the ZIPs you work: Local is $49/mo for a few ZIPs, Territory is $129/mo for up to ten, and Exclusive is $99/mo to lock a single ZIP to you alone. Every plan surfaces the best-scored new merchants first, with a phone number on the leads in our verified markets. The pricing page has the full ladder.

Question 4

Does Merchant Signal include phone numbers?

Accepted Answer

In our verified markets, yes — every lead ships with a phone number, and numbers on the Do-Not-Call registry are flagged so you scrub before dialing. In records-only markets you get the fresh public-records lead (business name, address, vertical, SIC code, why-now) and append phone and email with your own Apollo, Clay, or Hunter account. The pricing page lists which markets are verified and which are records-only.

Question 5

How many leads do I get?

Accepted Answer

Start free and one full ZIP is yours. On the ZIP ladder you unlock the best-scored new businesses in the ZIPs you work — up to about 60 a month on Local and up to 200 on Territory, always the highest-scoring first. Go Exclusive to lock a ZIP to just you.

Question 6

Does each lead include an industry code?

Accepted Answer

Wherever the source provides it, every lead is tagged with an SIC industry code (and the underlying NAICS). That lets you filter to exactly the verticals you sell, and it speaks the same industry language insurers and financial partners already use. Some statewide registration feeds list only the business name and address, so those leads may not carry a code.

Question 7

Can I use a market that has no phone numbers?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Our verified markets ship with a phone number on every lead (numbers on the Do-Not-Call registry are flagged so you scrub before dialing). The rest are enrich-yourself: we surface the fresh, scored new-business records from public filings (business name, address, vertical, SIC code, why-now), and you append phone and email with your own Apollo, Clay, or Hunter account. That gives you nationwide reach without paying us for contact data you can source on your own credits. The pricing page lists every current verified and enrich market.

Question 8

What does the free account include?

Accepted Answer

A free account unlocks one full ZIP with everything a paid plan shows for that ZIP: business names, scores, and a plain-English why-now — with a phone number on every lead (DNC status flagged) if your ZIP is in one of our verified phone markets, or the fresh public records to enrich yourself if it is an enrich market. No card required. It is the complete experience on a smaller footprint, so you can judge the data quality before you ever pay.

Question 9

What is in a lead?

Accepted Answer

Business name and city, its vertical and SIC industry code, how new it is, a score band, a plain-English why-now, and, in verified markets, a phone number (with DNC status flagged so you scrub before dialing). In enrich-yourself markets, a contactability flag tells you to append the phone and email. Paid plans add CSV export and unlock more of the ZIPs you work.

Question 10

Which areas are covered?

Accepted Answer

Coverage spans dozens of markets across many states, live now and growing every week, in two tiers. Verified markets ship a phone number on every lead (DNC status flagged). Enrich-yourself markets (public records, you add contact) give you the fresh, scored new-business records to append your own phone and email. The pricing page lists every current market in each tier, so it always reflects exactly what's live. Don't see your market yet? Start with a live one or ask us about your area.

Question 11

What if a lead's phone or address is wrong?

Accepted Answer

We build every lead from public records and refresh weekly, so accuracy is high, but no list is perfect. Spot a wrong number or a bad address? Flag it and we credit it back. You are never charged for a lead we got wrong.

Question 12

Do I get the ZIP code exclusively?

Accepted Answer

Yes, with the Exclusive ZIP plan. For $99/mo per ZIP you lock a ZIP code to just you — while you hold it, no other rep can subscribe to that ZIP or see its leads. Our shared plans — Free, Local, and Territory — let more than one rep work the same area, the same as most lead sources. Want a ZIP to yourself? Choose Exclusive on the pricing page.

Question 13

Is it compliant to use?

Accepted Answer

Every lead is built from public records. You own your outreach and are responsible for following TCPA, CAN-SPAM, and any do-not-call rules that apply to your calls and messages.

Question 14

Can I export the list?

Accepted Answer

Yes. CSV export is included on every paid plan and contains the same leads you can see, up to your plan's monthly cap. API access is on the roadmap for the Agency tier.

	Merchant Signal	A bought business list
How fresh	✓New filings surfaced weekly, inside the new-account window	Often weeks or months old, recycled and resold
Why now	✓A plain-English reason each business is worth a call today	A name and a number, no context
Scored	✓Ranked by recency, vertical fit, and card-present signals	Unscored — you dial blind
Already takes cards?	✓Free technographic check flags who's wide open	Unknown — you find out on the call
Phone + compliance	✓Phone on every lead in verified markets, DNC status flagged	Numbers of unknown quality, no DNC flagging
Chains filtered	✓National chains removed — only winnable, independent businesses	Padded with chains you can't win
Exclusivity	✓Lock a ZIP so no other rep sees its leads	Sold to everyone who buys the list
Sourcing	✓Public records — no credit-bureau data	Varies; often opaque
Price to start	✓Free — one full ZIP, no card	Pay up front, sight unseen

Merchant Signal vs. a bought business list

Try it against your own area — free