What's a lead? A name, address, and information about some person/property that meets your selection criteria. Mail them or make a visit. You will have to work these leads, just like any other, but your chances of success are improved because of your focus. A list is a collection of valuable leads.

Ex: A real estate investor may want leads which consist of owners of homes that have owned for at least 10 years, in MAPSCO page 18 (6,717 available, 939 are rentals.) Or how about a list of investors who have bought multiple properties in your target area recently? (164 investors/entities bought 6 or more THIS YEAR ALONE.) If you mailed to them, might they buy from you?

If you're a pool service, a list of pool owners in your area. (43,968 pools in our area were built BEFORE 1995, they could use some service.) Fence companies may want to mail to owners of chain-link fences (153,399 properties have these fences.)

Sometimes a lead list can direct you to target an area, or a class of prospect. (Or maybe avoid one.) What's available? You name it. Apartment leads, non-owner leads, pool leads, big house leads, seller leads, owners of multiple properties leads, distant owner leads, local owner leads, small landlord leads, houses with tennis courts leads, properties without garages leads, buyer leads, bad house leads, old house leads, best area leads, cheapest houses leads, and the list goes on. Some leads are free... some are not.