| How buyers are found |
Customs records, companies that physically imported your category |
Job title + company filters |
Firmographics + web signals |
Firmographics + tech stack |
Manual research, varies |
| Proof they actually buy |
Yes, shipment count and route |
No |
No |
No |
Rarely |
| Niche & non-English markets |
Strong, built for importers, distributors, wholesalers |
Thin, buyers often inactive on LinkedIn |
Thin, tuned for tech and SaaS |
Thin outside US tech |
Depends entirely on the agency |
| Message personalisation |
Written from their actual import history |
Template with merge fields |
AI from website and news |
You write it yourself |
Human-written, slow |
| Realistic volume |
Thousands per month |
~100-200 invites per week, capped |
150-600 per month on self-serve tiers |
Data only, you supply sending |
Limited by their headcount |
| Account risk |
None, your own domains, email only |
High, breaks LinkedIn's terms, bans rising |
Low |
Low |
Low |
| Who answers replies |
You do, they land in your inbox |
You do |
Bot, or you |
You do |
The agency, with a delay |
| Work required from you |
Answer the interested ones |
Build lists, write copy, babysit limits |
Run and steer the tool yourself |
Everything after the export |
Briefings and check-in calls |
| Honestly, they're better at |
- |
Social proof and warming a name |
Self-serve for US tech sales teams |
Bulk US contact data |
Complex enterprise deals |