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Data hygiene
Why your lead list decays — and what to do about it
DR
That list you built last year isn't the list you have today. People change jobs, switch numbers, and abandon inboxes. Left alone, a contact list quietly rots — and takes your deliverability with it.
Data decays around 2% a month
Industry estimates put B2B contact decay between roughly 22% and 30% per year — and some segments far higher. Every month, a slice of your list becomes undeliverable without you doing anything wrong.
Where the rot comes from
- Job changes abandon work emails and direct lines.
- Phone numbers get reassigned or disconnected.
- Free inboxes go dormant and start bouncing.
- Duplicate records pile up across imports and tools.
Stay ahead of it
Treat list hygiene as routine, not a one-time cleanup. Re-verify before every major send, validate new contacts at capture, and re-check anything older than a quarter. A flat-priced tool makes this affordable to do regularly instead of dreading the cost.
See how clean your list really isFree preview of your first 100 contacts — no credit card.
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