Identify Closed Businesses in Your Area Before Your Competition Does

Table of Contents

How to Find Hidden Leads Your Competition Doesn't See

While your competitors are fighting for the same “hot” leads, an entirely different opportunity is hiding in plain sight.

Did you know that in 2024 alone, over 7,100 retail stores in the US closed their businesses? That’s a 69% jump from the previous year.

Each one of these closed businesses is a valuable contact, a potential client, or a new market waiting to be opened.

This is important data to look into before your competition even realizes what happened to these businesses.

How to Identify Closed Businesses
How to Use Targetron to Identify Closed Businesses

Having some accurate data on closed businesses could be your secret weapon as a business owner or a marketer.

While everyone else is racing to the obvious, you’ll be tapping into an entirely new source of qualified leads, closed businesses that only a few individuals are looking at.

In this guide, you will learn how to use a tool to get all the closed businesses in your local area and get ahead of the competition. You will not be competing harder here, but you’re competing smarter.

Why Closed Businesses Are Your Advantage

If you’re still using the usual cycle of cold calling and chasing prospects who have no interest in what you’re selling, forget about it and focus on something that could put you at an advantage.

The traditional “hot lead” is often a dead end. Focus on closed businesses that present a unique opportunity that your competitors are completely missing.

Here's Why Closed Businesses Are Important:

  1. Acquire Assets at a Discount: When a business closes, you get the first opportunity to buy its assets before anyone else does. This includes valuable inventory, high-quality equipment, or even the business name and trademarks, all of which can be acquired at a significant discount.
  2. Snatch Up Customers: A defunct business leaves behind a proven community or customers who are now actively searching for a new solution. These people have already shown a need for the product or service, making them the most valuable and easiest prospects to convert.
  3. Analyze Market Trends: A business closure is a powerful source of market intelligence. By understanding the reasons for the failure, you can find a specific market need and build a more resilient business that avoids the same mistakes.

B2B Local Leads Directory

Build your list of ideal customers for cold outreach.

The Old Way vs. The Easy Way

Targeting closed businesses is powerful, but how do you actually find them without wasting time? Business owners were used to relying on outdated and manual methods.

  • The Old, Manual Way: This involves endless hours of driving around town looking for “Closed” signs. Some businesses are also searching through outdated Google Maps listings one by one.
  • The Easy, Automated Way: This is the solution that turns your pain into a process. You will discover every single closed business in a specific area in under 60 seconds. This can be done by utilizing an automated tools that instantly provide a verified, comprehensive list of closed businesses.

The 4-Step Shortcut to Finding Closed Businesses (The Secret)

The secret to finding closed businesses fast is simple. Use the B2B lead generation directory database like Targetron and follow the four-step process that puts a comprehensive list of qualified leads right at your fingertips.

Step 1: Log in to Your Targetron Dashboard

The dashboard is your command center that features a clean, intuitive interface that gives you immediate access to a massive database of businesses.

Select Business Directory, followed by Category, Country, and City. Based on a recent study, most companies that were affected by closures are in retail, such as pharmacies and similar businesses.

Targetron Business Directory
Basic Filters Inside Targetron's Business Directory

Step 2: Filter by “Closed”

After selecting the industry in your area, you need to filter your search by using the “More Filters” Option and select either “Temporarily Closed” or “Permanently Closed” businesses.

The Advanced Filters have several options, such as General Business Information. This is where you can find the Business Name and Business Status. Under the Business Status selection, select the “Closed” Business option.

Selecting Business Status
Selecting the Business Status (Temporarily/Permanently Closed)

Step 3: Refine Your Search with Advanced Filters

After selecting the “Closed” Business option, you can also select additional Advanced Filters such as Contact Information (Email/Phone), Website, Preferred Contacts, Rating, Reviews, Financial Data, Geographic Information, and the Data & Attributes.

After refining your search, simply tick Apply, and all the Advanced Filters options will be added to your task.

Refine Advanced Filters
Selecting Additional Advanced Filters
Filters for Ratings, Reviews & Financial Data
Apply All Additional Advanced Filters

Step 4: Download and Analyze the Data

Once you’re satisfied with all the filters, it’s time to download the data by simply clicking the download button. After clicking the download button, a pop-up will appear. Make sure to select the Type of File you want to download, such as CSV, XLSX, JSON, and PARQUET.

You can also add an option to download by batch as well as the estimated Total Price and the number of rows. Just confirm the Checkout, download the data, and analyze the downloaded data or add it directly to your CRM.

Confirming the data before Download
Confirming the Download

What To Do After You Find Closed Businesses

It’s payoff time, finding closed businesses is just the first step. The real benefits and your true advantage come from knowing what to do with the downloaded data.

This is where you can turn a simple list into possible new projects, clients, and market dominance. Sometimes, closed businesses will leave behind tools and equipment that could be a valuable part of the asset acquisition strategy.  

The payoff is tailored for each of your key audiences and target market:

  1. For Real Estate Investors: You can secure a prime location by finding a vacant property and contacting the owner directly before it even hits the market. It gives you a critical head start on acquiring it for a new project or investment.
  2. For Marketers & Business Owners: The biggest prize is the former customer base. By running a targeted ad campaign to these people, you can capture a pre-existing demand and convert them into your newest clients.
  3. For Industry Players: A closed competitor creates a void in the supply chain. You can strategically fill this gap by researching and contacting their former suppliers, distributors, and employees to acquire new clients, channels, or talent.

Aside from the Key Target Markets, the closed business leads list is also valuable to the following audiences:

  1. Recruiters and HR Professionals: A closed business means a sudden influx of experienced talent is on the market.
  2. Job Seekers: Individuals looking for a new job can use the list to identify competitors of the closed business and reach out to them directly.
  3. Venture Capitalists and Investors: This data can provide insights into market health and identify opportunities for new business ventures.
  4. Leaders and Financial Institutions: When a business closes, the surrounding market often becomes hungry for new financing options.

Conclusion

For the past few years, most marketers and business professionals have been chasing the same “hot” leads as everyone else. But as time goes by, opportunities are hiding in plain sight. With thousands of businesses closing each year, a massive untapped market exists.

A closed business provides you with a powerful advantage. You can acquire valuable assets at discounts. You can also capture an entire customer base.

Finding these opportunities used to be a painful, manual process. The old way doesn’t work anymore; it involves endless hours of driving and searching online. An automated tool offers a convenient solution. It delivers a full list in a matter of seconds.

The payoff comes when you turn the data into profit. You can secure a prime location or get new clients. A closed business leads list could be your secret map to business success. Use Targetron’s Closed Businesses database to claim these valuable leads today.

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FAQ

Most frequent questions and answers

1. Go to the Targetron Platform.

2. Select categories and locations.

3. Click search, and export to get the data.

Local business directory is a list of businesses within a particular niche, category, or industry.

B2B data is the information used to help sales and marketing. This includes a database of company details, emails, phones, social links, and other useful information.

  1. Login with your Targetron account. 
  2. Open the Business Directory. 
  3. Select Industry and Location.
  4. Open Advanced Filters and Select Business Status (Temporarily/Permanently Closed)