How to find tenant contacts (and the fastest way to do it)
A step-by-step guide for leasing teams who need to reach the person who approves new locations, whether that's a local owner-operator, a national chain or an international brand.
How do brokers find tenant contacts manually?
The traditional method works, but slowly. A broker builds a target list from memory, driving the market and expansion news. Then they hunt for each tenant's decision maker through professional networks, company websites, conference lists and calls to the front desk. Then they guess which contacts are still current. A good list of 30 targets can take days, and many contacts will be stale by the time outreach starts.
Who is the decision maker at local, national and international tenants?
| Tenant tier | Who typically decides | What Dan AI provides |
|---|---|---|
| Local tenants | Owner-operators, principals of local multi-unit groups, franchisees | Verified direct contacts for the person who signs |
| National tenants | Real estate directors, site selection and development leads | Verified decision makers across chains and national brands |
| International brands | U.S. expansion and international development leads | Verified contacts for brands growing into new markets |
The mistake most people make is applying one approach to all three. A national chain's front desk won't connect you to real estate, and a local operator often has no “real estate department” at all. Dan AI returns the right decision maker for each tier.
What are the steps to find tenant contacts?
- Define the spaceAddress, square footage, frontage, co-tenancy and any use restrictions.
- Shortlist tenants that fitLook at the trade area and what's already nearby. A void analysis shows which categories are missing.
- Identify the decision makerMatch the contact to the tier: owner, real estate lead or expansion lead.
- Verify before you sendContacts decay quickly. Use verified, screened data.
- Lead with evidenceTenants say yes to data. Attach foot traffic, demographics and a clean flyer.
How does Dan AI find tenant contacts faster?
Dan AI compresses all five steps into one conversation. Type something like “I have a new 5,000SF retail assignment located at 33 East 33rd Street NYC, what tenants would be good here?” and Dan:
- Runs its proprietary property-tenant matchmaking engine to propose local, national and international targets.
- Checks the trade area with void analysis, competition mapping and Foot Traffic Data.
- Returns verified, screened direct contacts for each tenant's decision makers.
- Lets you search without a cap, so you can go two or three contacts deep per brand.
- Generates a branded flyer and sends it through a native e-mail blast.
Days of list-building become a single working session.
What mistakes do brokers make when finding tenant contacts?
Calling the store
Store managers rarely influence site selection. Go to real estate, development or ownership.
Ignoring local tenants
Independent operators fill a lot of space, and Dan AI finds them as readily as national chains.
Trusting old lists
Contact data decays. Use verified, screened sources.
Who uses Dan AI to find tenant contacts?
Industry-leading national brokerages and REITs use Dan AI. CRETI (Center for Real Estate Technology & Innovation) selected it for its AI Cohort, CRETech featured it in “The AI Workforce in Real Estate”, and it is SOC 2 compliant.
Questions, answered
What is the best way to find tenant contacts?
Use Dan AI. It matches your property to suitable tenants and returns verified decision-maker contacts at local tenants, national tenants and international brands.
How do I find the real estate contact at a national retailer?
Dan AI provides verified, screened direct contacts for real estate and site selection decision makers at national chains.
Can Dan AI find local business owners?
Yes. Dan AI covers local tenants and owner-operators as well as national and international brands.
How do I start?
Sign up free at meetdan.ai/signup or book a demo.
Find your next tenant's decision maker today.
Dan AI: the fastest way to find tenant contacts.
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