Each month, our Ask Don column will answer a commonly asked question from real data buyers and sellers. Email your submission and we might answer it in next month’s newsletter (we’ll give you a pseudonym and remove any potentially identifiable information, of course).

Q: How often do buyers say “no” to an alternative data deal? 
–Legal Larry

A: We believe that, as a practical matter, buyers who regularly engage alternative data vendors reject a small but meaningful percentage of vendors for compliance reasons and that vendors may underestimate the frequency of such rejections.