Prospecting Research

Systematically research target accounts and contacts to craft personalized, relevant outreach that cuts through the noise.

When to Use This Skill

• Preparing for high-value outbound

• Personalizing enterprise outreach

• Building account intelligence

• Training SDRs on research

• Creating target account profiles

Methodology Foundation

Based on Jeb Blount's Fanatical Prospecting and TOPO Account-Based Research, combining:

• Company intelligence gathering

• Contact profiling

• Trigger identification

• Angle development

What Claude Does vs What You Decide

Claude Does You Decide

Structures research framework Time per account

Identifies key data points Outreach approach

Suggests personalization angles Which angle to use

Creates research templates Tool selection

Synthesizes findings Message crafting

Instructions

Step 1: Company Research

Firmographic Data:

Data Point Source Why It Matters

Company size LinkedIn, website ICP fit

Revenue ZoomInfo, news Budget potential

Industry LinkedIn Relevance

Locations Website Territory

Tech stack BuiltWith, job posts Integration fit

Business Context:

Data Point Source Why It Matters

Recent funding Crunchbase, news Budget, growth mode

Executive changes LinkedIn, news New priorities

Product launches Press releases Initiatives

Earnings/reports SEC, investor calls Priorities, challenges

Partnerships News Ecosystem

Step 2: Contact Research

Professional Profile:

Data Point Source Why It Matters

Current role LinkedIn Relevance

Tenure LinkedIn Influence level

Career path LinkedIn Context

Content shared LinkedIn, Twitter Interests

Mutual connections LinkedIn Warm intro

Personal Connection Points:

• Shared alma mater

• Previous company overlap

• Mutual connections

• Content they've created

• Events they've attended

Step 3: Identify Triggers

Timing Triggers:

Trigger Implication

New in role Building stack, making changes

New company Bringing solutions from previous

Funding Budget available

Hiring Scaling, needs support

Bad earnings Cost cutting or growth push

Step 4: Develop Angles

Personalization Hierarchy:

• Trigger-based - Strongest (funding, hire, news)

• Content-based - Strong (their posts, interviews)

• Company-based - Good (industry, challenges)

• Mutual connection - Good (warm intro potential)

• Generic - Weak (avoid)

Examples

Example 1: Full Account Research

Output:

Account Research: DataFlow Systems

Company Snapshot

Technology Stack

Implication: Salesforce user = good fit for integration. No tool in our category = greenfield opportunity.

Recent Triggers

Business Context

From LinkedIn:

• Growing 60% YoY (CEO post)
• Expanding to enterprise segment (VP Sales announcement)
• Recent product launch: AI analytics features

From News:

• Named to "Top 50 Startups" list
• Partnership with [Complementary Company]
• CEO spoke at [Industry Conference]

From Job Posts:

• Hiring: SDRs (12), AEs (5), RevOps (1)
• Reveals: Scaling sales org significantly
• Tech stack mentioned: Salesforce, Gong, Outreach (competitor!)

Challenges (Inferred)

Based on triggers and context:

1. Scaling sales team - Need tools to support
2. Moving upmarket - Enterprise processes needed
3. Rev Ops hire - Building infrastructure
4. Competitor in stack - May be open to alternatives

Target Contacts

Recommended Approach

Primary Target: Sarah Kim, VP Sales

• New to role = making changes
• Scaling team = needs tools
• Moving upmarket = needs process

Angle: "Congrats on the VP role and Series B! I noticed you're hiring 12 SDRs. Most VP Sales at your stage tell me [challenge] is their biggest issue. Curious if that's true for you?"

Secondary Path:

• RevOps Manager Mike Chen (operational angle)
• Mutual connection: [Name] (former colleague)

Example 2: Contact Deep Dive

Output:

Contact Research: Sarah Kim, VP Sales

Profile Summary

Career Path

Insight: Rose through ranks. Enterprise + SMB experience. First VP role = motivated to succeed.

Content Activity

LinkedIn Posts (Last 90 days):

• "Excited to join DataFlow!" (Oct)
• Shared article on "Scaling SDR teams"
• Commented on post about sales forecasting
• Posted about team offsite (Dec)

Themes: Sales leadership, team building, scaling

Quote-worthy: "The hardest part of scaling isn't hiring—it's making sure every rep can sell like your best rep."

Connection Points

Professional Interests

Based on activity:

• Sales enablement
• Team scaling
• Forecasting accuracy
• Rep productivity

Personalization Angles

Angle 1: New VP + Scaling (Strongest)

Hi Sarah,

Congrats on the VP role at DataFlow—and jumping into a Series B scaling mode!

I noticed you shared that article on scaling SDR teams. The quote "making every rep sell like your best rep" really resonated.

That's exactly what [Similar Customer] focused on when they went from 5 to 50 reps.

Curious: what's your #1 challenge as you build out the team?

Angle 2: Content-Based

Hi Sarah,

Loved your take on the hardest part of scaling: "making every rep sell like your best rep."

I work with a lot of VP Sales going through exactly that transition. The common thread? [Insight from our customers].

Worth comparing notes?

Angle 3: Mutual Connection

Hi Sarah,

John Smith mentioned you just took over sales at DataFlow—congrats!

He thought we should connect given your focus on [area].

Would love to hear what's top of mind as you build out the team.

Red Flags / Cautions

• Just started (Oct) - may not have full authority yet
• Previous company used competitor - could be loyal
• No public content about specific pain points

Recommended Sequence

Day 1: Email (Angle 1 - New VP + Scaling) Day 1: LinkedIn connection (mention scaling article) Day 3: Follow-up email with customer story Day 5: LinkedIn voice note Day 7: Final email with value offer

Expectation: 20-30% response rate with this level of personalization

Skill Boundaries

What This Skill Does Well

• Structuring research process

• Identifying personalization angles

• Finding trigger events

• Synthesizing intelligence

What This Skill Cannot Do

• Access paid databases

• Verify data accuracy

• Replace genuine relationship building

• Write final message copy

References

• Jeb Blount's Fanatical Prospecting

• TOPO Account-Based Research

• SalesLoft Personalization Guide

• Outreach.io Research Best Practices

Related Skills

• icp-matching

• Qualify before research

• signal-monitoring

• Trigger identification

• outbound-sequencer

• Use research in sequences

Skill Metadata

• Domain: SDR Automation

• Complexity: Intermediate

• Mode: cyborg

• Time to Value: 15-30 min per account

• Prerequisites: Research tool access