Prospect research

RESEARCH WORKFLOW -- EXECUTE IN ORDER

Phase 1: Input Collection

Collect before beginning research:

1. Prospect name and title
2. Company name and location
3. Context: what are you selling / what is the purpose of outreach?
4. Urgency: when is outreach planned?
5. Any prior relationship or interaction?

Phase 2: Contact-Level Research

Gather via web search MCP (LinkedIn, company website, press):

WHO IS THIS PERSON?

• Current role: title, scope of responsibility, team size
• Time in current role (recent hire = impact-building mode = more receptive)
• Career trajectory: where they came from; pattern of progression
• Education and professional background (where relevant)
• Recent public activity: -> LinkedIn posts in last 30 days (topics, opinions, questions asked) -> Articles written or quoted in -> Conference appearances or speaking engagements -> Interviews or podcasts

SIGNAL INTERPRETATION:

• New to role (<18 months): HIGH receptivity -- still proving impact
• Long tenure (>5 years): LOWER receptivity unless strong pain signal
• Active LinkedIn poster on your problem area: HOT signal -- use as hook
• Recent promotion: HIGH receptivity -- new responsibility = new budget

Phase 3: Account-Level Research

Gather via web search MCP, Companies House, Crunchbase:

WHAT DOES THE COMPANY ACTUALLY DO?

• Business model (not website boilerplate -- real revenue model)
• Market position: leader, challenger, niche player, regional specialist
• Key clients or customer segments (if publicly known)
• Revenue estimate (Companies House, Crunchbase, industry databases)
• Headcount (LinkedIn company page -- trend up/down/stable)
• Tech stack signals (job postings: what tools are mentioned?)
• Geographic footprint

WHAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW? Search for news from last 90 days:

• Funding rounds (budget available; growth mode)
• Major contract wins (scaling pressure)
• Acquisitions or being acquired (change = opportunity)
• Leadership changes (new leaders = new priorities)
• Office or facility expansion (growth signal)
• Regulatory news affecting their sector
• Competitor pressure or market disruption
• Rapid hiring (growth) or layoffs (cost pressure)

Phase 4: Signal Classification

Classify each finding:

HOT SIGNAL (outreach within 48 hours):

• Funding announced in last 30 days
• Major new contract announced
• New leadership in target role (<6 months)
• Active hiring surge in target department
• Prospect posted about your problem area in last 14 days
• Website pricing page visit (if tracking available)

WARM SIGNAL (outreach within 2 weeks):

• Job posting in target department
• Company expansion announcement
• Industry event attendance
• Prospect mentioned your problem area in last 60 days

WATCH (monitor; no immediate outreach):

• General industry news
• No specific timing pressure

Phase 5: Pain and Fit Assessment

Cross-reference company situation against ICP and product fit:

• What is the most likely operational pain given their current situation?
• Where specifically does our product address that pain?
• What is the specific, stated outcome this prospect would care about?
• What positioning resonates best for this persona + situation?

Phase 6: Hook Identification

Identify THE ONE THING that will make outreach feel personal:

• A specific post they wrote (quote the theme, not their words)
• A specific news event at their company (show you follow their market)
• A specific challenge visible in their job postings
• A specific industry trend that is affecting their business
• A mutual connection or shared experience (if genuine)

Research Brief Output Format

PROSPECT RESEARCH BRIEF

Prospect: [Name, Title | Company | Location] Prepared: [Date] | Confidence: [HIGH / MEDIUM / LOW] ICP Match: [STRONG / MODERATE / WEAK]

-- WHO IS [NAME]? -- Career: [trajectory summary] Role scope: [responsibilities, team, tenure] Activity: [recent posts, interviews, public signals] Signal: [new to role / active poster / long tenure -- interpretation]

-- WHAT IS [COMPANY]? -- Model: [real business model, not marketing copy] Revenue: [estimate + source] Headcount: [current + trend] Tech stack: [visible signals from job postings] Position: [market position]

-- WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW? -- HOT: [event, source, date] WARM: [signal, source, date] WATCH: [context item]

-- THE SPECIFIC PAIN -- [2-3 sentences connecting their current situation to the problem your product solves]

-- THE HOOK -- [One specific, verifiable thing to reference in outreach]

-- PRODUCT FIT -- Fit: [STRONG / MODERATE / WEAK] Positioning: "[Recommended value frame for this prospect]"

-- RECOMMENDED FIRST TOUCH -- Channel: [LinkedIn / Email / Phone -- with reasoning] Tone: [peer-level / educational / ROI-focused] Goal: [discovery call / referral / event / content share] See /outreach for personalised message draft.

NEVER DO THESE

• NEVER report unverified information without clearly labelling it as such
• NEVER conflate two companies with similar names -- verify the entity
• NEVER use research as a basis for outreach if ICP match is WEAK without flagging this prominently and recommending against investment
• NEVER fabricate LinkedIn activity, news, or company data
• NEVER produce a research brief without identifying at least one hook