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:

1. Trigger-based - Strongest (funding, hire, news)
2. Content-based - Strong (their posts, interviews)
3. Company-based - Good (industry, challenges)
4. Mutual connection - Good (warm intro potential)
5. Generic - Weak (avoid)

Examples

Example 1: Full Account Research

Output:

## Account Research: DataFlow Systems

### Company Snapshot

| Attribute | Value | Source |
|-----------|-------|--------|
| Company | DataFlow Systems | |
| Industry | B2B SaaS (Analytics) | LinkedIn |
| Size | 340 employees | LinkedIn |
| Revenue | ~$50M ARR (est.) | ZoomInfo |
| Founded | 2018 | Crunchbase |
| HQ | Austin, TX | Website |
| Funding | $45M Series B (Oct 2024) | Crunchbase |

---

### Technology Stack

| Category | Tool | Source |
|----------|------|--------|
| CRM | Salesforce | BuiltWith, Jobs |
| Marketing | HubSpot | BuiltWith |
| Analytics | Mixpanel | Careers page |
| Data | Snowflake | Job posting |
| [Your Category] | None detected | Research |

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

---

### Recent Triggers

| Date | Trigger | Relevance |
|------|---------|-----------|
| Oct 2024 | Series B ($45M) | Budget for tools |
| Nov 2024 | VP Sales hired | New leader = new tools |
| Dec 2024 | 12 SDR positions posted | Scaling outbound |
| Jan 2025 | G2 reviews mention "[pain]" | Known problem |

---

### 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

| Name | Title | Priority | Angle |
|------|-------|----------|-------|
| Sarah Kim | VP Sales | Primary | New to role (90 days) |
| Mike Chen | RevOps Manager | Secondary | Posted RevOps opening |
| David Park | CEO | Executive | Series B scaling |

---

### 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

| Attribute | Value |
|-----------|-------|
| Name | Sarah Kim |
| Title | VP of Sales |
| Company | DataFlow Systems |
| Location | Austin, TX |
| Tenure | 3 months (started Oct 2024) |
| LinkedIn | linkedin.com/in/sarahkim |

---

### Career Path

| Period | Company | Role | Relevance |
|--------|---------|------|-----------|
| 2024-Present | DataFlow | VP Sales | Target |
| 2021-2024 | ScaleUp Inc | Director Sales | Previous tools? |
| 2018-2021 | BigCorp | Sales Manager | Enterprise exp |
| 2015-2018 | StartupXYZ | AE | SMB background |

**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

| Type | Detail | Approach |
|------|--------|----------|
| Mutual Connection | John Smith (2nd degree) | Ask for intro |
| Content | Scaling article | Reference in outreach |
| Alma Mater | Stanford MBA | Mention if relevant |
| Previous Company | ScaleUp used our competitor | Migration angle |

---

### 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