Prospect research is the work you do on one account and one person before you reach out. Done well, it gives you a reason to write that the buyer recognises. Done badly, it is an hour of reading that ends in "I saw you are growing". This guide shows how to research a prospect step by step, where to look, how much is enough, and gives you a template to copy, with one invented prospect filled in. If you still need the companies themselves, start with how to build a prospect list.
01
What prospect research is for
Research has one job: to find a reason this person, at this company, should talk to you now, and to make sure you are not wrong about them. Anything that does not serve that job can wait.
Many companies
List building
Finding the companies that fit. Done once for a market, then kept fresh.
One company, one person
Prospect research
What changed at this account, who it lands on, and what to say first. Done before each first touch.
One key account
Account plan
A longer plan to win or grow a top account, with the whole buying group and next steps.
For your most important accounts, prospect research feeds a fuller account plan. For everyone else, the one-page template below is enough.
02
How much research is enough
Match the time to the size of the deal. These are rough starting points, not measured figures; adjust them once you see what earns replies.
| Account | Time per prospect | What to cover |
|---|---|---|
| Top tier, large deal | 30 to 60 minutes | Everything in the template, plus two or three people in the buying group |
| Middle tier | 10 to 15 minutes | Fit, one recent event, the person's role, the first line |
| Long list, small deal | 2 to 5 minutes | Fit and one reason, often shared across similar accounts |
The common failure is not too little research. It is research with no stopping point, where reading feels like progress and the message never gets written.
03
How to research a prospect, step by step
- Start from why the account is on your list. Write down the fit reason first: industry, size, region, the systems they use. If you cannot, the account should not be on the list.
- Check the company basics. What they sell, to whom, how many people, where. These firmographics confirm the fit and tell you which problems are likely.
- Find what changed recently. A new site, a new leader, a hire in the role you serve, a new product, a deadline. One dated event is worth more than a page of background; signal based selling shows how to build outreach around it.
- Research the person. Their role, how long they have been in it, what they own, and anything they have said in public: posts, interviews, talks. The LinkedIn prospecting guide covers what to look for on a profile.
- Look for a connection. A shared contact, a customer of yours they would know, a past employer in common. A warm introduction beats any cold message.
- Choose one reason and write the first line. Pick the single most specific thing you found. Write the opening sentence now, while the research is fresh.
- Record it where the team can see it. Put the template in the CRM against the account, so the next person does not start again.
04
Where to look
| What you want | Where to look | What to trust |
|---|---|---|
| What the company does and for whom | Their own website, product and customer pages | Their own words, not a database summary |
| Size and locations | Locations page, company profile, public registers | Recent, dated figures |
| Recent events | Company news, press releases, careers page, filings | The date on the original source |
| What they are hiring for | The company's own careers page, then job boards | The duties in the post, not just the title |
| The person | Their profile, posts, interviews, talks | What they wrote or said themselves |
| Their priorities | Annual reports, leadership interviews, job posts | Repeated themes, not one line |
Go to the original source wherever you can. A date copied by an aggregator is often the date it was copied, not the date it happened.
05
The prospect research template
Prospect research template
PROSPECT RESEARCH Company: Website: Researched by: Date: 1. Why this account fits What they sell, and to whom: Size and locations: Fit reason (industry, size, region, systems): 2. What changed recently Event: Date, and the source it came from: 3. The person Name and role: Time in role: What they own: Something they said or wrote in public: 4. Connection Shared contacts, customers they would know, past employers: 5. Reason to reach out now The one specific thing: Why it matters to them: 6. First line 7. Next step Channel: Date:
06
An example, filled in
An invented example. A company selling scheduling software to clinic groups researches one prospect at a made-up physiotherapy group.
| Field | What they wrote |
|---|---|
| Why this account fits | Physiotherapy group, 9 clinics in one region, about 120 staff. Fits on sector, multi-site and size. |
| What changed recently | Opened clinics 8 and 9 in the last two months; both on their locations page, with opening dates in their own news posts. |
| The person | Head of operations, 14 months in role, owns scheduling and front desk. Posted about long waits for first appointments. |
| Connection | None found. |
| Reason to reach out now | Two new clinics plus a public post about waits: booking across sites is likely getting harder. |
| First line | "Saw clinics 8 and 9 opened this autumn, and your post about first-appointment waits." |
| Next step | Email Tuesday; LinkedIn connection note Thursday. |
07
Pre-call research
Before a booked call, add three things to the same page, so the call starts where the email left off:
What they replied to. The line or question that got the answer is your best clue to what they care about.
Everyone on the invite. Role, time in role, and what each person is likely to ask. A second attendee often means a wider buying group.
Three questions you need answered. Pick them from a list of discovery call questions and write them down before the call.
08
Common prospect research mistakes
Researching instead of writing. Set a time limit per tier and stop when it runs out.
Leading with flattery. "Loved your recent post" is not a reason to talk. Use what you found to say something useful.
Trusting the database over the source. Titles, sizes and dates in databases go stale. Check the company's own pages.
Researching only the company. The person decides whether to reply. Know their role and what they own.
Keeping it in your head. Research that is not recorded is done again by the next person.
09
The prospect research checklist
Before you send the first message
- The fit reason is written down.
- You found one recent, dated event, from its original source.
- You know the person's role and what they own.
- You checked for a shared connection.
- There is one specific reason to reach out now.
- The first line is written.
- The template is saved against the account.
10
Where to go next
New to the research side? Start with what sales prospecting is.