B2B prospect research
A useful prospect list explains who to approach and why the conversation could matter. We research the companies, people and business context behind your next campaign.
Discuss B2B prospect researchDefine the account before finding the contact.
Start with the commercial problem your offer solves. Company size, industry and geography help narrow the audience. The buying situation explains which of those companies should be a priority.
We turn that thinking into an ideal customer profile and account criteria. A software business entering a new market, for example, may need a different opening from an established company replacing an existing process.
- Account criteria tied to your offer
- Relevant roles and decision-making responsibilities
- Business signals that give the outreach context
- A focused audience for message development
Turn a business signal into a useful question.
A hiring announcement, market expansion or change in a company’s offer can suggest a topic worth researching. It does not establish that the company needs your service. The opening message should test the connection with a relevant question.
Our illustrative target-account example asks how a buyer plans to build pipeline in two new markets. The value comes from connecting a real business change to the problem your offer addresses.
Agree what the research needs to support.
Prospect intelligence can support a focused account campaign or feed a wider LinkedIn and email programme. Before work begins, we agree the market, account criteria, useful context and handoff responsibilities.
Bring examples of customers you want more of, accounts you would exclude and the reasons past opportunities were a good fit. These inputs make the research more specific than a broad list of people with similar titles.
See the work in context.
These engagements show how research, messaging and the sales process work together.
Before we begin.
How is prospect research different from buying a contact list?
A contact list supplies names and contact details. Prospect research connects account selection, relevant roles and business context to your offer. That context helps the team decide who to approach and what to ask.
Does a researched contact guarantee email delivery?
No. Account fit, an association with a company and email deliverability are separate checks. Research findings should not be treated as proof that an inbox will accept a message.
Can we use the research across LinkedIn and email?
Yes. The account context can inform both channels. The wording and next step should suit the channel, with follow-up coordinated across the programme.
Connect the next step.
Explore the capabilities that can support this work.
How an engagement worksLet’s break
the script.
You have something worth selling. Let’s put it in front of people worth talking to.
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