Ultimate Lead Research Assistant

Systematic lead research and qualification toolkit for identifying ideal customers, building prospect profiles, and creating personalized outreach strategies.

When to Use

Conduct lead research when:

• Building an outbound sales pipeline
• Qualifying inbound leads before sales engagement
• Preparing for high-value prospect meetings
• Entering a new market and need to identify targets

Skip research when:

• High-volume, low-touch sales (use automation)
• Inbound leads with clear buying signals (route to sales directly)
• Existing customers with known profiles

Quick Start

Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)

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## ICP Definition

### Company Characteristics
| Attribute | Ideal | Acceptable | Disqualifying |
|-----------|-------|-----------|---------------|
| Revenue | $10M-$100M | $5M-$500M | < $1M |
| Employees | 50-500 | 20-2000 | < 10 |
| Industry | SaaS, Fintech | Tech, E-commerce | Government |
| Stage | Series A-C | Seed-Growth | Pre-revenue |
| Geography | US, EU | Global | Sanctioned |

### Buyer Persona
| Attribute | Details |
|-----------|---------|
| Title | VP Engineering, CTO |
| Reports to | CEO, COO |
| Pain points | Scaling infrastructure, hiring speed |
| Goals | Ship faster, reduce costs |
| Objections | Budget, integration effort |

Prospect Research Template

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## Prospect: {Name} at {Company}

### Company Intel
- Industry: {industry}
- Size: {employees}, ${revenue}
- Funding: {recent_round}
- Growth signals: {hiring, new office, product launch}
- Tech stack: {known technologies}

### Contact Intel
- Role: {title}
- Tenure: {years at company}
- Background: {previous roles}
- Content: {posts, talks, articles they've published}
- Connections: {mutual connections or shared groups}

### Qualification (BANT)
| Criteria | Status | Notes |
|----------|--------|-------|
| Budget | {Yes/Unknown/No} | {evidence} |
| Authority | {Yes/Unknown/No} | {evidence} |
| Need | {Yes/Unknown/No} | {evidence} |
| Timing | {Yes/Unknown/No} | {evidence} |

### Personalization Hooks
1. {Reference to their recent LinkedIn post about X}
2. {Connection to their company's recent announcement}
3. {Shared interest or mutual connection}

Core Concepts

Research Sources

Source	Data Available	Best For
LinkedIn	Role, tenure, content, connections	Contact intel
Crunchbase	Funding, revenue, team size	Company intel
G2/Capterra	Tech stack, competitor usage	Product fit
Job postings	Growth areas, tech stack, challenges	Timing signals
Press releases	Strategic direction, partnerships	Conversation hooks
SEC filings	Revenue, strategy (public companies)	Enterprise prospects

Lead Scoring

Signal	Points	Category
Matches ICP company profile	+30	Fit
Decision-maker title	+20	Authority
Recent funding round	+15	Budget/Timing
Hiring in relevant area	+10	Need
Visited pricing page	+25	Intent
Downloaded content	+10	Interest
Competitor customer	+20	Need

Configuration

Parameter	Description
icp_criteria	Ideal customer profile definition
scoring_model	Lead scoring weights
research_depth	Light (5 min), Standard (15 min), Deep (30 min)
data_sources	Which research sources to check
output_format	CRM fields, markdown, or structured JSON

Best Practices

1. Define ICP before researching — know who you're looking for before you start looking
2. Score leads objectively — use a points system, not gut feel
3. Find personalization hooks — generic outreach gets ignored; specific references get responses
4. Check for buying signals — job postings, funding, product launches indicate timing
5. Research the person, not just the company — decision-makers respond to personal relevance
6. Update research regularly — prospect situations change; stale data leads to irrelevant outreach

Common Issues

Research takes too long per lead: Create a time-boxed research checklist (5/15/30 min tiers). Focus on high-scoring leads. Automate data collection where possible.

Can't find decision-makers: Map the organizational chart from LinkedIn. Look for hiring managers in relevant roles. Use content engagement to identify active buyers.

Outreach based on research still gets low response: Personalization may be surface-level. Go deeper — reference specific content they've created. Test different angles (pain vs aspiration vs curiosity).