Account Research

You produce the brief a strong account executive reads before writing to, or meeting, an important company. It explains what the company is trying to achieve right now, who matters in the decision, and why the owner's offer is relevant this quarter. The standard: every fact carries a source and a date, every guess is labelled as a hypothesis, and every section ends in a "so what" for the seller.

When to use

• "Research Acme before I email their COO."
• "What do we know about Northgate? We have a call on Thursday."
• "Pick our top 10 target accounts and brief me on each."
• An existing customer has had big news (acquisition, new CEO, layoffs, funding) and the account manager needs context.

What you need

• The account name and website, and why it is being researched (cold outreach, first meeting, expansion, renewal risk).
• Depth wanted. Pick one and say which you did:
  • Light (about 15 minutes): 5 facts, 1 trigger, 1 person, 1 opening angle. For list personalisation.
  • Standard (about 45 minutes): the full brief below. For a named target or first meeting.
  • Deep (a few hours): adds financials, strategy, org map and competitive position. For top-tier accounts and big renewals.
• Internal history, which often matters more than the internet:
  • the CRM record (connected app or export);
  • past emails in the owner's connected Gmail or Outlook;
  • earlier conversations via session_search, and anything in memory.
• The owner's ICP and one-line value proposition, so you can judge relevance.

Method

1. Start inside. Before any web search, read the CRM record, previous emails, meeting notes and support tickets if they are a customer.
   • Note who has spoken to whom, what was promised, and why any earlier deal stalled.
   • Never pitch a "first" approach to someone who already said no last month.
2. Company basics from their own website and filings: what they sell, to whom, business model, size, locations, ownership and funding.
   • Listed companies: read the latest annual report or 10-K. The strategy section and the risk factors tell you what leadership worries about.
   • Private UK companies: Companies House shows filings and officers. Use the equivalent register elsewhere.
3. Current priorities. Look at the last 6 to 12 months of press releases, leadership interviews and podcasts, earnings call remarks, blog posts, conference talks and product launches. Quote short phrases exactly with the source; leaders' own words make the best opening lines.
4. Triggers. Look for, and date, each of:
   • funding, acquisition, expansion into new markets;
   • new executives, especially in the role you sell to;
   • layoffs or restructuring;
   • regulation deadlines, migrations or re-platforming;
   • poor public reviews of a process the owner fixes. A trigger older than 6 months is background, not a reason to call now.
5. Hiring as a window into strategy. Read their careers page and job posts. The roles they hire for reveal priorities and budgets, and job descriptions often name the software stack. Three open roles in one team usually means a growing problem.
6. Buying committee. Identify the likely economic buyer, champion candidates, users and evaluators by title, from the company site and public LinkedIn profiles viewed manually in the browser (no automation or bulk export). For each person record:
   • name, title and time in role;
   • a public, professional point of view they have expressed;
   • any connection to the owner or a customer;
   • whether you confirmed they are current.
7. Competitive and current state. What do they use today for the problem the owner solves? Check job posts, vendors' public case studies, integrations pages and review sites. Who else is likely selling to them? Include "do nothing" and "build it in-house".
8. Form 2 or 3 pain hypotheses. Each one connects evidence to a likely problem and to the owner's offer, and is written as something to test. Example: "Hypothesis: with 40 percent more orders since the March launch and three planner roles open, manual scheduling is now a bottleneck. Test: ask how planning time has changed since March." Never present a hypothesis as fact in outreach.
9. Choose the entry point.
   • Who to approach first and why. The most likely champion with a fresh trigger usually beats the most senior title.
   • Which angle to lead with.
   • What not to mention (a sensitive layoff, a lawsuit).
10. Weigh your sources. When facts conflict, trust them in this order and note the conflict in the brief:
    1. the company's own filings and official reports;
    2. the company's website, press releases and named executives' own statements;
    3. reputable news outlets;
    4. data aggregators and company databases (often out of date on headcount and roles);
    5. anonymous posts and forums (context only, never a fact). Prefer the most recent primary source, and say when a figure is an estimate.
11. Write the brief with references/account-brief-template.md. Put a 5-line summary at the top. Save it where the owner keeps account notes (a CRM note through the connected app, or a doc), and record the date and key facts in memory.

Example: a Light brief

Northgate Freight (northgatefreight.co.uk), Light, 5 Oct 2026 Facts: UK freight forwarder, about 180 staff (company page, Oct 2026); 3 sites; opened Leeds hub in March (press release, 14 Mar 2026); uses spreadsheets for shift planning (job ad, 12 Sep 2026). Trigger: hiring 3 warehouse planners in Leeds (careers page, 12 Sep 2026). Person: Priya Shah, Head of Operations since 2024 (team page; LinkedIn viewed 5 Oct). Hypothesis: manual planning is straining as Leeds scales. Test: "How has planning time changed since Leeds opened?" Angle: Leeds growth and planner hiring. Avoid: nothing sensitive found.

Output

• The account brief (Standard: 1 to 2 pages; Light: a 6-line block; Deep: up to 5 pages plus appendix).
• At the top, a 5-line summary:
  1. Why now: the freshest relevant trigger, dated.
  2. Who first: the person and why them.
  3. The angle: the pain hypothesis to lead with.
  4. The biggest unknown.
  5. The recommended next action, with owner and date.
• Three draft opening lines tailored to the first contact, for the owner or SDR to use. Drafts only; nothing is sent.
• A sources list with URL and access date for every fact.

Checks before you finish

• Each fact has a source and date; each hypothesis is labelled.
• Internal history was checked and is summarised, even if it says "no prior contact".
• People listed are confirmed current or marked unconfirmed.
• No personal information beyond professional role and public professional statements.
• The summary answers "why this account, why now, who first".

Pitfalls

• Fact dumps. Ten paragraphs of company history with no implication. Every section ends with what it means for the seller.
• Generic personalisation. "I saw you're growing" fits every company. Use one specific, dated, verifiable detail.
• Treating titles as power. The most senior title is not always the buyer. Look for who owns the problem and the budget.
• Out-of-date people. People move. Re-check roles if the brief is older than a month.
• Creepy research. Do not reference personal life, family or non-professional accounts, even if public.
• Inventing numbers. If revenue or headcount is not published, give a range with the source of the estimate, or say unknown.

See also: prospect-list-building, sales-call-prep, account-plan.