Let me tell you about two different approaches to pre-call research.
Rep A spends 5 minutes. Checks LinkedIn. Sees the prospect's title and tenure. Glances at the company website. Notes that they sell software. Feels ready.
Rep B spends 15 minutes. Reads the prospect's recent LinkedIn posts. Finds a press release about their Q2 expansion. Sees they just hired three salespeople. Notes that their CEO was just interviewed about scaling challenges.
Rep A starts the call with generic questions about their business.
Rep B starts with: "I saw you're expanding the sales team pretty significantly right now. When companies do that, they usually run into some interesting onboarding challenges. How's that going for you?"
Which rep do you think gets a better conversation?
The Research Problem
Most salespeople research, but they research poorly.
They look for facts without considering utility. They accumulate information that doesn't change how they sell. They check boxes without generating insights.
The result is calls that feel generic despite the "preparation."
Good research isn't about knowing things. It's about finding things you can use.
What Actually Matters
Trigger Events
Something changed. That's what matters.
Recent triggers to look for:
- Leadership changes. New executives bring new priorities and often have mandates to make changes. A new VP of Sales might be your best prospect because they're evaluating everything.
- Funding or financial events. Fresh capital often means expansion plans and new initiatives. Financial pressure might mean cost-cutting priorities.
- Headcount changes. Rapid hiring signals growth and often reveals where they're investing. Layoffs signal restructuring and changing priorities.
- Product or market moves. New product launches, market expansion, or pivots suggest where leadership attention is focused.
- Competitive dynamics. Did a competitor just do something notable? Did they lose or win a major customer? Competitive pressure creates urgency.
The LinkedIn Sales Navigator helps surface these alerts, as do tools like Crunchbase for funding news.
Strategic Priorities
What is the company publicly saying they care about?
Sources:
- Earnings calls and investor presentations (for public companies)
- CEO interviews and podcasts
- Company blog and press releases
- Job postings (they reveal where investment is happening)
- Recent keynotes or conference presentations
If the CEO has given three interviews about "digital transformation," that's what they're focused on. If their job postings emphasise "scalability," that's a strategic priority.
Knowing their stated priorities lets you position your solution in their language.
Pain Signals
Sometimes you can spot pain from the outside.
Signals of pain:
- Glassdoor reviews mentioning specific problems
- Job postings that suggest turnover in key roles
- Customer reviews of their product mentioning issues
- LinkedIn posts from employees that hint at challenges
- Industry news about their struggles
These are sensitive topics. You wouldn't lead with "I read some pretty rough Glassdoor reviews." But knowing about internal challenges helps you ask better questions and empathise genuinely.
The Person, Not Just the Company
Research your specific contact:
- Career trajectory. Where did they come from? What pattern is their career following? A person who was just promoted is in a different mental space than someone who's been in the role for five years.
- Content they've created. Blog posts, LinkedIn articles, conference talks. What do they care enough about to publish? Those are their interests and areas of expertise.
- Their network. Who have they worked with? Who do they interact with online? Is there anyone you know in common?
- Their potential pain. Based on their role and the company situation, what problems are they likely facing? What pressures are they under?
The goal is to understand them as a person, not just as a title.
How to Use Research in Conversation
Opening hooks
Use research to demonstrate relevance in your opener:
"I noticed Company X just opened three new locations. When companies expand that quickly, compliance usually becomes a headache. Is that something you're dealing with?"
This is better than: "I saw you're growing. Are you interested in our compliance solution?"
The first shows insight. The second is generic. Strong openers use research to demonstrate relevance immediately.
Hypothesis-driven discovery
Research lets you walk in with hypotheses rather than blank-slate questions.
Instead of: "What are your challenges right now?"
Try: "Companies your size usually struggle with X, Y, or Z. Which of those resonates, or is there something else I should know about?"
You're demonstrating understanding while still being open to learning. This approach mirrors the layered questioning that makes discovery conversations effective.
Credibility building
Strategic references to research build credibility:
"Your CEO mentioned in that Forbes interview that talent retention is a priority. We've done some interesting work on that front with similar companies."
You're showing you did your homework and connecting it to something they care about.
But don't overdo it. One or two well-placed references is sophisticated. Constant references to your research is showing off.
The Minimum Viable Research Checklist
For a 10-minute research session:
- LinkedIn: What's their role, tenure, and career path? Any recent posts?
- Company news: Any triggers in the last 90 days? (Google "[Company name] news")
- Funding and growth: What stage are they? Recent changes? (Crunchbase, LinkedIn company page)
- Job postings: Where are they hiring? What does that suggest about priorities?
- Hypothesis: Based on all this, what problems might they have that you can solve?
That's it. Fifteen minutes max. Anything more is either a strategic account that deserves deep research or procrastination disguised as preparation.
Research as Preparation, Not Performance
The best research is invisible in the conversation.
You don't say: "I researched your company extensively and found that..."
You just ask better questions. Make more relevant points. Seem to understand their world. The research informs everything without being mentioned.
The prospect doesn't need to know how much you prepared. They just need to feel that you understand their situation.
That's what separates research that matters from research for research's sake.