SDRs have become the ultimate Swiss Army Knife – little did you know that when you’re an SDR you need to be an expert on using the phone, writing great email copy, navigating enterprise companies, jumping through internal hurdles, managing multiple AEs, (takes breath)…and doing professor-level research.
When thinking about research for outbound prospecting – the angle you’re going to take to start a conversation with a key prospect – it’s best to establish an order of operations to make the process scalable and efficient.
Consider this your checklist for ensuring you’re finding the relevant information on both the account and the person to stand out from the pack.
Internal Account Research
Some of the best research nuggets live where you live Monday-Friday 9-5: your CRM and Sales Engagement Platform.
If your company has been around for a few years, your AEs have likely had past conversations, closed/lost (or stalled) opportunities, and detailed notes with a number of accounts. Mining those for reasons the deal was lost or stalled can inform your outreach.
Similarly, what have previous SDRs heard from these accounts? Were they told to reach out at a later date? Were they pointed to another team? What’s buried deep in your SEP can be hidden treasure.
External Account Research
If X didn’t mark the spot in your CRM and SEP (see what I did there?!), then it’s time to go outside your four walls. Lean on your good friends at Google, ChatGPT, or your AI vendor of choice to help you find a point of view for the account. Some key things to check for each account:
- Website
- Annual Reports and 10-Ks
- Earnings calls
- Funding rounds
- Social accounts (LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, etc)
- Trade publications where the account is mentioned
- Google Alerts
Prospect Research
You’ve developed your POV for the account, now it’s time to hone in on your key prospects. Once you’ve found them and added them to your outreach tool via (cough, cough) ZoomInfo, it’s time to craft your plan of attack to make sure your message resonates. Here’s what to look for:
- Any warm intros (friends, colleagues, execs, your next door neighbor…it doesn’t matter.) A warm intro trumps all else!
- LinkedIn profile bio + work history
- Their other social accounts (Twitter & YouTube can be good…Instagram and TikTok can be too, but can also get weird…)
- Bio on the company website
- Past company – have they worked with you in a prior role?
- Google their name – it’ll help pull podcast guest spots, articles they’re quoted in, TED talks, etc.
Once you’ve incorporated these order of operations into your daily flow, you’ll be able to organize your process and find the things that resonate with your prospects. You’re now a pro at researching. Add it to the list of other things you’ve now perfected as an SDR!
Zach is the Head of Global Sales Development at LiveRamp. In 9 years at LiveRamp, he’s held leadership positions in Sales Development and Customer Success, and has worked as an individual contributor in sales, account management, and customer success. Outside of work, you can find him coaching his eldest son’s Little League team, watching college football, and cheffing it up for his wife and kids (current favorites: Kraft mac & cheese, Dino nuggets, and tortilla chips.)
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