Account Research Brief

Reps lose deals in the first five minutes by sounding generic. This skill assembles a tight, decision-useful brief that lets a rep open with relevance, ask sharper questions, and tailor the pitch to the account's actual situation. Preparation is the cheapest competitive advantage in sales.

1. The target company and, if known, the person or people being met.
2. What the seller offers, so research maps to relevance.
3. Any known context (referral source, inbound trigger, prior touches). Use web research where available to fill company facts; never invent them.

1. Company snapshot

Size, industry, business model, locations, and how they make money. Note recent signals: funding, hiring, leadership changes, expansion, new products, or public statements of strategy. Recent change is where budget and urgency live.

2. Likely pains mapped to the offer

Translate the company's situation into the specific problems the seller solves. This is the heart of the brief. Do not list the seller's features; list the buyer's probable pains and the questions that would confirm them.

3. The person

For each attendee, note role, likely priorities, and what "winning" looks like in their seat. A COO and a CMO buy the same product for different reasons.

4. Relevance hooks and opener

Draft one or two specific opening lines that prove homework was done, plus three sharp discovery questions tailored to this account.

5. Risks and unknowns

What you could not verify, and what to confirm live.

ALWAYS use:

# Account Brief: [Company]
## Snapshot (what they do, how they make money, size)
## Recent signals (triggers worth mentioning)
## Likely pains mapped to our offer
## The people (role, priorities, definition of a win)
## Relevance hooks (opener + 3 tailored questions)
## Risks and unknowns to confirm

• A wall of company facts with no relevance mapping.
• Generic discovery questions that ignore the account.
• Presenting unverified claims as fact. Mark anything unconfirmed.

For a manufacturer that just announced a new plant, the brief flags the expansion as a hiring and systems-scaling trigger, maps it to the seller's onboarding-automation offer, and drafts the opener around the plant announcement.