All levels
Your Focus: Account Research
Find the reason to reach out now, with a source for every point.
Account research with AI means a brief that gives you a reason to reach out now, not a summary of the company. To move up one level, change the question you ask: from "who are they" to "what changed in the last 90 days," then save one prompt that asks it the same way for every top priority account. This page shows what each answer looks like, how to tell which one is yours and a 30 day plan to move up one step.
In 30 seconds
- The question: "How do you research an account before you reach out?" Four answers, scored 0 to 3.
- Your results tip: "Use one research prompt for every top priority account that asks for recent triggers, likely priorities, the right people and a source for each point. Compare three briefs side by side to tune it."
- What moves you up is asking about the moment, not the company, and asking it the same way every time.
- The plan: one step up in 30 days, about 30 minutes a week, then retake the assessment.
The four levels of account research
Each answer word for word, what it looks like in a real week and what keeps people there.
Scroll sideways to see the whole table.
| Score | Your answer | What a week looks like | What usually keeps you here |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 of 3 | "I skim their website and LinkedIn, or skip research when I'm busy." | Research by hand when there's time. On a full day, the email goes out with nothing specific in it | Research by hand is slow, so it's the first thing cut |
| 1 of 3 | "I ask AI something general, like “tell me about this company.”" | A tidy summary: what they sell, where they are. Nothing says why to write this month | The question is about the company, not the moment. Without web search, the answer comes from memory: dated and unsourced |
| 2 of 3 | "I use AI with web search to pull recent news and priorities, then pick an angle." | Current news with links, and you pick an angle. Each account gets a slightly different prompt | A new prompt each time means a different brief each time. People and sources are hit or miss |
| 3 of 3 | "I run a repeatable research prompt that returns a sourced brief: triggers, priorities, people and a reason to reach out now." | One saved prompt on every top priority account, with the same sections and a source on each point | Nothing yet. The risk is a prompt that quietly slipped: stale triggers, padded sections |
What changes between levels is the question, not the tool. From 0 to 1, AI does the reading. From 1 to 2, the question moves from "who are they" to "what changed lately," and live sources replace the model's memory. From 2 to 3, one saved prompt replaces a fresh question per account, so every brief covers triggers, priorities, people and a reason to reach out now, with a source on each point.
Where you probably are
- Check your results screen. Every area shows a bar with your score, such as "1 of 3." That number is your level here.
- Use the tie rule. When scores tie, Account research comes sixth of ten, after Fact checking, Data safety, Workspace setup, Prompt structure and Outreach writing. So it lands in your three when your answer here was at or below most of your others. With a 3 here, it can't make your three at all. If it's on your list, there's a real step to take.
- Match your profile. Each plan page describes this area at its level.
Scroll sideways to see the whole table.
| Your profile | Likely answer here | What your plan page says about it |
|---|---|---|
| Curious Starter (0 to 9) | 0 | Its first fact check asks for 5 recent facts about a public company, each with a source link |
| Occasional Experimenter (10 to 17) | 1 | Week 4: run your saved prompt on three new accounts and score each output for accuracy and specificity |
| Capable Practitioner (18 to 24) | 2 | "Web search, then pick an angle," with "a repeatable prompt that returns a sourced brief" as your next point |
| AI Power Seller (25 to 30) | 3 | One of its new measures: "How long does a verified account brief take now versus before?" |
If Account research is one of your three, trust the bar over the profile.
Your move up one level
Aim for one step, not the top.
From 0 to 1: let AI do the reading
Target answer: "I ask AI something general, like “tell me about this company.”" Before your next first email, ask your company approved tool about the account. Give it the website domain, not just the name: similar names are a common source of wrong research. Two minutes beats skipping research. Have web search? Go straight to the trigger prompt under "Your first 15 minutes."
From 1 to 2: ask what changed, with sources
Target answer: "I use AI with web search to pull recent news and priorities, then pick an angle." Turn web search on (check your tool's current documentation) and ask only about the last 90 days, with a date and a link per event. A general summary comes from training, which stops at a cutoff date and cites nothing; How AI Assistants Actually Work explains why. Pick one event as your angle.
From 2 to 3: one prompt, tuned on three accounts
Target answer: "I run a repeatable research prompt that returns a sourced brief: triggers, priorities, people and a reason to reach out now." Write one prompt for every top priority account: recent triggers, likely priorities, the right people by role, a source for each point. Run it on three accounts, compare the briefs and fix the prompt, not the briefs. Save the winner as a prompt template.
Already at 3: batch it and share it
Your advanced tip: "Batch your research: run your research prompt on next week's accounts in one sitting and keep the briefs where your team can reuse them." Your results screen won't show it, since five areas win ties over this one. Date every brief: triggers age fast.
Example: Kai, prospecting rep at Ramplight (fictional rep and company from the course labs)
Kai answered 1 here: "tell me about this company" gave tidy summaries and nothing to write about. For Harlow Medical Supply (also fictional), Kai turned web search on and asked only about the last 90 days, naming Ramplight's problem: slow ramp for new reps. The useful answer was on Harlow's careers page: open sales roles for new territories. That became the why now, after Kai opened the link. Your trigger will differ.
Your 30 day plan
Your results screen gives this area one tip. This page turns it into a month, so you end with a prompt you trust. Week 1 starts with your results tip: one brief, one account.
A brief, not a pile of trivia
Scroll sideways to see the whole table.
| The brief must answer | A brief answers it with | Trivia looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Why this account? | customer fit in one line | The full company history |
| Why now? | One event from the last 90 days, with a date and a source | An old award, or "recent" news with no date |
| Why this person? | Their role's likely priorities, tied to that event | Every executive's name and career history |
| Why us? | The link between the event and a problem you solve | Your product pitch |
The four questions come from the course's Session 5 brief. Miss one and the brief isn't done, however long it is.
Scroll sideways to see the whole table.
| Week | Focus | What to do | Done when | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | One account, four answers | Pick one top priority account, one that gets fully custom outreach. Build a one page brief that answers the four questions. Start with the trigger prompt below | One brief, four answers, every source opened | About 30 minutes |
| 2 | One prompt, three accounts | Write one research prompt: triggers, priorities, people by role, a source per point. Run it on three top priority accounts and compare the briefs | Three briefs from one prompt, scored against the four questions | About 30 minutes |
| 3 | Fix the prompt, not the brief | Turn each gap from week 2 into a line in the prompt. Save it. Use it on every top priority account you contact | One saved prompt, used on every top priority account | A few minutes per account, plus checking |
| 4 | Time it and retake | Time one brief, sources included, against your old way. Save the best version and retake the assessment | Before and after times, and a prompt you trust | About 30 minutes |
Prompts for account research
Run these in your company approved AI tool, with web search on, next to your seller context file so AI can answer "why us."
Prompt
From 1 to 2: swap "tell me about" for "what changed"
I sell {what you sell} to {buyer title} at {type of company}. The account is {company} ({website}).
First, confirm you have the right company: match the industry and headquarters to that website. If you can't, stop and tell me.
Then use web search to list only what changed in the last 90 days: leadership moves, hiring, launches, expansion, funding or public comments from executives. For each item, give the date, a source link and one line on why it might matter to a {buyer title}.
Leave out company history, mission statements and anything older than 90 days. If nothing qualifies, say so.Prompt
Week 2: write your own research prompt
Help me write one research prompt I can run on every top priority account. Before you write it, ask me up to 5 questions, one at a time: what I sell, my ideal customer, the titles I sell to, the events that have started deals for me before and how I'll use the brief.
Then write the prompt. It must ask for recent triggers with dates, likely priorities, the right people by role (never guessed names), a reason to reach out now and a source link for each point. It must mark anything unconfirmed as UNVERIFIED. Use {company} and {website} as the only placeholders.Prompt
Week 2: compare three briefs side by side
Below are three account briefs from the same research prompt. Score each against four questions: why this account, why now, why this person and why us. Mark each answer strong, weak or missing.
Then tell me:
1. Which points have no source link
2. Which sections hold background I won't use in an email or on a call
3. Which brief has the strongest reason to reach out now, and why
4. Three changes to the prompt that would fix the weakest parts in all three
Don't rewrite the briefs. Fix the prompt.
<prompt>
{paste your research prompt}
</prompt>
<briefs>
{paste the three briefs}
</briefs>Prompt
From 2 to 3: test your reason to reach out now
Here's the angle I picked from my brief on {company}: {the trigger, its date and its source}. We solve {problem}.
Rate this reason to reach out now from 1 to 5. A 5 is recent, dated, sourced and clearly linked to a problem we solve. Explain the score in two lines.
If it's under 4, tell me which public sources would most likely hold a stronger trigger for this account, such as job postings, the company newsroom or an earnings call, and what to look for in each. Don't invent a trigger.Prompt
At 3: batch next week's accounts
Here are the accounts I plan to contact next week, with their website domains. Run my research prompt (below) on each one.
Start with a summary table: account, strongest trigger, its date, source link, suggested angle and how many points are UNVERIFIED. Then give each brief with the same headings and today's date at the top, so a teammate can see how fresh it is.
Flag any account where the strongest trigger is older than 90 days, so I can research it by hand.
<my_research_prompt>
{paste your saved prompt}
</my_research_prompt>
<accounts>
{company, website}
</accounts>A batch needs the same checks as a single brief.
Try it now
Your first 15 minutes
- Open your company approved AI tool and turn on web search. Not sure which tool is approved? Ask your manager. This prompt uses public information only, so you can start today.
- Pick one top priority account you plan to contact this week. Note its website domain.
- Run this starter prompt: "Research {company} using web search. Find events from the last 90 days that could create a need for [what you solve]. Give a source link for every fact and mark anything unconfirmed as UNVERIFIED." Add the domain after the company name.
- Open every link. Keep the one event that holds up and best answers "why now." That's your angle.
Your account research checklist
0 of 9 done
Ticks are saved in this browser only.
Key idea
Good research doesn't describe the company. It finds the reason to reach out this month, and shows you where it came from.
Related focus areas
Each will get its own page; until then, the guide next to it covers the same ground.
- Fact checking: a sourced brief is only as good as the sources you open. This is where your briefs get checked before they reach a buyer. Guide: How AI Assistants Actually Work.
- Outreach writing: your brief's angle becomes the first line of the email: trigger, problem, proof and ask. Guide: How to Write Cold Emails with AI That Don't Sound Like AI.
- Call prep and practice: the same brief feeds your call opener and the objections you rehearse. Guide: AI Sales Roleplay. For a booked meeting, use How to Prep for a Sales Meeting in 10 Minutes with AI.
Research eating your mornings? I Want My Mornings Back for Selling builds a time boxed brief into the afternoon before your call block.
Retake the assessment
Retake it at day 30. Answer from what you actually did, not your plan: if you used one saved prompt on every top priority account, say so; if you didn't, don't. One step up here adds one point to your total.
Free assessment
What's next
Everything on this page is free, and so is the guide from your results: How to Use AI for Account Research, with the full brief template, trigger list and tiering method. To see where research fits in a whole sales week, read AI for Sales: A Practical Guide. If you want all ten areas, the AI for Sales Certification spends Session 5 on research: you build briefs for three real target accounts, verify every fact in a log, time each brief and tier 25 accounts. Lead a team? See team options.
Frequently asked questions
Should I research every account this way?
No. Save the full brief for top priority accounts, the ones that get fully custom outreach. For the rest, a persona and one dated trigger is usually enough; the guide explains how to tier a list.
What counts as a reason to reach out now?
A dated event from the last 90 days that links to a problem you solve, such as a new leader in your buyer's team, a hiring push or an expansion. An event without a date or a source doesn't count until you find both.
Why doesn't "tell me about this company" work?
Because it asks about the company, not the moment. Without web search, the model answers from training, which stops at a cutoff date and has no sources, so you get a smooth summary with no reason to write.
Why is Account research a focus area when I already use AI with web search?
Probably because your answer here was at or below most of your others: it ranks sixth of ten when scores tie, so it reaches your three only when it's among your lowest. At 2, the step left is repeatability: one saved prompt that returns the same sourced brief every time.
Can my team reuse my research briefs?
Yes, if they live in your company approved workspace and show the date they were run. Triggers age quickly, so a teammate should check that date and reopen the sources before using an old brief.
Not sure which reading order fits you? Find your path.
AI for Sales Certification
Find one reason to reach out this week
10 self paced sessions, an optional weekly live class and a graded capstone, all practiced on your own accounts. Membership is $50 a month. Add the $250 certification when you're ready.
Not sure where to start? Take the 2 minute assessment