Top places to research contacts and potential buyers

Before engaging in cold outreach, conducting thorough research to identify potential contacts and buyers is crucial. Adequate preparation can help you avoid irritating prospects with unprepared queries. Modern customers prefer that you invest time and effort into finding basic information through preliminary research. They appreciate it when you understand their needs or challenges before reaching out.

Sending an email or calling without gathering the necessary background information you stand to annoy the target person. Therefore, the importance of prospect research cannot be stressed enough. To assist you in this process, we have compiled a list of the best places to learn about potential buyers before initiating contact or conversation.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn has become a central hub for buyer research, providing a rich platform for gathering useful information about prospects. To use LinkedIn effectively, follow these steps:

• Identify your potential buyer and scrutinize their profile for the following aspects:
• Current job and role experience: This gives you an idea of their decision-making capacity and position within their company.
• Past job and role experience: Tailor your message based on their career history, considering whether this is their first purchase decision or if they have prior experience.
• Connections and interests in common: If you share a connection or a group with your potential buyer, mentioning it during your conversation can boost your credibility and help you find a referral.
• Group membership: Explore their groups to discover their interests and ongoing discussions.
• Recent activity: Look at their shares, posts, articles, or documents to better understand their interests.

Twitter 

Analyzing the Twitter profiles of potential buyers can provide insights into their interests. While it's important not to be overly direct about everything you find, building a holistic profile of your prospect can be helpful. Additionally, examining the Twitter account of the buyer's company can offer crucial insights into its messaging, communication style, mission, and culture. This can help you tailor a targeted and effective pitch that resonates with the company's functions.

Today's buyers lack both time and patience to respond to elementary questions that a simple online search could answer — they also don't have the leisure to outline their requirements or issues to you.

Press releases

Review press and media releases from the potential buyer's company to gain valuable context about its operations and performance. Talking about leadership changes, product launches, or financial statements shows your sincere interest in their business. This knowledge can help you choose the most suitable topics to discuss during your call and tailor your message to assist them better.

Competitors press releases

Significant announcements by competitors can influence how your potential buyer perceives your offering. By understanding the company's position relative to its competitors, you can construct your pitch with a sense of urgency, emphasizing how your solution can improve its market position.

Company finances

For public companies, reviewing financial reports can give you an idea of their performance, potential challenges, and a reference point for where the company stands. This information can help you frame your suggested solutions better.

Various sources

Research what potential buyers read and what they have published. Additionally, look at their recent posts to show that you have taken the time to understand their business and interests. Referencing their content demonstrates your interest and research.

Popular industry sources and blogs can provide insights into the trends and challenges your potential customer might be facing. This knowledge helps you demonstrate that you understand their needs and are well-versed in their industry.

Other social media profiles

While platforms like Facebook and Instagram offer more personal insights, they can still provide useful tidbits about your potential buyer. However, be careful when incorporating personal information into your conversation to avoid coming off as intrusive.

Your marketing automation system

Review your marketing automation system to gather insights into your potential buyer's familiarity with your product or service and their position in the buying process.

Your Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Check your CRM system to see if your company has previously contacted this potential customer and the outcome. This information can guide you on being more assertive or taking a gentler approach.

Conducting buyer research is fundamental to fostering meaningful interactions with potential contacts and buyers. Ensure that you always approach any engagement fully prepared - it's essential to arm yourself with comprehensive, insightful information collated from a variety of sources for all types of interactions.

Google results

In addition to these sources, a Google search for the potential buyer and their company can provide additional information. When researching specific locations, you must explore relevant local sources like Yelp, Quora, Glassdoor, and Crunchbase.

Thorough preparation, drawing on thoughtful intelligence gathered from various sources, is essential for all interactions. Approach every engagement fully prepared by arming yourself with comprehensive, insightful information. By doing so, you foster meaningful interactions with potential contacts and buyers.

You may also be interested in this article about the principles of 'buyer first.'

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