B2B account research is the practice of gathering specific intelligence on a target company and its key contacts before reaching out or preparing for a sales call. Most SDRs underinvest in research and send generic, templated messages that get ignored; the ones who invest 10-15 minutes in research per account write messages that reference something true and relevant about the prospect, dramatically improving reply rates. Account research before a discovery call is equally important: an AE who has read the prospect's press releases, understood their GTM strategy, and identified their key initiatives walks into the call as a peer, not a vendor.
What to research before outreach
Company-level research
At the company level, look for: recent news (funding announcements, acquisitions, new product launches, leadership changes -- any event that might create urgency or relevance for your product); growth signals (new job postings for roles that suggest a strategic initiative, headcount growth on LinkedIn, new office openings); financial signals (public company earnings or revenue disclosures, private company funding rounds); technology stack (tools.techcrunch.com, Builtwith, or LinkedIn job postings often reveal which tools a company uses -- relevant if your product integrates with or replaces something in their stack); and their GTM motion (are they primarily inbound or outbound? product-led or sales-led? What is their ICP?).
Individual contact research
At the individual level, look for: LinkedIn profile (tenure in their current role, previous companies, educational background, mutual connections, content they have recently published or engaged with); public content (articles they have written, podcast appearances, conference talks -- these reveal their professional priorities and communication style); email or phone intelligence (Apollo, Lusha, ZoomInfo for contact details); and their position in the buying committee (are they a champion, an influencer, an economic buyer, or a technical evaluator?).
Research by outreach tier
Not every prospect justifies the same research investment. Tier your research depth by account value: Tier 1 accounts (top 20-30 strategic targets): 20-30 minutes per account, bespoke message, reference 2-3 specific facts; Tier 2 accounts (mid-priority ICP targets): 5-10 minutes per account, personalised opener on a semi-templated message, reference 1-2 specific facts; Tier 3 accounts (broad ICP, lower priority): 2-3 minutes per account, industry or persona-level personalisation rather than company-specific.
Research sources for India B2B accounts
- LinkedIn: the primary source for India company and contact intelligence; Company Pages show headcount, growth, recent posts, and key contacts
- Crunchbase: for startup funding and investor data; key for identifying growth-stage companies with recent capital
- Inc42, YourStory, Economic Times Tech: India startup news sources that cover funding rounds, product launches, and leadership changes
- Company website and careers page: job postings reveal strategic priorities (a "VP of Sales" posting means they are building out revenue)
- Google News: search "[Company Name] news" for the past 90 days for recent events
- Twitter / X: many India startup founders and executives are active; their public posts reveal priorities
- BSE/NSE filings: for publicly listed companies, quarterly results reveal revenue trends and strategic outlook
Frequently asked questions
- What is B2B account research?
- B2B account research is the process of gathering specific, actionable intelligence on a target company and its key contacts before initiating outreach or preparing for a sales call. It covers company-level research (recent news, funding events, growth signals, technology stack) and individual contact research (LinkedIn profile, recent content, role in the buying committee). Good account research enables personalised outreach (messages that reference something specific and true about the prospect) and better discovery calls (the AE arrives informed, not starting from scratch). The depth of research should be proportional to the account's value and potential deal size.
- How long should B2B account research take?
- B2B account research time should match the value of the account: Tier 1 accounts (high-value strategic targets, top 20-30 accounts) deserve 20-30 minutes of research to enable fully bespoke, highly personalised outreach and call preparation. Tier 2 accounts (mid-priority ICP targets) deserve 5-10 minutes, enough to personalise the opener and reference one or two specific facts. Tier 3 accounts (broad ICP, lower individual priority) deserve 2-3 minutes -- enough to identify the right pain point and reference the industry or role in the message. An SDR who spends 30 minutes on every account in a 100-account territory will spend more time on research than on actual outreach -- tier appropriately.
- What are the best sources for B2B account research?
- The best sources for B2B account research: (1) LinkedIn (company pages, contact profiles, recent posts, mutual connections); (2) company website and careers page (job postings reveal strategic initiatives); (3) Google News search for the company name in the past 90 days (funding rounds, product launches, leadership changes); (4) Crunchbase or AngelList for startup funding and investor data; (5) G2 or Capterra company profile if the company has reviewed software (reveals what tools they use); (6) Technographic tools (Builtwith, Apollo's tech stack data) for companies with digital footprints; (7) for India companies: Inc42, YourStory, and Economic Times Tech for news; BSE/NSE filings for public company financial data.
Keep reading
- B2B prospecting: how to find and qualify B2B prospects
- B2B cold outreach: how to reach prospects who do not know you yet
- Ideal customer profile (ICP): what it is and how to build one
- B2B sales call: how to structure and run a sales call that moves deals forward
- What is a discovery call? How to run an effective B2B discovery call