What to include in a lead research brief

A useful prospect list starts with clear criteria. “Find companies” leaves too much open. Specifying the industry, location, company size and contact roles gives the research a defined target.

Define the companies you want to reach

Describe the products or services the companies offer, the regions they operate in and any size limits. Include exclusions as well as examples of a good match. This helps avoid spending time on businesses outside your target group.

Choose the contact roles

Name the job titles or responsibilities relevant to your offer. Decide whether the brief requires company information alone or named business contacts too. Where a detail is unavailable, agree how it should be marked.

List the fields you need

Typical fields include company name, website, location, industry, contact name, job title and publicly available business contact details. Select the fields your team will use rather than collecting everything available.

Agree checks and source rules

State the sources, verification requirements and duplicate rules. Information changes over time, so a researched record is not a permanent guarantee of accuracy. A list also does not guarantee responses or sales.

Plan how you will use the list

Research and outreach are separate tasks. Consider your intended use, applicable privacy requirements and source platform terms before collecting or using contact information.

Our research service

We build company and contact lists to an agreed brief and organise the results in a spreadsheet. Send your criteria, required fields, record count and deadline for a review of the work and a quote.