Lead Research

Lead Research Skill

Purpose

Automatically research and qualify business leads by finding companies with active HR job postings, identifying decision-makers, and compiling enriched contact lists.

When to Use

• Building a lead list for recruiting or sales outreach
• Researching a specific industry or geographic area
• Qualifying companies as potential clients
• Finding decision-makers at target companies

How It Works

Step 1: Define Search Criteria

Specify:

• Industry: (e.g., law firms, accounting, consulting, IT services)
• Location: (e.g., Seattle, King County, WA)
• Company Size: (e.g., 5-25 employees)
• Signal: Active HR job posting (key qualifier)

Step 2: Search for Companies

Use web search to find:

1. "[Industry] companies in [Location]"
2. "[Industry] site:bbb.org [Location]"
3. "HR jobs [Industry] [Location]"
4. "[Company name] careers page"

Step 3: Verify HR Posting

For each company found:

1. Check their careers/jobs page
2. Look for active HR-related job postings
3. Note the job title, posting date, and URL

Step 4: Find Decision-Makers

For companies with active HR postings:

1. Search "[Company name] owner" or "[Company name] CEO"
2. Check LinkedIn for key contacts
3. Find email patterns (e.g., first@company.com)

Step 5: Compile Lead List

Create a structured list with:

• Company name
• Industry
• Location
• Company size (estimated)
• HR job posting (title + URL)
• Decision-maker name
• Decision-maker title
• Contact email (if found)
• Source URLs

Output Format

# Lead Research Report: [Industry] in [Location]
Date: [Date]
Total Leads: [Number]
Qualified Leads: [Number]

## High-Quality Leads (Active HR Posting + Decision-Maker Found)

### 1. [Company Name]
- **Industry**: [Industry]
- **Location**: [City, State]
- **Size**: [X-Y employees]
- **HR Posting**: [Job Title] ([URL])
- **Decision-Maker**: [Name], [Title]
- **Email**: [email@company.com]
- **Sources**: [URLs]

[Repeat for each lead...]

Tips

• BBB.org is the best free source for small business listings
• Google searches for "[trade] site:bbb.org [city]" work well
• HR job posting is the KEY signal — companies hiring HR are growing
• Focus on Owner/President/CEO/Founder as decision-makers
• Verify email patterns using tools like Hunter.io

Limitations

• Cannot access LinkedIn without authentication
• Email verification requires additional tools
• Some companies don't list job postings publicly