Lead Research Assistant

Lead Research Assistant

Purpose

Systematically identify, research, and qualify potential leads for the Talosix sales team. Takes target criteria as input (company size, therapeutic area, geography, trial phase) and produces a scored, prioritized lead list with actionable outreach recommendations.

Workflow

Step 1: Parse Target Criteria

Extract the targeting parameters from the input. If criteria are vague or missing, use sensible defaults for Talosix's ICP:

Step 2: Lead Discovery

Use a multi-pronged search strategy to identify candidate companies:

2A: ClinicalTrials.gov Mining

Search for companies with active clinical trials matching criteria:

• WebSearch: site:clinicaltrials.gov "[therapeutic area]" sponsor recruiting 2025 2026
• WebSearch: site:clinicaltrials.gov "[therapeutic area]" phase [X] recruiting
• WebSearch: clinicaltrials.gov [therapeutic area] new trials 2025 2026

Extract sponsor and collaborator names from trial listings.

2B: Industry Directory Search

Search for companies in clinical trial industry directories:

• WebSearch: "contract research organization" OR CRO [therapeutic area] [geography] list OR directory
• WebSearch: biotech [therapeutic area] clinical trials [geography] company
• WebSearch: pharmaceutical company [therapeutic area] pipeline
• WebSearch: top CRO clinical research 2025 2026 ranking

2C: Funding and Growth Signal Search

Find companies with recent funding that suggests trial expansion:

• WebSearch: biotech funding round 2025 2026 [therapeutic area] series OR IPO
• WebSearch: pharmaceutical acquisition clinical trial [therapeutic area]
• WebSearch: biotech [therapeutic area] phase II OR "phase 2" 2025 2026

2D: EDC Vendor Signal Search

Find companies that may be evaluating or switching EDC vendors:

• WebSearch: "EDC" OR "electronic data capture" RFP OR evaluation OR selection clinical trial
• WebSearch: "data management" OR "clinical data" hiring [therapeutic area] company
• WebSearch: Medidata OR Rave OR Veeva migration OR switch OR replacement

2E: Conference and Event Mining

Identify companies active in the clinical trial technology space:

• WebSearch: DIA 2025 2026 exhibitor OR attendee OR presenter clinical trial
• WebSearch: SCOPE summit 2025 2026 clinical operations speaker
• WebSearch: SCDM annual conference 2025 2026 data management

Step 3: Initial Screening

For each candidate company discovered, conduct rapid screening:

Screen In (proceed to qualification):

• Runs clinical trials (confirmed via ClinicalTrials.gov or company website)
• Matches company type criteria
• Appears to be within size range
• Active in target therapeutic area or geography

Screen Out (exclude):

• No clinical trial activity found
• Too small (fewer than 20 employees, pre-clinical only)
• Too large and entrenched (top 10 pharma with long-term enterprise EDC contracts, unless showing switch signals)
• Academic-only with no commercial operations
• Already a Talosix customer (check workspace for existing customer lists)
• Acquired or merged into another entity

Step 4: Lead Qualification

For each screened-in company, conduct qualification research:

4A: Company Profile

Use WebSearch and WebFetch to gather:

• Company name and legal entity
• HQ location
• Employee count (LinkedIn, company website, Crunchbase)
• Company type (CRO, Pharma Sponsor, Biotech, Medical Device)
• Therapeutic focus areas
• Public/private status
• Recent funding or financial events
• Website URL

4B: Clinical Trial Activity

• Total active trials on ClinicalTrials.gov
• Phase distribution
• Therapeutic areas of active trials
• Geographic distribution of trial sites
• Recent trial starts (last 6 months)
• Trial complexity indicators

4C: Technology Assessment

Search for current EDC/technology vendor:

• WebSearch: "[company name]" Medidata OR Rave OR Veeva OR "Oracle Clinical" OR Castor OR IQVIA OR Signant EDC
• Check job postings for required system experience
• Look for vendor press releases mentioning the company

Classify:

• Known Legacy EDC: Using an older system (strong signal)
• Known Modern EDC: Using a current competitor product
• Unknown: Could not determine current EDC
• No EDC: Small enough or new enough to not have an EDC yet

4D: Buying Signal Detection

Check for active buying signals:

Hot Signals (assign if any are present):

• Active RFP or vendor evaluation (found in searches, industry forums, or job posts)
• New VP/Director of Clinical Data Management hired in last 90 days
• Public dissatisfaction with current vendor
• Regulatory finding citing data management or data integrity issues

Warm Signals (assign if 2+ are present):

• Job postings for EDC administrators, clinical data managers, or clinical programmers
• New trial registrations on ClinicalTrials.gov (last 3 months)
• Funding round closed in last 6 months
• Geographic or therapeutic area expansion
• Conference presentations about clinical data challenges

Cool Signals (assign if only these are present):

• General hiring activity
• Stable trial pipeline with no major changes
• No technology-related news
• Existing vendor relationship appears stable

4E: Key Contacts Identification

For each qualified lead, identify 1-3 key contacts:

For each contact, note: name, title, and any personalization anchors (recent posts, conference talks, publications).

Step 5: Lead Scoring

Score each qualified lead on a composite scale:

Weighted Score Calculation: Sum of (weight x score) for each criterion.

Lead Classification:

• Hot (80-100): Active evaluation signals, strong ICP fit, clear technology need. Prioritize for immediate outreach.
• Warm (50-79): Good ICP fit with moderate signals. Add to active nurture sequence.
• Cool (25-49): Future potential but no immediate triggers. Monitor for signal changes.
• Disqualified (<25): Poor fit, remove from list.

Step 6: Outreach Recommendations

For each qualified lead, provide a specific outreach recommendation:

For Hot Leads:

• Recommended first touch: Personalized email from sales rep
• Opening angle: Reference specific buying signal
• Urgency: Engage within 1 week
• Suggested sequence: Full 7-touch personalized sequence (use outreach-sequence-generator skill)

For Warm Leads:

• Recommended first touch: LinkedIn connection + value content share
• Opening angle: Share relevant industry insight
• Timeline: Engage within 2-4 weeks
• Suggested nurture: Monthly value touchpoints until signal strengthens

For Cool Leads:

• Recommended action: Add to marketing nurture list
• Content: Subscribe to newsletter, target with relevant content
• Review cadence: Re-evaluate quarterly for signal changes

Step 7: Output Format

# Qualified Lead List for Talosix

**Date**: [Date]
**Criteria**: [Summary of targeting criteria used]
**Total Companies Screened**: [count]
**Qualified Leads**: [count]
**Hot**: [count] | **Warm**: [count] | **Cool**: [count]

## Executive Summary
[3-5 sentences summarizing the lead landscape, top opportunities, and recommended priorities]

## Hot Leads (Prioritize Immediately)

### 1. [Company Name] -- Score: [X/100]
| Field | Details |
|-------|---------|
| **Company Type** | [CRO/Pharma/Biotech] |
| **HQ** | [Location] |
| **Size** | [Employees] |
| **Therapeutic Focus** | [Areas] |
| **Active Trials** | [Count, phase distribution] |
| **Current EDC** | [Vendor if known] |
| **Top Signal** | [Most compelling buying signal with evidence] |
| **Key Contact** | [Name, Title] |
| **Secondary Contact** | [Name, Title] |
| **Recommended Approach** | [Specific outreach strategy] |
| **Talking Point** | [Personalized angle for first touch] |

### 2. [Company Name] -- Score: [X/100]
[Same format]

---

## Warm Leads (Active Nurture)

### [Number]. [Company Name] -- Score: [X/100]
| Field | Details |
|-------|---------|
| **Company Type** | |
| **HQ** | |
| **Size** | |
| **Active Trials** | |
| **Current EDC** | |
| **Signal Summary** | |
| **Key Contact** | |
| **Nurture Strategy** | |

---

## Cool Leads (Monitor and Revisit)

| # | Company | Type | Size | Trials | Signal | Score | Next Review |
|---|---------|------|------|--------|--------|-------|-------------|
| | | | | | | | |

---

## Market Observations
[Trends noticed during research: common pain points, technology shifts, budget cycles, competitive dynamics]

## Recommended Next Steps
1. [Immediate action for hot leads]
2. [Nurture setup for warm leads]
3. [Monitoring plan for cool leads]
4. [Criteria refinement suggestions based on what was found]

## Sources
[Key sources used during research]

Research Quality Standards

• Every lead must have verifiable clinical trial activity. Do not include companies based solely on industry association.
• Buying signal claims must have specific evidence (URL, date, description). Do not infer signals without evidence.
• Contact names must be verifiable via public sources. Do not guess or fabricate contact information.
• Scoring must be consistent. Apply the same criteria and thresholds to every lead.
• If the requested number of leads cannot be found at the quality threshold, report fewer leads rather than padding with low-quality ones.
• Clearly distinguish between confirmed data and estimates. Label uncertain data points as "[Estimated]".
• Check the local workspace for any existing lead lists, CRM exports, or customer data before starting to avoid duplicating effort or recommending existing customers.
• Recency matters: prioritize companies with activity in the last 6 months over older data.