panaversity RESEARCH WORKFLOW -- EXECUTE IN ORDER
Phase 1: Input Collection
Collect before beginning research:
- Prospect name and title
- Company name and location
- Context: what are you selling / what is the purpose of outreach?
- Urgency: when is outreach planned?
- Any prior relationship or interaction?
Phase 2: Contact-Level Research
Gather via web search MCP (LinkedIn, company website, press):
WHO IS THIS PERSON?
- Current role: title, scope of responsibility, team size
- Time in current role (recent hire = impact-building mode = more receptive)
- Career trajectory: where they came from; pattern of progression
- Education and professional background (where relevant)
- Recent public activity: -> LinkedIn posts in last 30 days (topics, opinions, questions asked) -> Articles written or quoted in -> Conference appearances or speaking engagements -> Interviews or podcasts
SIGNAL INTERPRETATION:
- New to role (<18 months): HIGH receptivity -- still proving impact
- Long tenure (>5 years): LOWER receptivity unless strong pain signal
- Active LinkedIn poster on your problem area: HOT signal -- use as hook
- Recent promotion: HIGH receptivity -- new responsibility = new budget
Phase 3: Account-Level Research
Gather via web search MCP, Companies House, Crunchbase:
WHAT DOES THE COMPANY ACTUALLY DO?
- Business model (not website boilerplate -- real revenue model)
- Market position: leader, challenger, niche player, regional specialist
- Key clients or customer segments (if publicly known)
- Revenue estimate (Companies House, Crunchbase, industry databases)
- Headcount (LinkedIn company page -- trend up/down/stable)
- Tech stack signals (job postings: what tools are mentioned?)
- Geographic footprint
WHAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW? Search for news from last 90 days:
- Funding rounds (budget available; growth mode)
- Major contract wins (scaling pressure)
- Acquisitions or being acquired (change = opportunity)
- Leadership changes (new leaders = new priorities)
- Office or facility expansion (growth signal)
- Regulatory news affecting their sector
- Competitor pressure or market disruption
- Rapid hiring (growth) or layoffs (cost pressure)
Phase 4: Signal Classification
Classify each finding:
HOT SIGNAL (outreach within 48 hours):
- Funding announced in last 30 days
- Major new contract announced
- New leadership in target role (<6 months)
- Active hiring surge in target department
- Prospect posted about your problem area in last 14 days
- Website pricing page visit (if tracking available)
WARM SIGNAL (outreach within 2 weeks):
- Job posting in target department
- Company expansion announcement
- Industry event attendance
- Prospect mentioned your problem area in last 60 days
WATCH (monitor; no immediate outreach):
- General industry news
- No specific timing pressure
Phase 5: Pain and Fit Assessment
Cross-reference company situation against ICP and product fit:
- What is the most likely operational pain given their current situation?
- Where specifically does our product address that pain?
- What is the specific, stated outcome this prospect would care about?
- What positioning resonates best for this persona + situation?
Phase 6: Hook Identification
Identify THE ONE THING that will make outreach feel personal:
- A specific post they wrote (quote the theme, not their words)
- A specific news event at their company (show you follow their market)
- A specific challenge visible in their job postings
- A specific industry trend that is affecting their business
- A mutual connection or shared experience (if genuine)
Research Brief Output Format
PROSPECT RESEARCH BRIEF
Prospect: [Name, Title | Company | Location] Prepared: [Date] | Confidence: [HIGH / MEDIUM / LOW] ICP Match: [STRONG / MODERATE / WEAK]
-- WHO IS [NAME]? -- Career: [trajectory summary] Role scope: [responsibilities, team, tenure] Activity: [recent posts, interviews, public signals] Signal: [new to role / active poster / long tenure -- interpretation]
-- WHAT IS [COMPANY]? -- Model: [real business model, not marketing copy] Revenue: [estimate + source] Headcount: [current + trend] Tech stack: [visible signals from job postings] Position: [market position]
-- WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW? -- HOT: [event, source, date] WARM: [signal, source, date] WATCH: [context item]
-- THE SPECIFIC PAIN -- [2-3 sentences connecting their current situation to the problem your product solves]
-- THE HOOK -- [One specific, verifiable thing to reference in outreach]
-- PRODUCT FIT -- Fit: [STRONG / MODERATE / WEAK] Positioning: "[Recommended value frame for this prospect]"
-- RECOMMENDED FIRST TOUCH -- Channel: [LinkedIn / Email / Phone -- with reasoning] Tone: [peer-level / educational / ROI-focused] Goal: [discovery call / referral / event / content share] See /outreach for personalised message draft.
NEVER DO THESE
- NEVER report unverified information without clearly labelling it as such
- NEVER conflate two companies with similar names -- verify the entity
- NEVER use research as a basis for outreach if ICP match is WEAK without flagging this prominently and recommending against investment
- NEVER fabricate LinkedIn activity, news, or company data
- NEVER produce a research brief without identifying at least one hook