Client Research Dossier
What this does
Assembles a comprehensive, decision-ready research dossier on a single
company, client, or brand. The output is one structured markdown document that
profiles the business end to end — positioning, people, products, market,
owned channels, search posture, competitors, and the highest-leverage things to
fix first — so a strategist can walk into kickoff already fluent in the account.
When to use it
- Onboarding a new client or account and you need a baseline brief.
- Scoping a strategy, SEO/GEO, or growth engagement before writing a proposal.
- Preparing for a kickoff or discovery call and need the full picture fast.
- Refreshing an existing dossier after a material change (new product, rebrand,
funding, leadership change).
If the deliverable you actually want is a deep competitor map, use the
competitive-intel-matrix skill instead. If it's a forward plan, use
growth-strategy-playbook. This skill is the upstream baseline both rely on.
How to use it
- Confirm the subject and scope: the legal entity, all trading names, the
primary domain, and any sub-brands or sister entities. Note the engagement
type so the dossier emphasizes the right sections.
- Research breadth-first across the live site, social profiles, directory
listings, press, founder profiles (LinkedIn/Crunchbase), reviews, and any
public filings. Capture exact figures, dates, handles, and URLs — specificity
is the product.
- Assemble the dossier section by section following the canonical outline in
references/dossier-outline.md. Every
section there lists exactly what it must contain; do not skip sections, mark
genuinely unknown items as "Open question" and route them to the final
section rather than guessing.
- Build the 90-day Quick-Win Audit by scoring each finding with the impact ×
effort rubric in
references/quick-win-rubric.md
and labeling each P0, P1, or P2.
- Keep the competitive section brief — name the rings and the top threats, then
point to a full
competitive-intel-matrix deliverable for depth.
- Close with a one-line strategic positioning hypothesis, a risk register, and
a numbered list of open onboarding questions the client must answer before a
plan can be locked.
Inputs
- Company / brand name(s) and primary domain.
- Engagement type (e.g. SEO/GEO, full growth, brand, web rebuild).
- Any known facts, internal access, or source material the user provides.
- Optional: target depth (quick baseline vs. exhaustive dossier).
Output
A single markdown file, typically saved as
research/00_<Company>_Research_Dossier.md in the client's folder. It opens
with an executive summary and follows the full section order in the outline
reference, ending with the risk register and open questions.
Notes & constraints
- Cite sources inline (URL or handle) for every non-obvious claim. Distinguish
confirmed facts from inference; never invent figures, dates, or names.
- Prefer primary sources (the live site, the founder's own posts, filings) over
aggregators when they conflict, and note the conflict.
- Flag brand-name collisions and naming inconsistencies explicitly — they are
often the single highest-impact finding.
- Use forward-slash paths. Keep the dossier readable: tables for inventories
(channels, competitors, quick wins), prose for analysis.
1---2name: client-research-dossier3description: Produces a deep, structured markdown research dossier on a company, client, or brand to brief a strategy engagement, covering positioning, founders, market, channels, SEO/GEO, competitors, a prioritized quick-win audit, and open onboarding questions. Use when onboarding a new client, scoping a strategy or growth engagement, or assembling a baseline briefing before proposals or kickoff.4license: MIT5---67# Client Research Dossier89## What this does1011Assembles a comprehensive, decision-ready research dossier on a single12company, client, or brand. The output is one structured markdown document that13profiles the business end to end — positioning, people, products, market,14owned channels, search posture, competitors, and the highest-leverage things to15fix first — so a strategist can walk into kickoff already fluent in the account.1617## When to use it1819- Onboarding a new client or account and you need a baseline brief.20- Scoping a strategy, SEO/GEO, or growth engagement before writing a proposal.21- Preparing for a kickoff or discovery call and need the full picture fast.22- Refreshing an existing dossier after a material change (new product, rebrand,23 funding, leadership change).2425If the deliverable you actually want is a deep competitor map, use the26`competitive-intel-matrix` skill instead. If it's a forward plan, use27`growth-strategy-playbook`. This skill is the upstream baseline both rely on.2829## How to use it30311. Confirm the subject and scope: the legal entity, all trading names, the32 primary domain, and any sub-brands or sister entities. Note the engagement33 type so the dossier emphasizes the right sections.342. Research breadth-first across the live site, social profiles, directory35 listings, press, founder profiles (LinkedIn/Crunchbase), reviews, and any36 public filings. Capture exact figures, dates, handles, and URLs — specificity37 is the product.383. Assemble the dossier section by section following the canonical outline in39 [`references/dossier-outline.md`](references/dossier-outline.md). Every40 section there lists exactly what it must contain; do not skip sections, mark41 genuinely unknown items as "Open question" and route them to the final42 section rather than guessing.434. Build the 90-day Quick-Win Audit by scoring each finding with the impact ×44 effort rubric in [`references/quick-win-rubric.md`](references/quick-win-rubric.md)45 and labeling each P0, P1, or P2.465. Keep the competitive section brief — name the rings and the top threats, then47 point to a full `competitive-intel-matrix` deliverable for depth.486. Close with a one-line strategic positioning hypothesis, a risk register, and49 a numbered list of open onboarding questions the client must answer before a50 plan can be locked.5152## Inputs5354- Company / brand name(s) and primary domain.55- Engagement type (e.g. SEO/GEO, full growth, brand, web rebuild).56- Any known facts, internal access, or source material the user provides.57- Optional: target depth (quick baseline vs. exhaustive dossier).5859## Output6061A single markdown file, typically saved as62`research/00_<Company>_Research_Dossier.md` in the client's folder. It opens63with an executive summary and follows the full section order in the outline64reference, ending with the risk register and open questions.6566## Notes & constraints6768- Cite sources inline (URL or handle) for every non-obvious claim. Distinguish69 confirmed facts from inference; never invent figures, dates, or names.70- Prefer primary sources (the live site, the founder's own posts, filings) over71 aggregators when they conflict, and note the conflict.72- Flag brand-name collisions and naming inconsistencies explicitly — they are73 often the single highest-impact finding.74- Use forward-slash paths. Keep the dossier readable: tables for inventories75 (channels, competitors, quick wins), prose for analysis.
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