--- name: account-research-brief description: "Use when preparing to engage a target account, researching a company before outreach, or building pre-call intelligence. Triggers: 'research this company', 'account brief for [company]', 'company research', 'what do I need to know about [company]', 'pre-outreach research'." version: 1.0.0 --- # Account Research Brief Produce a comprehensive 1-page company intelligence brief in 2-3 minutes using WebSearch. Everything a GTM engineer needs to engage a target account — from company overview to ready-to-use outreach angles. ## Steps ### 1. Collect Input Ask the user for: - **Company name** (required) - **Your product/service** (optional) — if provided, engagement angles will be tailored to the user's offering. If omitted, angles stay generic but actionable. - **Target persona title** (optional) — focuses the Decision Makers section on that role. Default to CRO / VP Sales / Head of Growth if not specified. Do NOT proceed until you have at least the company name. ### 2. Company Overview Run 1-2 WebSearch queries (e.g., `"{company} what does it do"`, `"{company} funding crunchbase"`). Gather: - What they do (one paragraph, plain language) - Founded year and HQ location - Company size — employee count, revenue range if public - Funding stage and total raised (for startups / private companies) - Key product(s) or service(s) - Recent news from the last 90 days (1-3 headlines with URLs) If any data point is not findable, write "Not found" — NEVER fabricate company data. ### 3. Decision Makers Run 1-2 WebSearch queries (e.g., `"{company} CEO founder"`, `"{company} {target persona title}"`). Gather: - CEO / Founder — name, short background (prior companies, notable achievements) - Target persona — name and title of the person matching the user's specified role (or CRO / VP Sales / Head of Growth by default) - LinkedIn activity themes — what topics they post or comment about (if findable) - Recent public content — podcast appearances, conference talks, blog posts, tweets - Org structure clues — approximate size of their sales / marketing / growth team (from LinkedIn headcount or job postings) ### 4. Technology Stack Run 1-2 WebSearch queries (e.g., `"{company} tech stack job postings"`, `"{company} integrations partners"`). Gather: - CRM platform (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.) - Marketing automation (Marketo, Pardot, HubSpot, etc.) - Outreach / sales engagement tools (Outreach, Salesloft, Apollo, etc.) - Other known tools from job postings, integrations pages, G2 profiles, case studies - Stack gaps — if the user provided their product/service, note where their product could fit ### 5. Recent Signals Run 1-2 WebSearch queries (e.g., `"{company} news 2026"`, `"{company} hiring jobs"`). Gather and present as a table: | Signal | Detail | Date | Source | |--------|--------|------|--------| Signal types to look for: - Fundraise announcements - Hiring patterns (what roles are they adding? volume?) - Product launches or major feature releases - Partnership announcements - Press mentions or media coverage - Leadership changes (new C-suite, VP hires) **ICP cross-reference:** If `docs/icp.md` exists in the project, read it and cross-reference the signals above against the ICP's buying signal list. Flag any matches explicitly (e.g., "MATCH: ICP buying signal 'Series B+ fundraise' — Company raised Series C in Jan 2026"). ### 6. Competitive Landscape Run 1-2 WebSearch queries (e.g., `"{company} competitors"`, `"{company} vs alternatives"`). Gather: - 3-5 main competitors - How the target company positions itself vs. competitors (messaging, pricing tier, feature differentiation) - Recent competitive moves — pricing changes, feature launches, market entries - Market dynamics that affect them (regulation, consolidation, shifts in buyer behavior) ### 7. Engagement Angles Based on ALL findings from steps 2-6, generate 3-5 outreach angles. Each angle must include: 1. **Angle name** — a short label (e.g., "Hiring Surge Play", "Stack Gap Angle") 2. **Finding** — the specific research finding that makes this angle relevant 3. **Value connection** — how this finding connects to a pain point or opportunity 4. **One-sentence opener** — a ready-to-send first line for email, LinkedIn, or cold call Rules: - If the user provided their product/service, make every angle specific to their offering. - If they did not, keep angles generic but grounded in the research (never vague). - Each angle must tie to a SPECIFIC finding, not a generic observation. ### 8. Write the Brief Write the output file to `docs/accounts/{company-name-slug}.md`. The slug is the company name lowercased with spaces replaced by hyphens and special characters removed (e.g., "HubSpot" becomes `hubspot`, "Scale AI" becomes `scale-ai`). Create the `docs/accounts/` directory if it does not exist. Use this structure for the output file: ```markdown # {Company Name} — Account Research Brief **Website:** {url} **HQ:** {location} **Researched:** {YYYY-MM-DD} --- ## Company Overview {One paragraph on what they do, key products/services} - **Founded:** {year} - **Employees:** {count or range} - **Revenue:** {range or "Private"} - **Funding:** {stage, total raised, last round date} ### Recent News - {headline} — {source} ({date}) - ... --- ## Decision Makers **CEO / Founder:** {name} - {background, 1-2 sentences} **{Target Persona Title}:** {name, if found} - {background, activity themes, recent content} **Team Size Clues:** {what's known about sales/marketing/growth org size} --- ## Tech Stack | Category | Tool(s) | |----------|---------| | CRM | {tool} | | Marketing Automation | {tool} | | Sales Engagement | {tool} | | Other | {tools} | {If user provided their product: "**Stack Gap:** {where your product fits}"} --- ## Recent Signals | Signal | Detail | Date | Source | |--------|--------|------|--------| | {type} | {detail} | {date} | [{source}]({url}) | | ... | ... | ... | ... | {If ICP cross-reference was done: "**ICP Signal Matches:** {list matches}"} --- ## Competitive Landscape **Main Competitors:** {list} **Positioning:** {how they differentiate} **Recent Competitive Moves:** {notable shifts} **Market Context:** {dynamics affecting them} --- ## Engagement Angles 1. **{Angle Name}** - *Finding:* {specific research finding} - *Value Connection:* {why this matters / pain point} - *Opener:* "{ready-to-send first sentence}" 2. **{Angle Name}** - *Finding:* ... - *Value Connection:* ... - *Opener:* "..." 3. ... --- ## Sources - [{title or description}]({url}) - ... ``` After writing the file, tell the user the file path and offer to refine any section. ## Tools - **WebSearch** — primary tool. Run 5-10 searches per company to cover all sections. Prioritize speed over exhaustive coverage. - **Read** — check if `docs/icp.md` exists for ICP cross-referencing in the signals section. - **Write** — output the final brief to `docs/accounts/{company-name-slug}.md`. ## Rules 1. **Speed is the value.** The entire brief should take 2-3 minutes. Do not over-research. Run searches in parallel when possible. One or two searches per section is enough. 2. **Use WebSearch aggressively.** 5-10 total searches per company. Batch independent searches into the same message to run them in parallel. 3. **Always cite sources.** Every claim must trace back to a URL in the Sources section. Include the URL inline in tables where applicable. 4. **Never fabricate.** If a data point is not findable after searching, write "Not found." Never guess at revenue, funding, employee count, or names. 5. **Keep it to one page.** The brief should be concise and scannable. No filler paragraphs. Use tables and bullet points. A busy salesperson should absorb the whole thing in 3 minutes. 6. **No internal references.** This skill is part of a public playbook. Never reference Earleads, Notion databases, Apify, internal agents, or any proprietary tooling. 7. **Works universally.** This skill works for any B2B company researching any target account. Do not assume a specific industry, company size, or GTM motion. 8. **Create directories as needed.** If `docs/accounts/` does not exist, create it before writing the file.