Account Based Outbound: Research Aids For SDRs

Where to find the most useful information

“A book with a magnifying glass on top of it, next to a pen, and globes on a desk in Cianorte” by João Silas on Unsplash

In sales development, there is a direct correlation between success and the amount of effort put into an account — a truth amplified in Account Based Outbound (ABO) strategies. Rather than rushing to dial through 100+ calls a day, an effective SDR will put on their work boots and take an appropriate amount of time to research/account map before prospecting. At demandDrive, we train our reps to constantly focus on engaging prospects with relevant information. With ABO strategies, this is especially important because success is predicated upon building genuine & reciprocal relationships within target accounts.

Each SDR has their own method of doing research, but there are a few industry standards that universally aid sales development efforts. The following are simple tools an SDR can use to conduct pertinent research before prospecting:

Linkedin and Zoominfo

Linkedin is an SDR’s best friend when it comes to account mapping and checking employment status. You can search and verify prospect titles, skills, and responsibilities. You can also utilize the “people also searched for” function in order to build a skeleton of an organizational hierarchy. Knowing who the key influencers are within an organization allows you to better account map and find the right people to talk to. If you have access to LinkedIn Sales Navigator, you will also have the ability to save searches, leads, and accounts for future use. For Account Based Outbound models, it is critical to compile a list of decision makers, influencers, budget owners, and other key stakeholders within the company.

Zoominfo is a good tool for cross-referencing information on Linkedin, as well as finding general company phone numbers and/or direct lines. It’s about as simple as you can get when researching, but it provides you with vital company and prospect information.

Google Alerts

Google Alerts are a great tool for understanding industry trends and tracking large-scale company updates. If you’re in the CRM space, for example, simply set up an alert for “CRM” and every day your inbox will have articles and news reports from all over the world with CRM related information. This is a great way to stay up on current trends, and Google Alerts help you engage your prospects with highly relevant messaging/CTAs that actually provides them with value. Using these compelling events in conjunction with your call plan and account mapping techniques will yield more quality conversations and more sales qualified leads.

RainKing

Specific to the IT and high-level technology space, RainKing allows you to be very targeted with your messaging by providing both a list of compelling events and a company hierarchy. A breakdown of upcoming projects and who is in charge of them allows your prospecting to be more accurate, and seeing an organizational chart lets you know who is on what team and who your best bets are to have a conversation with. RainKing is a great account mapping companion and gives you as complete of a picture as one can get when doing pre-call research.

BuiltWith.com

A bit more obscure than some previously mentioned sites, builtwith.com allows you to see all active technologies that work within a company’s website. This tool is most beneficial for any online technology (eCommerce, online UX, CMS, etc.) vendors. By putting in your target accounts web address, you can see each technology that helps make up their online presence. Additionally you can research trends in the eCommerce and web technology spaces to see which products are on the rise, and which are decreasing in popularity — which can and should impact your sales development planning.

By utilizing a variety of different tools on a regular basis, SDRs are able to work more efficiently, leading to more leads and more qualified opportunities for your sales team.