PROSP3CTIV / METHODOLOGY

Know what the evidence supports. And what you still need to learn.

Start with your offer. Receive explained priorities and context for a conversation, not assumptions presented as certainty.

Start with what you already have.

An existing list: Excel, CSV or a CRM export: agree what to screen, what to investigate in depth and which companies deserve attention first.; Check my existing list →
Criteria, without a list: Use your offer and initial ICP to identify candidate companies, check fit and document the shortlist.; Find companies against my criteria →

Your CRM, team and outreach channels can stay. Research adds context before contact; you decide what to do next.

Five stages. A starting point we agree together.

Your ICP is a working hypothesis. Evidence may confirm, refine, narrow or extend it. For an agency, the offer and criteria belong to the end client, not the agency.

Tell us what you need. Your offer, market, criteria and exclusions. Bring an existing list or start without one.

A fact does not automatically establish a need.

See the difference between what is observed, how it is interpreted and what you need to validate.

Fact

In a real record, this would need a dated, verifiable source. This example is fictional.

A context worth validating. Not a confirmed need.

A brief you can use before reaching out.

Every delivered fact has a source and a date checked. When information is missing, you can see what remains unknown.

ILLUSTRATIVE COMPANY

A company with two locations

Fictional example: an offer for standardising processes across locations. No real company, person or source is presented.

Why approach it?: A new location could make coordination relevant to the offer. Fit with the agreed criteria still needs checking.
Why now?: A recent change is worth investigating. It does not confirm a need, a project or buying intent.

Facts and signal

In this scenario, the company announces a second location. Expansion is the observed change, not a confirmed need.

Interpretation and hypothesis

Cross-location coordination could become more relevant to this offer. Processes may differ between locations. A conversation could support or challenge that assumption.

What we do not know

We do not know whether there is a problem, a priority, a project or a budget.

Role to investigate

Operations lead / General Manager. The person and their decision-making authority are not confirmed.

Validation questions

How do you keep processes consistent across locations? Who coordinates this? Is this a priority now, or is it already working well?

Next step

Verify the role and person. Choose an available channel and start with a question, not an assumption.

Sources

There are no real sources in this example. Delivered research links every fact to its source and the date checked.

What you learn in conversations improves the next round of research.

The criteria are not locked to the original ICP. Your feedback helps refine selection and questions.

CriteriaWhat is worth researching
ResearchFacts and sources
ConversationWhat sales validates
FeedbackWhat the market tells us
RefinementWhat we adjust

What sales learns goes back into the criteria—not into another disconnected file.

The Context and Service Loop