How to book 2x more meetings with Account Research
Learn how Vin Matano used account research to double his meeting bookings. In this newsletter, we share Vin's strategies for effective AI-led account research to secure more meetings.
Recently, we had a discussion with Vin Matano (Former Senior Account Executive, Demandbase) about how he became a sales champion.
He answered in two words:
'Account Research.'
He had been using innovative approaches to use account research for booking meetings and closing deals at least 2x more than other reps.
We decided to share his tips, techniques, and best practices in our newsletter.
Here, we will cover Vin’s take on “How To Book 2x More Meetings With Account Research”.
“In the competitive world of sales, breaking through the noise and securing meetings can feel like an uphill battle. However, mastering one key skill has significantly boosted my success rate: account research.” – Vin
We’ll share how Vin uses account research to double meeting bookings by avoiding common pitfalls, researching prospects and accounts effectively, and leveraging AI to streamline the process.
What is Account Research?
Account research involves gathering detailed information about a prospect or their company before reaching out. This process helps personalize outreach, making messages more relevant and engaging. By understanding the prospect’s role, challenges, and company dynamics, you can craft tailored messages that resonate more deeply, leading to higher response rates.
Why is Account Research So Important?
Traditional sales methods, such as generic cold emails, have become less effective over time. With executives receiving over 121 emails daily along with the rise of power dialers, the competition for attention is fierce. As a result, reply rates have plummeted to 1-2%.
Effective account research addresses this issue by enabling you to stand out with personalized and relevant messaging.
“By applying well-researched insights, I’ve managed to achieve a 24% reply rate on my cold outbound.” – Vin
What to Avoid When Doing Account Research
Before we talk about how to research an account, let’s discuss five things you should avoid to maximize the effectiveness of your cold outbounds:
Irrelevant Facts: Avoid including random personal facts that don’t relate to the reason you’re reaching out to. For instance, mentioning a shared alma mater without tying it to the value proposition won’t do much in terms of getting a reply.
Over-Researching: Spending too much time researching one account can lead to analysis paralysis and reduce your overall efficiency. Typically, more than 20 minutes of research won’t yield proportional benefits.
Personal Social Media: Steer clear of looking into your prospect’s personal social media accounts like Facebook or Instagram. Make sure you stick to platforms like LinkedIn or potentially X/Twitter to maintain professionalism in the interaction.
Overloading Personalization: Oftentimes, reps get overly excited about finding quality information and overload their initial email with it. Instead of using too much of your ammunition at once, try to distribute these insights across multiple touchpoints to keep future interactions relevant.
Solely Relying on LinkedIn: While LinkedIn is a valuable resource, you shouldn’t limit your research to it. Be sure to explore company websites, news articles, and other online resources to get a fuller picture and show the prospect that you took this extra step.
Researching The Prospect
When doing research for your cold outbound, there are two main areas to focus on: the prospect and the account itself. Conducting thorough research on the prospect and personalizing your message can yield twice as many responses. Let’s take a look at the different levels of research Vin does when looking into the prospect.
Level 1: Basic Personalization: Looking into the prospect’s surface-level information like hobbies or interests is the bare minimum in terms of personalization. This shows that you’ve done some homework but is generally the least impactful.
Level 2: Role-Related Insights: The next level involves investigating the prospect’s job responsibilities, challenges, and achievements (promotions, anniversaries, etc.). Digging into this level of research lets you tailor your message based on their professional needs and goals.
Level 3: High-Value Insights: For the final level of research, look for quotes or content the prospect has shared, such as podcast interviews or articles. Using high-quality and well-researched information enables you to craft relevant messages that align with the prospect’s goals or recent activities.
Researching The Account
Understanding the company behind the prospect is equally important as researching the prospect themselves. While this can be more difficult, here are some things to look for that will help you get started.
Overall Fit: The first thing to look for is information that shows if the company is a good fit. Assessing the company’s industry, size, and technology stack will help you determine if their needs align with the solutions you’re offering.
Publicly Available Information: For publicly traded companies, data such as their earning reports and 10-K filings can be a gold mine. This will provide you with some insights into their challenges and priorities.
Job Postings: Analyzing open job positions is one of the most underrated, yet powerful tools that will help you to understand the company’s hiring needs and expansion plans. This can provide clues about potential pain points or areas where your solution could fit in.
Recent News: Keeping track of industry news such as mergers, funding rounds, or new product launches will provide information that can be useful for aligning your pitch with the company’s current focus.
Real-Life Example by Vin Matano
Now that you know how to research an account and prospect, let’s see it all put together.
Here’s an example of an email that Vin crafted based on researching an account and prospect that’s hiring for additional SDRs:
Subject Line: “Hiring SDRs - Opportunity to Enhance Your Sales Team”
Body:
Trent, saw you’re hiring for SDRs responsible for Enterprise growth.
New SDRs typically struggle in the first few months of being hired.
We can lower ramp time by finding Enterprise Accounts who are showing intent for your solutions.
Given sales headcount increased by 10%, think this is worth a closer look?
Vin
Vin’s Note
The subject line for this message is “Hiring SDRs”, which is relevant to the job posting I saw. To start off the email body, I mentioned the responsibility of SDRs, which I got directly from the job description.
Next, I moved into the problem statement and how my solution can solve their issues - this is where the value prop comes in. I noticed in the job description that they’re targeting enterprise accounts, so I used that information to further personalize the email before closing with a simple CTA.
This email integrates insights from the job description, LinkedIn, and the company’s recent expansion, showcasing a well-researched and tailored approach. By using and applying these research methods, you can expect to see around a 24% reply rate.
Automating Account Research With AI
“Account research can be time-consuming, but I’ve found that leveraging AI tools can streamline the process. Platforms like Evabot help me quickly gather and analyze relevant data, making it easier to perform in-depth account research efficiently. By integrating AI into my workflow, I can maintain high-quality outreach without the extensive manual effort.” – Vin
That’s how research with Evabot looks like…
Not only that… It’s Multi-channel
Concluding Note by Vin
In summary, account research has been a game-changer for enhancing my sales strategy. By understanding both the prospect and the company they represent, and avoiding common pitfalls, I’ve crafted more personalized and effective outreach. Embracing AI tools has allowed me to automate and optimize this process, leading to even more efficiency and significantly more meetings booked.
Would you like to evaluate “Evabot AI” for leveraging AI in your account research? Book a meeting on the button below.
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