The Research Time Trap

Here's the cruel irony of sales research: the better your research, the better your emails. But thorough research takes forever, which kills your volume.

41% of sales reps' time is spent on non-revenue activities like research and admin

Most reps fall into one of two traps:

  • The Over-Researcher: Spends 20 minutes learning everything about a prospect, sends 15 great emails per day, misses quota. (Research shows only 28-39% of sales rep time goes to actual selling)
  • The Volume Player: Skips research entirely, blasts templates, gets 1-5% reply rates, also misses quota. (83.4% of SDRs fail to consistently hit quota)

The solution isn't choosing one approach—it's having a system that gets you 80% of the research value in 20% of the time.

The 60-Second Research Framework

This framework gives you exactly what you need to write a personalized email—nothing more, nothing less. Practice it until it becomes automatic.

1

Company Snapshot (15 seconds)

Answer one question: "What does this company actually do?"

  • Pull up their website homepage
  • Read the tagline/hero statement
  • Identify: B2B or B2C? Product or service? What industry?

You're not trying to understand everything—just enough to not sound clueless.

2

Growth Signal (15 seconds)

Look for one indicator of their current situation:

  • Are they hiring? (Growth mode)
  • Recent funding? (Expansion coming)
  • New product launch? (Focus area)
  • Job postings for roles you help with? (Pain point)

One signal is enough. Don't hunt for everything.

3

Contact Context (15 seconds)

Quick LinkedIn scan for your specific contact:

  • Current title and how long they've been there
  • Previous role (shows career trajectory)
  • Any shared connections or experiences

You're looking for one thing to reference—not their life story.

4

Pain Point Match (15 seconds)

Based on what you've learned, which of your value propositions is most relevant?

  • Growing fast → Scaling challenges
  • New in role → Proving themselves, quick wins
  • Hiring for specific roles → That's a problem area
  • In a competitive market → Efficiency matters

Pick ONE angle. Don't try to cover everything.

The Research Checklist

Before you write, you should have:

Category Required Intel Example
Company What they do in one sentence "B2B SaaS for restaurant inventory"
Signal One recent/relevant indicator "Series A 3 months ago"
Contact Role + one personal detail "VP Sales, 8 months in role"
Angle Why your solution matters now "Scaling sales team = outreach quality"

Where to Look (And Where Not To)

High-Value Sources (Use These)

  • Company homepage: 5-second scan of hero section tells you what they want to be known for
  • LinkedIn company page: Employee count, growth rate, recent posts
  • Contact's LinkedIn: Title, tenure, career path
  • Job postings: What they're hiring for = what they're prioritizing
  • Recent news: Quick Google for "[Company] announcement" or "[Company] funding"

Time Sinks (Avoid These)

  • Deep website exploration: You don't need to read every page
  • Full LinkedIn profile review: Recent 2-3 details are enough
  • Extensive news searching: One relevant item is sufficient
  • Social media deep dives: Rarely provides outreach-relevant intel
  • Competitor analysis: Nice to have, not need to have

The 80/20 Rule of Research

80% of your personalization value comes from 20% of possible research. Company basics + one signal + role context = everything you need. Everything else is diminishing returns.

Turning Research Into Email

Research only matters if it shows up in your email. Here's how to translate findings into personalized copy:

Research-To-Email Translation
RESEARCH: Series A 3 months ago, hiring 5 SDRs
TRANSLATION: "Scaling the sales team post-funding..."

RESEARCH: VP Sales, 8 months in role, came from larger company  
TRANSLATION: "Building out processes that probably didn't exist..."

RESEARCH: Restaurant inventory SaaS, competitive market
TRANSLATION: "In a market where every restaurant has 10 vendors calling..."

Notice the pattern: research becomes context, not a direct reference. You're not saying "I saw you raised a Series A"—you're showing you understand what that means for them.

When 60 Seconds Isn't Enough

Sometimes you need to go deeper. Reserve extended research for:

  • High-value accounts: Top 10% of your target list by deal size
  • Warm introductions: When you have a referral, invest more time
  • Competitive situations: When you know they're also talking to competitors
  • Executive outreach: C-level contacts warrant extra effort

For everyone else, the 60-second framework gives you what you need.

Automating the Research Layer

The best sales teams don't choose between thorough research and high volume—they automate the research layer entirely.

Modern tools can:

  • Pull company information automatically
  • Identify relevant signals (funding, hiring, news)
  • Synthesize contact context
  • Match prospects to relevant angles

This transforms research from a per-prospect cost to a background process. Your team gets thorough research on every prospect without spending a minute on it.

Skip the Manual Research Entirely

FullSend automates prospect research and generates personalized emails—so you can focus on conversations, not preparation.

See How It Works