Best for
- B2B teams starting an account-based campaign without deep research support
- SDRs and AEs preparing outreach to a named account list
- Demand gen teams that need stronger account context before launching ads or outbound
Turn public account signals into a practical ABM brief with priorities, pain hypotheses, buying committee notes, and first-touch angles.
Create a 10-account ABM research brief with account context, likely initiatives, persona hypotheses, message angles, and next actions.
Quick view
Check the audience, core tools, and access before you start the detailed steps.
Best for
Core tools
5 tools used across the workflow.
Access
The complete workflow is available from the first step through the final result.
Why this works
Most ABM programs fail because the account research is either too shallow or too slow to operationalize. This workflow gives marketers a repeatable way to turn public signals into usable account briefs. It does not pretend to know private buying intent, but it gives sales and marketing enough context to avoid generic outreach.
Expected results
Account briefs created
10 briefs
A focused batch of 10 accounts is large enough for an ABM sprint and small enough for useful research quality.
Research quality
Source-backed signals
Each account hypothesis is tied to public sources and marked with confidence instead of treated as confirmed intent.
Sales usefulness
5-minute readable briefs
The brief format is designed for fast account prep rather than long-form research.
Time saved
4-7 hours
AI-assisted research synthesis reduces manual account research, note cleanup, and first-touch angle development.
Step-by-step workflow
This workflow is fully available. Follow the steps below to build the system from start to finish.
20-30 min
20-30 min
Create a simple brief template before researching accounts. Work in google sheets and airtable and capture the concrete operating details: source links, buyer context, audience, claims, proof points, owner, review status, and the final deliverable link. Keep the work narrow: complete step 1, record the decision or asset created, and avoid changing unrelated parts of the workflow. Before moving on, check that the handoff is tied to the right account or record and the owner knows the next action; the expected handoff is A reusable ABM account brief template with fields for signals, hypotheses, and actions.
A reusable ABM account brief template with fields for signals, hypotheses, and actions.
Separate facts from hypotheses. ABM research becomes dangerous when teams treat public signals as confirmed internal priorities.
30-45 min
30-45 min
Add your 10 target accounts to Google Sheets or Airtable. Work in google sheets and airtable and capture the concrete operating details: source links, buyer context, audience, claims, proof points, owner, review status, and the final deliverable link. Keep the work narrow: complete step 2, record the decision or asset created, and avoid changing unrelated parts of the workflow. Before moving on, check that the handoff is tied to the right account or record and the owner knows the next action; the expected handoff is A structured 10-account table ready for research and synthesis.
A structured 10-account table ready for research and synthesis.
Do not research 50 accounts at once for the first pass. Ten is enough to build a useful ABM motion without creating research debt.
1-2 hours
1-2 hours
Use Perplexity to research each account. Work in perplexity and google sheets and capture the concrete operating details: source links, buyer context, audience, claims, proof points, owner, review status, and the final deliverable link. When you use the prompt template attached to this step, paste the real source material, name the expected output sections, and ask the model to flag uncertainty instead of filling gaps. Before moving on, check that the handoff is tied to the right account or record and the owner knows the next action; the expected handoff is Public account signal notes with source links for all 10 accounts.
Public account signal notes with source links for all 10 accounts.
Prioritize signals from the last 6-12 months. Old news can still matter, but ABM messaging works better when it reflects current motion.
45-60 min
45-60 min
Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator or public LinkedIn research to identify likely stakeholders for each account. Work in linkedin sales navigator and google sheets and capture the concrete operating details: source links, buyer context, audience, claims, proof points, owner, review status, and the final deliverable link. Keep the work narrow: complete step 4, record the decision or asset created, and avoid changing unrelated parts of the workflow. Before moving on, check that the handoff is tied to the right account or record and the owner knows the next action; the expected handoff is A buying committee map with likely stakeholders and role hypotheses for each account.
A buying committee map with likely stakeholders and role hypotheses for each account.
Do not overfit titles. A VP with the right problem is usually more useful than the perfect title with no visible connection to the initiative.
30-45 min
30-45 min
Feed Claude the account signals, company context, target persona, and your offer. Work in claude and google sheets and capture the concrete operating details: source links, buyer context, audience, claims, proof points, owner, review status, and the final deliverable link. When you use the prompt template attached to this step, paste the real source material, name the expected output sections, and ask the model to flag uncertainty instead of filling gaps. Before moving on, check that the prompt includes the actual inputs, the requested output format, and clear rules against invented facts; the expected handoff is Account-level hypotheses that connect public signals to messaging and sales action.
Account-level hypotheses that connect public signals to messaging and sales action.
Force Claude to include confidence levels. A low-confidence but interesting angle should be treated differently from a high-confidence account signal.
45-60 min
45-60 min
Create a one-page brief per account using Claude. Work in claude and airtable and capture the concrete operating details: source links, buyer context, audience, claims, proof points, owner, review status, and the final deliverable link. When you use the prompt template attached to this step, paste the real source material, name the expected output sections, and ask the model to flag uncertainty instead of filling gaps. Before moving on, check that the prompt includes the actual inputs, the requested output format, and clear rules against invented facts; the expected handoff is Ten one-page ABM research briefs ready for sales or campaign planning.
Ten one-page ABM research briefs ready for sales or campaign planning.
A good account brief should help someone act in 5 minutes. If it takes 20 minutes to read, it is not a brief.
30-45 min
30-45 min
For each account, write a short first-touch note for outbound, ads, or sales follow-up. Work in claude and airtable and capture the concrete operating details: source links, buyer context, audience, claims, proof points, owner, review status, and the final deliverable link. When you use the prompt template attached to this step, paste the real source material, name the expected output sections, and ask the model to flag uncertainty instead of filling gaps. Before moving on, check that the handoff is tied to the right account or record and the owner knows the next action; the expected handoff is Ten first-touch campaign notes connected to account-specific research.
Ten first-touch campaign notes connected to account-specific research.
Avoid saying 'we noticed you...' every time. Public-signal outreach should feel informed, not surveillance-heavy.
30 min
30 min
Review the briefs with sales or the account owner. Work in airtable and capture the concrete operating details: source links, buyer context, audience, claims, proof points, owner, review status, and the final deliverable link. Keep the work narrow: complete step 8, record the decision or asset created, and avoid changing unrelated parts of the workflow. Before moving on, check that the handoff is tied to the right account or record and the owner knows the next action; the expected handoff is An approved 10-account ABM brief pack with clear next actions.
An approved 10-account ABM brief pack with clear next actions.
Ask sales to score each brief for usefulness. Their feedback will quickly show which signals are actually useful in the field.
Research this target account for an ABM campaign.
Company:
{{company_name}}
Website:
{{company_website}}
Our ICP:
{{icp}}
Our offer:
{{offer}}
Find public signals related to:
1. Recent strategic initiatives
2. Leadership or hiring changes
3. Product, market, or geographic expansion
4. Operational challenges suggested by public information
5. Technology, transformation, or process priorities
6. News that could create a relevant conversation opener
For each signal, include:
- Signal summary
- Source URL
- Why it may matter
- Confidence level
Do not infer private intent. Mark all assumptions clearly.Turn these public account signals into ABM account hypotheses.
Our offer:
{{offer}}
ICP:
{{icp}}
Account research table:
{{account_research_table}}
For each account, output:
1. Likely current priority
2. Why this priority is plausible from the public signals
3. Primary persona to target
4. Secondary persona to target
5. Pain hypothesis
6. Relevant proof or case study type
7. Recommended message angle
8. First-touch idea
9. Confidence level from 1-5
10. What we should not assume
Keep the output practical for sales and marketing.Create a one-page ABM brief for this account.
Account:
{{account_name}}
Public signals:
{{public_signals}}
Buying committee notes:
{{buying_committee_notes}}
Account hypothesis:
{{account_hypothesis}}
Relevant proof:
{{relevant_proof}}
Write a concise account brief with:
1. Account snapshot
2. Top 3 signals
3. Likely priority
4. Target personas
5. Message angle
6. Proof to use
7. First-touch email angle
8. Recommended next action
9. Confidence and caveats
Keep it practical. Do not overstate what public research proves.Create first-touch campaign notes from these ABM briefs.
ABM briefs:
{{abm_briefs}}
Campaign offer:
{{campaign_offer}}
Brand voice:
{{brand_voice}}
For each account, write:
1. Email opening angle
2. LinkedIn message angle
3. Ad personalization angle if useful
4. Relevant proof to mention
5. One sentence to avoid because it sounds too creepy or assumptive
Keep the language short, credible, and non-generic.Related workflows
Continue with workflows that share a similar GTM motion, category, or tool stack.
Create 3-5 vertical landing page briefs with industry-specific pain points, proof angles, copy blocks, and visual direction.
A repeatable ABM engagement system that helps reps and executives comment meaningfully on target account posts before outreach.
A ready-to-run outbound table with enriched prospects, personalization signals, AI-written first lines, and sequenced cold emails.