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Article 11: Account Research SOP — How to Research a Company Before Outreach

This article shows you how to research a Company before you call, email, or qualify the account in HubSpot. 

Your goal is to understand the business before you reach out so your outreach is relevant, professional, and tied to a real business reason.

Strong account research helps you:

  • Personalize your outreach
  • Understand the Company’s business model
  • Identify possible payment needs
  • Find the right Contacts
  • Ask better discovery questions
  • Qualify faster
  • Avoid generic sales messaging
  • Decide whether the account is worth pursuing

You should use this SOP whenever you are assigned a Company, working a new account, preparing for outreach, or deciding whether a Company should become a Lead or Deal.

1. Start in the Company Record

Before you search anywhere else, start inside HubSpot.

Go to:

CRM > Companies

Then search for the Company you want to research.

Open the Company record and review what is already there.

You should check:

  • Company name
  • Website domain
  • Industry
  • Company owner
  • Phone number
  • City and state
  • Lifecycle stage
  • Lead status, if available
  • Associated Contacts
  • Associated Deals
  • Prior activity
  • Notes
  • Tasks
  • Emails
  • Calls
  • Meetings

Do not skip this step.

HubSpot may already contain useful context from prior outreach, imported records, referral notes, or previous activity.

2. Confirm You Are Working the Right Company

Before you take action, make sure the Company record is the correct business.

Some Companies may have similar names.

For example:

  • ABC Chiropractic
  • ABC Chiropractic LLC
  • ABC Chiropractic Clinic
  • ABC Chiro
  • ABC Wellness Center

You should confirm the Company by checking:

  • Website domain
  • Location
  • Phone number
  • Associated Contacts
  • Email domain
  • Notes
  • Prior activity

If something looks wrong, do not create another Company right away.

First, search HubSpot to see if there is already a duplicate or more accurate Company record.

3. Review Associated Contacts

Next, look at the Contacts associated with the Company.

Ask yourself:

  • Who do we already know at this Company?
  • Is there a decision maker listed?
  • Is there an office manager or operations contact?
  • Is there a finance contact?
  • Is there a referral partner connected to this account?
  • Has anyone replied to outreach?
  • Has anyone taken a call?
  • Has anyone asked for pricing or more information?

Your goal is to understand whether you already have a person to contact.

If the Company has no Contacts, you may need to research and identify the right person before outreach.

4. Review Prior Activity

Before reaching out, review the activity timeline.

Look for:

  • Previous calls
  • Previous emails
  • Meetings
  • Notes
  • Tasks
  • Support issues
  • Imported list context
  • Prior objections
  • Prior pricing conversations
  • Previous ownership
  • Existing Deals

This helps you avoid saying something that conflicts with prior communication.

For example, if someone already told us they use Stripe and are not ready to switch, your outreach should be different from a first-touch cold email.

5. Check for Existing Deals

Before creating a new Deal or starting new outreach, check whether the Company already has an associated Deal.

If a Deal exists, review:

  • Deal owner
  • Deal stage
  • Close date
  • Amount, if known
  • Associated Contact
  • Last activity
  • Next step
  • Notes
  • Objections
  • Status

Do not create a duplicate Deal because you did not check the Company record first.

If an active Deal already exists and you are unsure whether you should work the account, ask Sales Ops or your manager.

6. Review the Company Website

After reviewing HubSpot, go to the Company’s website.

Your job is not to read every page.

Your job is to quickly understand the business and identify possible payment-related opportunities.

Look for:

  • What the business sells
  • Who the business serves
  • Whether it accepts appointments
  • Whether it sells online
  • Whether it invoices customers
  • Whether it has multiple locations
  • Whether it has memberships or recurring services
  • Whether it has a patient, customer, client, or merchant portal
  • Whether it lists payment options
  • Whether the website looks outdated or manual
  • Whether there are forms that suggest onboarding, payment, scheduling, or billing needs
7. Identify the Business Model

You should be able to explain what the Company does in one or two sentences.

Examples:

  • “This is a chiropractic clinic serving patients in Kansas City.”
  • “This is a professional services business that likely invoices clients.”
  • “This is a multi-location business that may need consistent payment workflows.”
  • “This is a referral partner that may introduce merchants to ChainIT Pay.”

If you cannot explain the business, keep researching before outreach.

Better understanding creates better conversations.

8. Look for Payment Clues

As you research the Company, look for signs that payments may matter to them.

Possible payment clues include:

  • Online appointment booking
  • Service deposits
  • Patient payments
  • Customer invoices
  • Memberships
  • Recurring services
  • Multi-location billing
  • High-ticket services
  • Manual payment instructions
  • “Call to pay” language
  • Downloadable forms
  • Payment portals
  • Outdated checkout process
  • Multiple service lines
  • Business-to-business billing
  • Customer financing or payment plans

These clues help you form better discovery questions.

9. Identify Possible Payment Pain

Your research should help you make an educated guess about where the business may have friction.

Common payment pain may include:

  • Manual invoicing
  • Slow collections
  • Poor reporting
  • High processing costs
  • Limited online payment options
  • Confusing reconciliation
  • Disconnected payment tools
  • Customer payment friction
  • Lack of recurring billing
  • No easy way to collect deposits
  • Limited support from current provider
  • Chargeback or dispute concerns
  • Multi-location complexity

You are not assuming the pain is true.

You are using research to guide better questions.

10. Identify Likely Decision Makers

You should try to determine who may influence payment decisions.

Depending on the business, decision makers may include:

  • Owner
  • Founder
  • President
  • CFO
  • Controller
  • Office manager
  • Operations manager
  • Practice manager
  • Billing manager
  • Technology leader
  • Partner manager

If you only have a general Contact, your goal may be to ask who handles payment decisions.

Example question:

“Who on your team usually manages payment processing, billing, or vendor decisions?”

11. Prepare Your Outreach Angle

After research, choose a relevant outreach angle.

Your outreach should connect to something you learned.

Examples:

If the Company appears to invoice customers

“I noticed your business appears to work with service-based customers. I wanted to connect because we help businesses simplify payment collection, online payments, and reporting.”

If the Company appears appointment-based

“I saw that your business is appointment-driven. I wanted to learn how you currently handle payments, deposits, or follow-up billing.”

If the Company appears to have multiple locations

“I noticed your business has multiple locations. I wanted to understand whether payment reporting and consistency across locations is something your team is focused on.”

If the Company is a referral or partner account

“I wanted to connect on how we may be able to support payment conversations with your customers or referral relationships.”

12. Prepare Your Discovery Questions

Good research should lead to good questions.

Use questions like:

  • How are you accepting payments today?
  • Who is your current payment provider?
  • What is working well with your current setup?
  • What would you improve if you could?
  • Do you accept payments online, in person, or both?
  • Do you invoice customers or collect recurring payments?
  • Do you have any challenges with reporting or reconciliation?
  • Do you have multiple locations or teams collecting payments?
  • Who usually manages payment decisions?
  • Are you reviewing payment options now or later this year?

Do not start with a pitch.

Start with discovery.

13. Document Research in HubSpot

If your research reveals useful account context, document it in HubSpot.

Add a note to the Company record.

A good research note may include:

  • What the business does
  • Possible payment need
  • Likely decision maker
  • Website observations
  • Current provider, if known
  • Recommended outreach angle
  • Next step

Example note:

“Reviewed Company website. Appears to be a chiropractic clinic with appointment-based services. Website shows online scheduling but no clear payment portal. Possible opportunity around online payments, patient payment collection, and reporting. Recommend outreach to office manager or owner.”

14. Do Not Over-Research

Research should help you sell.

It should not become an excuse to avoid outreach.

For most assigned Companies, your first-pass research should be quick and practical.

You are looking for enough context to make a better call or email.

You are not writing a full business report.

A good target is:

  • 3 to 5 minutes for standard accounts
  • 10 to 15 minutes for higher-value or strategic accounts
  • More time only for enterprise, partner, or high-priority opportunities
15. When to Spend More Time on Research

Spend more time when the account is:

  • High-value
  • Multi-location
  • Referred by leadership or partner
  • Enterprise-level
  • Connected to an active Deal
  • Connected to a strategic relationship
  • Showing recent engagement
  • Asking for pricing or demo
  • Potentially complex from a risk, support, or operations standpoint

Strategic accounts deserve more preparation.

16. When to Move From Research to Outreach

Move to outreach when you can answer:

  • What does this Company do?
  • Who should I contact first?
  • Why might ChainIT Pay be relevant?
  • What question should I ask first?
  • Is there any prior activity I need to respect?
  • Is there an active Deal or existing owner?
  • What should my next step be?

If you can answer these, you are ready to reach out.

17. What to Do If the Company Has Bad or Missing Data

If the Company record has missing or bad information, do not create a duplicate.

Instead:

  1. Search HubSpot for a possible duplicate.
  2. Confirm whether the website or domain is available.
  3. Check associated Contacts.
  4. Add a note if you find useful context.
  5. Submit a support or data cleanup request if needed.
  6. Continue outreach only if you have enough reliable information.

Bad data should be reported, not multiplied.

18. What to Do If You Find a Duplicate Company

If you find a duplicate Company:

  1. Do not delete anything.
  2. Do not merge unless you are authorized.
  3. Copy both Company names or links.
  4. Review associated Contacts and Deals.
  5. Submit the issue through the support or Sales Ops process.
  6. Add a note if needed.

Duplicate Companies can create ownership confusion and bad reporting.

19. What to Do If Another AE Owns the Company

If another AE owns the Company, do not start working it without clarification.

Instead:

  1. Review the owner field.
  2. Check recent activity.
  3. Check associated Deals.
  4. Ask your manager or Sales Ops before taking action.
  5. Document only if you were instructed to support the account.

Ownership clarity matters.

Do not create internal confusion by working another AE’s account without alignment.

20. What to Do If the Company Looks Like a Strong Fit

If the Company looks like a strong fit:

  1. Add a research note.
  2. Identify the best Contact.
  3. Create or confirm a Lead if appropriate.
  4. Create a task for outreach.
  5. Begin outreach.
  6. Log activity.
  7. Update Lead status.
  8. Create a Deal only when there is engagement and commercial opportunity.

Strong fit alone does not automatically mean Deal.

You still need engagement.

21. What to Do If the Company Looks Like a Weak Fit

If the Company looks like a weak fit:

  1. Document why.
  2. Check whether the Company was assigned for a specific reason.
  3. Determine whether light outreach is still appropriate.
  4. Do not spend excessive time unless instructed.
  5. Disqualify or lower priority if appropriate and allowed.

Weak fit accounts should not consume the same time as high-fit accounts.

22. Account Research Checklist

Before outreach, you should know:

  • What the Company does
  • Website reviewed
  • Associated Contacts checked
  • Existing Deals checked
  • Prior activity reviewed
  • Owner confirmed
  • Possible payment need identified
  • Decision maker or likely role identified
  • Outreach angle selected
  • Discovery questions prepared
  • Research note added if useful
23. Common Research Mistakes to Avoid

Avoid:

  • Calling without reviewing HubSpot first
  • Emailing without checking prior activity
  • Creating duplicate Companies
  • Ignoring associated Contacts
  • Ignoring existing Deals
  • Spending too much time researching low-priority accounts
  • Making assumptions without asking discovery questions
  • Pitching before understanding the business
  • Not documenting useful research
  • Working another AE’s account without clarity
24. Final Standard

You should research enough to make your outreach relevant.

You do not need to know everything before you call or email.

Your goal is to understand the account, identify a likely payment-related reason to engage, and start a better conversation.

The ChainIT Pay account research standard is:

  • Start in HubSpot.
  • Confirm the Company.
  • Review Contacts, activity, and Deals.
  • Check the website.
  • Identify possible payment pain.
  • Prepare a relevant outreach angle.
  • Document useful findings.
  • Move to outreach with a clear next step.

Better research creates better outreach.

Better outreach creates better qualification.

Better qualification creates cleaner pipeline for ChainIT Pay.