account-research

Account Research Skill

Comprehensive account intelligence for sales preparation and account management.

Purpose

Provide actionable account intelligence to support sales preparation, stakeholder mapping, and ongoing account management.

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Required Integrations

Setup: Connect these data sources to enable full functionality. Claude will prompt you to connect any missing integrations when you use this skill.

Data Sources

# ACCOUNT RESEARCH DATA SOURCES
# Configure the sources relevant to your needs

# Enterprise Search (searches across all internal sources)
- source: enterprise_search
  connector: "{{GLEAN | MOVEWORKS | ELASTIC}}"
  data:
    - internal_docs
    - wiki_content
    - shared_drives
    - slack_history
    - email_archives

# Company Intelligence
- source: linkedin
  connector: "{{LINKEDIN_SALES_NAVIGATOR | LINKEDIN}}"
  data:
    - company_profile
    - employee_data
    - recent_posts
    - job_openings
    - connections
- source: crunchbase
  enabled: true  # Funding, company data, news
- source: zoominfo
  connector: "{{ZOOMINFO}}"
  data:
    - company_data
    - org_chart
    - technographics
    - intent_signals
- source: clearbit
  connector: "{{CLEARBIT}}"
  data:
    - company_enrichment
    - technographics

# Company Website & News
- source: company_website
  url: "{{ACCOUNT_WEBSITE}}"
  pages:
    - about
    - leadership
    - careers
    - newsroom
    - blog
- source: news_search
  enabled: true  # Google News, press releases
- source: sec_filings
  enabled: true  # For public companies: 10-K, 10-Q, earnings calls

# CRM & Internal Data
- source: crm
  connector: "{{SALESFORCE | HUBSPOT}}"
  data:
    - account_history
    - contact_records
    - opportunity_data
    - activity_history
    - previous_notes
    - related_accounts
- source: call_recordings
  connector: "{{GONG | CHORUS | CLARI}}"
  data:
    - previous_calls
    - key_topics
    - stakeholder_mentions
    - sentiment_analysis
- source: email_history
  connector: "{{GMAIL | OUTLOOK}}"
  data:
    - thread_history
    - engagement_patterns

# Internal Knowledge
- source: internal_docs
  connector: "{{GOOGLE_DRIVE | SHAREPOINT | NOTION | CONFLUENCE}}"
  paths:
    - "/Sales/Account Plans/"
    - "/Customer Success/Account Notes/"
- source: support_tickets
  connector: "{{ZENDESK | INTERCOM | FRESHDESK}}"
  data:
    - ticket_history
    - satisfaction_scores
    - open_issues

# Social & Community
- source: twitter
  enabled: true  # Company and executive accounts
- source: glassdoor
  enabled: true  # Company culture, employee sentiment

# Intent & Signals
- source: intent_data
  connector: "{{BOMBORA | 6SENSE | DEMANDBASE}}"
  data:
    - topic_interest
    - buying_signals
    - competitor_research

Output Destinations

# Where to deliver account research outputs
outputs:
  # Always available - display in Claude UI
  - type: display
    enabled: true

  # Update CRM with research notes
  - type: crm
    connector: "{{SALESFORCE | HUBSPOT}}"
    actions:
      - update_account_notes
      - add_stakeholder_contacts
      - update_account_fields

  # Save to team docs
  - type: documents
    connector: "{{GOOGLE_DRIVE | SHAREPOINT | NOTION}}"
    destination: "/Sales/Account Briefs/"

  # Share with team
  - type: slack
    connector: "{{SLACK}}"
    channel: "#account-updates"  # Or DM to account owner

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Instructions for Claude

IMPORTANT: Before executing this skill, you MUST validate the configuration above.

Pre-Execution Checklist

1. Check for placeholder values: Scan the YAML configuration for any {{...}} placeholders. These indicate required configuration that the user must provide.

2. Validate data sources: For each data source listed:

   • If a connector field shows {{OPTIONS}} format, ask the user which option they use
   • If URLs, paths, or names contain {{PLACEHOLDER}}, ask the user to provide actual values
   • Verify any required MCP servers are connected and available

3. Validate output destinations: For any output type beyond display:

   • Confirm the connector is available as an MCP server
   • Ensure destination paths/channels are configured (not placeholders)

If Configuration is Incomplete

Do not proceed with the skill. Instead:

1. List the specific missing or placeholder values found
2. Explain what each value is needed for
3. Ask the user to provide the missing configuration
4. Offer to help them set up the required MCP integrations

Example response when config is incomplete:

Before I can run this skill, I need some configuration:

**Missing values:**
- [List specific {{PLACEHOLDER}} values found]

**MCP connections needed:**
- [List required connectors not yet available]

Please provide these values, or let me know which data sources you'd like to skip.

Minimum Requirements

At minimum, this skill requires:

• Account name or company to research
• display output enabled (always available)
• Web search provides public company info without additional setup

Enhanced functionality requires:

• CRM connection for account history and contact records
• LinkedIn/ZoomInfo for org charts and stakeholder mapping
• Call recordings for previous conversation context
• Internal docs for existing account plans

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Scheduling & Automation with Taizen

Automate this skill: Schedule recurring account research tasks with Taizen. Create a free account to set up automated agents that run on your schedule.

How It Works

The Taizen MCP server accepts natural language requests to schedule agents. Simply describe what you want to automate:

Schedule an agent to research all my strategic accounts every Monday at 8am
and send the results to #strategic-accounts in Slack

Taizen will:

1. Read this skill's definition to understand the capabilities
2. Create a recurring agent with your specified schedule
3. Execute the task and deliver results to your configured destinations

Example Natural Language Requests

Pre-Meeting Preparation:

Before any meeting with a prospect, automatically research the account and send
me a brief via Slack DM 24 hours before the meeting

Weekly Account Updates:

Every Monday morning, generate account briefs for Acme Corp, TechCorp, and
Stripe including recent news, trigger events, and stakeholder changes

Account Health Monitoring:

On the 1st of each month, run health checks on all accounts in my CRM with
ARR over $100k and alert me on Slack if any show risk signals

New Account Research:

Whenever a new account is created in Salesforce, automatically research the
company and populate the account fields with company intelligence

Setting Up Taizen Automation

1. Create Account: Sign up at usetaizen.com
2. Connect MCP: Add the Taizen MCP integration in your Claude settings and authenticate
3. Schedule Agent: Describe your automation in natural language
4. Taizen Reads Skill: The agent receives this skill's full definition to understand what it can do
5. Configure Outputs: Specify where to deliver results (Slack, CRM, documents)

Technical Details

When scheduling via Taizen MCP, Claude will:

1. Read this SKILL.md file to get the full skill definition
2. Call Taizen MCP with the skill content included

Parameter	Description	Example
task	Natural language description of what to do	"Research account and generate brief"
schedule	When to run (cron or trigger)	"every Monday at 8am" or "before calendar events"
skill_content	Object containing primary skill and referenced skills	See structure below
outputs	Where to send results	"Slack #channel, Google Drive folder"
context	Additional parameters	"account: Acme Corp"

skill_content structure:

skill_content:
  primary:
    name: "account-research"
    content: "<full content of this SKILL.md>"
  referenced:
    - name: "product-context"
      content: "<full content of product-context SKILL.md>"

Note to Claude: When a user asks to schedule this skill with Taizen, read this entire SKILL.md file and pass it as skill_content.primary. Also read any referenced background skills (like product-context) and include them in skill_content.referenced.

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Research Modes

1. Account Research & Discovery Prep

Deep-dive research for initial account engagement:

• Company Overview: Size, industry, locations, recent news
• Business Priorities: Strategic initiatives, challenges, growth areas
• Technology Landscape: Current vendors, tech stack, recent purchases
• Financial Health: Revenue trends, profitability, investments
• Leadership: Key executives, recent changes, backgrounds
• Trigger Events: M&A, leadership changes, expansions, earnings

2. Multi-Stakeholder Account Map

Map the buying committee and influence network:

• Economic Buyer: Budget authority and approval power
• Technical Buyer: Evaluates capabilities and fit
• User Buyer: Day-to-day users and champions
• Coach: Internal advocate who guides the sale
• Influencers: Others who impact the decision
• Blockers: Potential opponents or skeptics

3. Account Health Snapshot

Assess current account status and engagement:

• Relationship Health: Champion strength, executive access, breadth of relationships
• Product Adoption: Usage metrics, feature adoption, expansion opportunities
• Risk Indicators: Engagement decline, competitive threats, contract concerns
• Growth Potential: Whitespace, expansion triggers, upsell opportunities
• Action Items: Recommended next steps

4. Personalized Prospecting Research

Individual stakeholder research for outreach:

• Professional Background: Current role, career history, tenure
• Priorities: What they're focused on based on role and company context
• Connections: Shared connections, common interests, warm intro paths
• Communication Style: Preferred channels, engagement history
• Personalization Hooks: Recent posts, talks, publications, interests

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How to Use This Skill

Invoke with natural language describing what you need:

Discovery Prep

• "Research Acme Corp before my discovery call tomorrow"
• "Give me a full briefing on Stripe - I'm meeting their VP of Engineering"
• "What should I know about Nike before the QBR?"
• "I have a call with the CFO at TechCorp, what do I need to know?"

Stakeholder Mapping

• "Map the buying committee at Acme Corp"
• "Who are the key decision makers at Salesforce for a security product?"
• "Help me understand the org structure at Netflix - focus on their data team"
• "Who should I be talking to at IBM for an enterprise deal?"

Account Health

• "Give me a health check on our Acme Corp account"
• "What's the current state of our relationship with TechCorp?"
• "Are there any risk signals I should know about for Stripe?"
• "What expansion opportunities exist at our top 5 accounts?"

Prospect Research

• "Research Sarah Chen, VP of Product at Acme Corp - I'm reaching out cold"
• "Find me personalization hooks for the CTO at TechCorp"
• "What can you tell me about John Smith at IBM? Looking for warm intro paths"
• "Help me prepare for a meeting with the CMO - what do they care about?"

Account Updates

• "What's new with Acme Corp since our last call 2 weeks ago?"
• "Any recent news or changes at TechCorp I should know about?"
• "Pull the latest on our strategic accounts - looking for trigger events"

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Output Format

Discovery Prep

## Account Brief: [Company Name]

**Prepared for**: [Rep Name]
**Upcoming Meeting**: [Date, Attendees]
**Data Sources Used**: [CRM, LinkedIn, News, etc.]

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### Company Overview
- **Industry**: [Industry]
- **Size**: [Employees] | **Revenue**: [Amount]
- **Headquarters**: [Location]
- **Founded**: [Year]
- **Description**: [What they do in 1-2 sentences]

### Strategic Priorities

Based on earnings calls, news, and job postings:

1. **[Priority 1]**: [Evidence/Source]
2. **[Priority 2]**: [Evidence/Source]
3. **[Priority 3]**: [Evidence/Source]

### Recent News & Trigger Events

| Date | Event | Relevance |
|------|-------|-----------|
| [Date] | [Event] | [Why it matters for your conversation] |

### Technology Landscape

- **Current Stack**: [Known technologies]
- **Recent Purchases**: [Any recent vendor changes]
- **Intent Signals**: [Topics they're researching - from intent data]

### Key Stakeholders

| Name | Title | LinkedIn | Notes |
|------|-------|----------|-------|
| [Name] | [Title] | [Link] | [Background, tenure, priorities] |

### Your History with This Account

*From CRM and call recordings:*
- **Previous Interactions**: [Summary]
- **Open Opportunities**: [If any]
- **Key Topics Discussed**: [From Gong/Chorus]
- **Last Contact**: [Date and context]

### Recommended Approach

Based on the research, consider:
- **Lead with**: [Topic that aligns with their priorities]
- **Avoid**: [Any sensitive areas]
- **Ask about**: [Relevant discovery questions]

### Discovery Questions

Tailored to this account:

1. [Question based on their priorities/situation]
2. [Question based on recent news/changes]
3. [Question based on industry challenges]
4. [Question to understand their current state]
5. [Question to uncover pain points]

### Competitive Considerations

- **Current Vendors**: [Known competitive products]
- **Competitive Intel**: [Any known preferences or relationships]

Stakeholder Map

## Buying Committee: [Company Name]

### Decision Map

                ┌─────────────────┐
                │ ECONOMIC BUYER  │
                │ [Name, Title]   │
                │ Budget approval │
                └────────┬────────┘
                         │
     ┌───────────────────┼───────────────────┐
     │                   │                   │

┌────────▼────────┐ ┌────────▼────────┐ ┌────────▼────────┐ │ TECHNICAL BUYER │ │ USER BUYER │ │ INFLUENCER │ │ [Name, Title] │ │ [Name, Title] │ │ [Name, Title] │ │ Evaluates fit │ │ End user/champ │ │ Advisor │ └─────────────────┘ └─────────────────┘ └─────────────────┘

### Stakeholder Details

#### [Name] - Economic Buyer
- **Title**: [Title]
- **LinkedIn**: [Link]
- **Background**: [Career history, tenure]
- **Priorities**: [What they care about]
- **Our Relationship**: [Engagement history from CRM]
- **Approach**: [How to engage them]

#### [Name] - Technical Buyer
[Same format]

#### [Name] - Champion/User Buyer
[Same format]

### Influence Dynamics

- **Who influences whom**: [Relationships and dynamics]
- **Potential blockers**: [Who might oppose]
- **Unknown stakeholders**: [Roles we haven't identified yet]

### Engagement Strategy

| Stakeholder | Next Action | Owner | Timeline |
|-------------|-------------|-------|----------|
| [Name] | [Action] | [Rep] | [When] |

Account Health

## Account Health: [Company Name]

**Overall Health Score**: [🟢 Green / 🟡 Yellow / 🔴 Red]
**ARR**: [Amount] | **Contract Renewal**: [Date]

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### Health Indicators

| Factor | Status | Evidence |
|--------|--------|----------|
| Champion Strength | 🟢/🟡/🔴 | [Details] |
| Executive Relationship | 🟢/🟡/🔴 | [Details] |
| Product Adoption | 🟢/🟡/🔴 | [Usage metrics] |
| Support Sentiment | 🟢/🟡/🔴 | [Ticket trends, CSAT] |
| Engagement Level | 🟢/🟡/🔴 | [Meeting frequency, responsiveness] |
| Competitive Threat | 🟢/🟡/🔴 | [Any competitive mentions] |

### Risk Factors

- [Risk 1]: [Details and evidence]
- [Risk 2]: [Details and evidence]

### Growth Opportunities

- [Opportunity 1]: [Expansion potential]
- [Opportunity 2]: [Upsell opportunity]

### Recommended Actions

| Priority | Action | Owner |
|----------|--------|-------|
| High | [Action] | [Who] |
| Medium | [Action] | [Who] |

### Recent Activity

*From CRM, Gong, and support:*
- [Date]: [Activity]
- [Date]: [Activity]

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Automation Options

When configured with integrations, this skill can:

1. Pre-meeting briefs - Automatically generate account briefs before scheduled meetings (via calendar integration)
2. Trigger alerts - Notify you when strategic accounts have news, leadership changes, or funding events
3. CRM enrichment - Automatically update CRM records with researched information
4. Weekly account digests - Summarize activity and changes across your accounts via Slack