Prospect Research

How to prepare for a discovery call with a potential client using Coppermind's structured prospect research.

Overview#

Before a discovery call with a new prospect, you need to understand their business, pain points, and whether they are a good fit for your services. Coppermind's /cmo-discovery command pulls together a structured research package so you walk in prepared and credible.

When to Use This#

• Before a discovery call or introductory meeting with a potential client
• When evaluating whether to pursue a new engagement
• When preparing a pitch or proposal for a prospect you have not worked with before
• When a referral comes in and you need to quickly understand the company

Running Prospect Research#

/cmo-discovery Acme Corp

or ask naturally:

"Prep me for a discovery call with Acme Corp"

Coppermind researches the company and produces a structured report with these sections:

Company Snapshot#

Basic information about the company: what they do, their size, industry, and online presence. This gives you the foundation to avoid asking questions you should already know the answers to.

Pain Points#

Likely marketing challenges based on their industry, size, and public signals. These are starting hypotheses for the discovery conversation, not assumptions to present as fact.

Expertise Match#

How your experience (drawn from your other client minds) aligns with this prospect's needs. If you have run similar campaigns in their industry, Coppermind highlights that. If this is a new vertical for you, it tells you that too.

Conflict Check#

Whether working with this prospect would create a conflict with any existing client. If you already manage a direct competitor, Coppermind flags it before you get deep into the conversation.

Discovery Questions#

Suggested questions tailored to the prospect's situation. These are not generic -- they reflect the specific pain points and expertise gaps identified in the research.

After the Call#

If the prospect becomes a client, you can convert their prospect mind into a full client mind using the Prospect Mind Conversion guide. All the pre-engagement research carries over, tagged so you can distinguish what you learned before and after the engagement started.

Tips#

• Run this at least a day before the call so you have time to review and add your own notes.
• Customize the discovery questions. The generated questions are a starting point. Add your own based on what you know from the referral source or initial email exchange.
• Use it even for warm leads. Even if someone was referred by an existing client, the conflict check and expertise match are worth running.
• Store what you learn. After the discovery call, store key takeaways as memories. If the prospect becomes a client, those early observations are valuable context.