The short answer
Pre-call research is the short review a seller does right before a sales call: who the person is, what changed at their company, what you already know from past emails or calls, and what you want to learn. Ten focused minutes is enough. Write three lines (why them, why now, your first question) and stop.
On this page
- The 10-Minute Pre-Call Research Routine
- Minutes 0 to 2: Start With What You Already Know
- Minutes 2 to 6: The Person, Then the Company
- Minutes 6 to 10: Write the Three-Line Call Card
- Questions That Show Your Pre-Call Research
- The 2-Minute Version for Back-to-Back Calls
- Pre-Call Research Traps That Waste Your Ten Minutes
- Turn pre-call research into a call plan in three steps
- FAQ
Key takeaways
Timebox to ten minutes: Research expands to fill the time. Set a timer, follow the same order on every call and stop when it rings.
Start with your own notes: Past emails, CRM notes and what they downloaded beat anything on Google. Check what you already know first.
Write three lines: Why them, why now and your first question. If it doesn't fit on a sticky note, you won't use it live.
Research to ask better: The goal is a sharper question, not a speech about their company. Show your homework through what you ask.
The 10-Minute Pre-Call Research Routine
Ten minutes is enough if you check things in the right order and write as you go. Set a timer and work through this table top to bottom.
| Minutes | Check | Look for | Write down |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 2 | Your CRM, inbox and call notes | What they replied, clicked, downloaded or asked | Why this call is happening |
| 2 to 4 | The person's LinkedIn | Role, time in seat, previous company, recent posts | One thing they care about |
| 4 to 6 | The company's homepage and newsroom | What they sell, to whom, and anything new | One recent change |
| 6 to 8 | Careers page or recent job posts | Hiring surges and tools they mention | Your best guess at a pain |
| 8 to 10 | Your blank call card | Nothing new: just decide | Why them, why now, first question |
The last two minutes matter most. Most reps spend all ten minutes reading and walk in with nothing written down. Reserve the end for deciding, because that's what you'll use on the call.
Minutes 0 to 2: Start With What You Already Know
Your own records beat anything you'll find on Google, because they tell you why this person said yes to the call. Check them before you open a single new tab.
- The last email thread. Re-read their exact reply. If they wrote "we're looking at this for Q1", that's your timing, in their words.
- CRM notes and activity. Look for past calls, old opportunities and who else from the account has talked to your team.
- What they engaged with. A pricing page visit or a downloaded guide tells you which problem brought them in.
If this is a cold call, there's no history yet. Spend the two minutes on the company instead, and lean on your cold call opener to earn the first 30 seconds.
Minutes 2 to 6: The Person, Then the Company
Research the person first, because people buy for their own reasons before their company's. Then look at the company only for what changed recently.
- Time in seat. Someone three months into a new role is still deciding what to change. Someone five years in owns the current setup and may defend it.
- Previous company. If they used a tool like yours before, ask what they liked about it.
- Recent posts. A post about a problem is the best opener you'll get. Quote it accurately or not at all.
- What's new at the company. Scan the homepage, newsroom and careers page for launches, hiring and expansions. Our list of sales trigger events shows which changes are worth raising.
Skip what won't change the call. Founding year, office photos and the full product catalog feel productive but rarely affect what you'll say. The deeper routine you run before first outreach lives in how to research a prospect; this one is only for the minutes before you dial.
Minutes 6 to 10: Write the Three-Line Call Card
The call card is the only output of pre-call research that matters. Three lines, written in your own words, readable at a glance.
WHY THEM: [Fact about the person or account that makes them a fit]
WHY NOW: [Recent change, reply or activity that makes this call timely]
FIRST Q: [One open question that tests your guess at their pain]
Next step I'll ask for: [specific meeting, person or action, with a date]
Here's one filled in for a fictional call. Sam Ortiz at Northwind, which sells freight quoting software, is calling Maya Chen, VP Operations at Halden Freight.
WHY THEM: Maya runs ops for a 40-truck regional carrier; she replied to
our email saying spot quotes 'eat her team's mornings'.
WHY NOW: Halden posted three pricing analyst roles this month.
FIRST Q: 'When a spot request comes in at 9am, what happens
before the customer gets a price?'
Next step I'll ask for: 30-minute workflow review with Maya and
her pricing lead, next Tuesday or Wednesday.
Write the next step before the call. If you don't know what you're asking for, the call ends with "let's stay in touch". For a fuller version with hypotheses and attendees, use the call prep template.
Questions That Show Your Pre-Call Research
Good research shows up in your questions, not in a recap of their website. Use what you found to ask something only a prepared seller would ask.
- Reference, then ask. "I saw you're hiring three pricing analysts. Is that growth, or is the current team stretched?"
- Check your guess. "Teams your size usually quote by spreadsheet. Is that how it works at Halden, or have you moved past that?"
- Use their words. If their site says "same-day capacity", ask about same-day capacity, not "throughput optimization".
- Ask about change. "What's different about this quarter compared to last?" opens the door to timing.
Don't narrate your research. "I see you were founded in 2009 and have 140 employees" wastes their time. Pick one fact and turn it into a question. For more, see our bank of discovery call questions.
The 2-Minute Version for Back-to-Back Calls
Some days you get two minutes between meetings, not ten. Cut the routine to its core and accept that you'll learn the rest on the call.
- Read the last CRM note. Thirty seconds.
- Read their LinkedIn headline and role. Thirty seconds.
- Scan the company homepage headline. Thirty seconds.
- Write one question. Thirty seconds.
Be honest when you're light on prep. "I had a quick look at your site, but I'd rather hear it from you" beats pretending you know their business.
Pre-Call Research Traps That Waste Your Ten Minutes
Most wasted prep time comes from the same few habits. Catch them and the routine stays at ten minutes.
- Reading everything. Ten blog posts won't change your first question. One recent change will.
- Researching only the company. The person on the call has their own goals. Spend at least a third of your time on them.
- Stopping at facts. A list of facts isn't a plan. Finish with the three-line card.
- Trusting stale info. A job post from last year or an old press release can embarrass you. Check dates.
Ten minutes per call adds up fast when you run eight calls a day. If you'd rather start each call with the research already done, Edithly's prospect research reads the prospect's website and writes a call script around it, with discovery questions and what to listen for, so your prep becomes checking and choosing instead of searching.
How Edithly does it
Turn pre-call research into a call plan in three steps
Edithly reads the prospect's website and writes a call script around what it finds: an opener, discovery questions with what to listen for and replies to likely objections. It replaces ten minutes of tab-hopping with one page you can skim before you dial.
- 1
Click the Cold Call Script tile
Open Home and pick Cold Call Script. Your pitch and proof points are already in your playbook from your own website.
- 2
Enter the prospect's website
Add the company name and website, plus the contact's name and LinkedIn if you have them. Paste anything from your CRM into Notes, such as 'downloaded the pricing guide last week'.
- 3
Generate and skim before dialing
Click Generate cold call script. Read the discovery questions and what to listen for, then copy the lines you want onto your call card.
Website
Ready
- Opener
- Permission ask
- Discovery questions
- Objections
- Voicemail
- Gatekeeper
- By hand
- 10 to 20 minutes per call
- With Edithly
- A couple of minutes per call
Frequently asked questions
How long should pre-call research take?
For most first calls, ten minutes is enough if you follow a fixed order: your own notes, the person, the company, then a written plan. Strategic accounts and late-stage meetings deserve more, but that is account research, done days earlier. If you're spending 30 minutes before a routine call, you are reading, not preparing.
What should you research before a sales call?
Four things: what you already know (CRM notes, email replies, what they downloaded), the person (role, tenure, recent posts), the company (what changed recently, such as hiring, launches or funding) and your goal for the call. Then write down your first question and the next step you want.
What is the difference between pre-call research and call planning?
Pre-call research gathers facts about the person and company. Call planning decides what you will do with them: the objective, your hypotheses, the questions and the next step. On a quick call the two blend into one three-line card. On a bigger meeting, write a separate call prep document.
What if I have no time to research before a call?
Use the two-minute version: read your last CRM note, open the person's LinkedIn headline and the company's homepage, and write one question. Then be honest on the call: 'I had a quick look at your site, but I'd rather hear it from you. What's the priority this quarter?' Prospects respect that more than a bluff.
Can Edithly do pre-call research for me?
It does the research and turns it into a call plan. Paste the prospect's website into the Cold Call Script tile and Edithly reads their business, then writes an opener, discovery questions with what to listen for, objection replies and a voicemail. You still check the facts and choose what to ask. The free Starter plan includes 50 credits.