The Brief

Insights for reps who prepare.

Research, signal-finding, and outbound strategy. No fluff. New posts when we have something worth saying.

All Time & Productivity Cold Email Research & Signals CRM & Tools
Time & Productivity March 2026 · 5 min read

Reps spend 17% of their week on research. Here's what it costs.

According to HubSpot's State of Sales, the average rep dedicates 17% of their working week to prospecting and research — nearly a full day every month, per person. That adds up faster than most sales managers realise, and the cost isn't just time. It's pipeline that didn't get touched, calls that didn't get made, and outreach that stayed in a draft.

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Research & Signals Jul 2026 · 5 min read

How to research a prospect in 5 minutes before a cold call

A step-by-step framework for researching any prospect fast. What to check, in what order, and how to turn it into a hook before you dial.

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Research & Signals Jul 2026 · 6 min read

What are buying signals in sales? (And how to find them fast)

Buying signals tell you when a prospect is more likely to be in the market. Here's what they are, which ones matter, and where to find them — mostly for free.

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Cold Calling Jul 2026 · 5 min read

Why winging it on cold calls is killing your conversion rate

Going into a cold call unprepared doesn't just hurt that call — it compounds. Here's what winging it actually costs, and what prepared reps do differently.

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Research & Signals Jul 2026 · 4 min read

The pre-call research checklist every SDR should have saved

Five items, five minutes, in order. The exact checklist consistent top performers run before every dial — plus hook templates for each trigger type.

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Cold Email Jul 2026 · 6 min read

How top sales reps personalise outbound at scale

Personalisation at scale sounds like a contradiction. It isn't. Here's how the best outbound reps personalise every message without it eating their morning.

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Cold Email Jul 2026 · 5 min read

How to write a cold email subject line that gets opened

Subject lines are the only thing that determines whether your email gets read or deleted. Most reps treat them as an afterthought. Here's how to write them properly.

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Research & Signals Jul 2026 · 5 min read

What is a sales brief? (And why every rep needs one)

A sales brief is what separates reps who get straight to the point from reps who spend the first ten minutes of a call figuring out what to say. Here's what goes in one and how to use it.

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Research & Signals Aug 2026 · 6 min read

How to use LinkedIn for sales prospecting (without Sales Navigator)

Sales Navigator is powerful. But most of what reps use it for can be done with a free LinkedIn account and a bit of discipline. Here's the tactical rundown.

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Research & Signals Aug 2026 · 5 min read

ICP vs buyer persona: what's the difference and why it matters for outbound

Most teams either conflate ICP and buyer persona or use them interchangeably. They're different tools that answer different questions — and confusing them leads to the wrong targeting and the wrong message.

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Cold Calling Aug 2026 · 4 min read

How to personalise a cold call opening line in 30 seconds

The first ten seconds of a cold call determine whether the prospect engages or reaches for the hang-up button. Here's how to make those seconds count with something specific.

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Cold Email Aug 2026 · 5 min read

What is a sales cadence? (And how to build one that works)

A cadence is a structured sequence of outreach touchpoints designed to convert a cold prospect into a booked meeting. Here's what good ones look like and how to build one.

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Cold Email Sep 2026 · 5 min read

Cold email vs cold call: which gets more replies in 2026?

Every year someone declares one channel dead and another publishes a rebuttal. The honest answer depends on your ICP and how well you execute — here's the real breakdown.

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Research & Signals Sep 2026 · 5 min read

How to use job postings to research sales prospects

Job postings are public strategy documents. They tell you exactly where a company is investing, what problems they're trying to solve, and what tech they're using. Most reps walk straight past them.

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Cold Email Sep 2026 · 4 min read

The best time to send a cold email (according to the data)

Timing a cold email well won't save a bad one. But timing a good one badly loses replies that were there for the taking. Here's what the data says and how to apply it practically.

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Research & Signals Sep 2026 · 6 min read

How to research a company before a sales meeting

A discovery call is not the place to find out what a company does. Walk in knowing the business, the people, and the context — so the conversation can be about what they need, not about catching up.

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Cold Email Feb 2026 · 4 min read

Why AI-written cold emails get ignored (and what to send instead)

When every rep has access to the same AI writing tools, AI-written emails become the new template. The buyers who receive 40 of these a day have learned to recognise the pattern — and delete it.

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Research & Signals Feb 2026 · 6 min read

7 signals you can pull from a company's public profile — without enrichment tools

The best outreach hook is specific. A surprising number of the most useful signals are completely public — if you know where to look. Here's a tactical walkthrough of seven you can use today.

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