lead-research-assistant

name	lead-research-assistant
description	Identify and qualify leads for the Talosix sales team. Finds companies matching target criteria, qualifies them against the ICP, scores them as Hot/Warm/Cool, and produces a prioritized lead list with outreach recommendations for clinical trial EDC sales.
allowed-tools	Read, Grep, Glob, Bash, WebSearch, WebFetch
argument-hint	[target-criteria]

Lead Research Assistant

Purpose

Systematically identify, research, and qualify potential leads for the Talosix sales team. Takes target criteria as input (company size, therapeutic area, geography, trial phase) and produces a scored, prioritized lead list with actionable outreach recommendations.

Workflow

Step 1: Parse Target Criteria

Extract the targeting parameters from the input. If criteria are vague or missing, use sensible defaults for Talosix's ICP:

Parameter	User Input	Default (if not specified)
Company Type	[CRO, Pharma, Biotech, All]	All clinical trial organizations
Company Size	[employee range]	100-10,000 employees
Therapeutic Area	[specific area or All]	All (with preference for oncology, CNS, rare disease, immunology)
Geography	[region/country]	US, EU, Global
Trial Phase	[I, II, III, IV, All]	Phase II-III preferred
Trial Volume	[minimum active trials]	5+ active trials
Technology Signal	[legacy EDC, no EDC, any]	Any (flag legacy EDC users)
Lead Count	[how many leads to find]	15-25 qualified leads

Step 2: Lead Discovery

Use a multi-pronged search strategy to identify candidate companies:

2A: ClinicalTrials.gov Mining

Search for companies with active clinical trials matching criteria:

• WebSearch: site:clinicaltrials.gov "[therapeutic area]" sponsor recruiting 2025 2026
• WebSearch: site:clinicaltrials.gov "[therapeutic area]" phase [X] recruiting
• WebSearch: clinicaltrials.gov [therapeutic area] new trials 2025 2026

Extract sponsor and collaborator names from trial listings.

2B: Industry Directory Search

Search for companies in clinical trial industry directories:

• WebSearch: "contract research organization" OR CRO [therapeutic area] [geography] list OR directory
• WebSearch: biotech [therapeutic area] clinical trials [geography] company
• WebSearch: pharmaceutical company [therapeutic area] pipeline
• WebSearch: top CRO clinical research 2025 2026 ranking

2C: Funding and Growth Signal Search

Find companies with recent funding that suggests trial expansion:

• WebSearch: biotech funding round 2025 2026 [therapeutic area] series OR IPO
• WebSearch: pharmaceutical acquisition clinical trial [therapeutic area]
• WebSearch: biotech [therapeutic area] phase II OR "phase 2" 2025 2026

2D: EDC Vendor Signal Search

Find companies that may be evaluating or switching EDC vendors:

• WebSearch: "EDC" OR "electronic data capture" RFP OR evaluation OR selection clinical trial
• WebSearch: "data management" OR "clinical data" hiring [therapeutic area] company
• WebSearch: Medidata OR Rave OR Veeva migration OR switch OR replacement

2E: Conference and Event Mining

Identify companies active in the clinical trial technology space:

• WebSearch: DIA 2025 2026 exhibitor OR attendee OR presenter clinical trial
• WebSearch: SCOPE summit 2025 2026 clinical operations speaker
• WebSearch: SCDM annual conference 2025 2026 data management

Step 3: Initial Screening

For each candidate company discovered, conduct rapid screening:

Screen In (proceed to qualification):

• Runs clinical trials (confirmed via ClinicalTrials.gov or company website)
• Matches company type criteria
• Appears to be within size range
• Active in target therapeutic area or geography

Screen Out (exclude):

• No clinical trial activity found
• Too small (fewer than 20 employees, pre-clinical only)
• Too large and entrenched (top 10 pharma with long-term enterprise EDC contracts, unless showing switch signals)
• Academic-only with no commercial operations
• Already a Talosix customer (check workspace for existing customer lists)
• Acquired or merged into another entity

Step 4: Lead Qualification

For each screened-in company, conduct qualification research:

4A: Company Profile

Use WebSearch and WebFetch to gather:

• Company name and legal entity
• HQ location
• Employee count (LinkedIn, company website, Crunchbase)
• Company type (CRO, Pharma Sponsor, Biotech, Medical Device)
• Therapeutic focus areas
• Public/private status
• Recent funding or financial events
• Website URL

4B: Clinical Trial Activity

• Total active trials on ClinicalTrials.gov
• Phase distribution
• Therapeutic areas of active trials
• Geographic distribution of trial sites
• Recent trial starts (last 6 months)
• Trial complexity indicators

4C: Technology Assessment

Search for current EDC/technology vendor:

• WebSearch: "[company name]" Medidata OR Rave OR Veeva OR "Oracle Clinical" OR Castor OR IQVIA OR Signant EDC
• Check job postings for required system experience
• Look for vendor press releases mentioning the company

Classify:

• Known Legacy EDC: Using an older system (strong signal)
• Known Modern EDC: Using a current competitor product
• Unknown: Could not determine current EDC
• No EDC: Small enough or new enough to not have an EDC yet

4D: Buying Signal Detection

Check for active buying signals:

Hot Signals (assign if any are present):

• Active RFP or vendor evaluation (found in searches, industry forums, or job posts)
• New VP/Director of Clinical Data Management hired in last 90 days
• Public dissatisfaction with current vendor
• Regulatory finding citing data management or data integrity issues

Warm Signals (assign if 2+ are present):

• Job postings for EDC administrators, clinical data managers, or clinical programmers
• New trial registrations on ClinicalTrials.gov (last 3 months)
• Funding round closed in last 6 months
• Geographic or therapeutic area expansion
• Conference presentations about clinical data challenges

Cool Signals (assign if only these are present):

• General hiring activity
• Stable trial pipeline with no major changes
• No technology-related news
• Existing vendor relationship appears stable

4E: Key Contacts Identification

For each qualified lead, identify 1-3 key contacts:

Priority	Persona	Search Strategy
Primary	VP/Director Clinical Data Management	WebSearch: "[company]" "data management" OR CDM director OR VP site:linkedin.com
Secondary	VP/Director Clinical Operations	WebSearch: "[company]" "clinical operations" director OR VP site:linkedin.com
Tertiary	CTO / Director IT	WebSearch: "[company]" CTO OR "clinical systems" OR "clinical technology" site:linkedin.com

For each contact, note: name, title, and any personalization anchors (recent posts, conference talks, publications).

Step 5: Lead Scoring

Score each qualified lead on a composite scale:

Criteria	Weight	Score (0-10)	Description
ICP Fit	25%		How closely does the company match Talosix's ideal customer profile
Trial Volume	20%		Number and complexity of active trials
Buying Signals	25%		Strength and recency of buying signals detected
Technology Gap	15%		Likelihood of EDC evaluation (legacy system, no system, known pain)
Accessibility	15%		Ability to reach decision makers, mutual connections, event overlap

Weighted Score Calculation: Sum of (weight x score) for each criterion.

Lead Classification:

• Hot (80-100): Active evaluation signals, strong ICP fit, clear technology need. Prioritize for immediate outreach.
• Warm (50-79): Good ICP fit with moderate signals. Add to active nurture sequence.
• Cool (25-49): Future potential but no immediate triggers. Monitor for signal changes.
• Disqualified (<25): Poor fit, remove from list.

Step 6: Outreach Recommendations

For each qualified lead, provide a specific outreach recommendation:

For Hot Leads:

• Recommended first touch: Personalized email from sales rep
• Opening angle: Reference specific buying signal
• Urgency: Engage within 1 week
• Suggested sequence: Full 7-touch personalized sequence (use outreach-sequence-generator skill)

For Warm Leads:

• Recommended first touch: LinkedIn connection + value content share
• Opening angle: Share relevant industry insight
• Timeline: Engage within 2-4 weeks
• Suggested nurture: Monthly value touchpoints until signal strengthens

For Cool Leads:

• Recommended action: Add to marketing nurture list
• Content: Subscribe to newsletter, target with relevant content
• Review cadence: Re-evaluate quarterly for signal changes

Step 7: Output Format

# Qualified Lead List for Talosix

**Date**: [Date]
**Criteria**: [Summary of targeting criteria used]
**Total Companies Screened**: [count]
**Qualified Leads**: [count]
**Hot**: [count] | **Warm**: [count] | **Cool**: [count]

## Executive Summary
[3-5 sentences summarizing the lead landscape, top opportunities, and recommended priorities]

## Hot Leads (Prioritize Immediately)

### 1. [Company Name] -- Score: [X/100]
| Field | Details |
|-------|---------|
| **Company Type** | [CRO/Pharma/Biotech] |
| **HQ** | [Location] |
| **Size** | [Employees] |
| **Therapeutic Focus** | [Areas] |
| **Active Trials** | [Count, phase distribution] |
| **Current EDC** | [Vendor if known] |
| **Top Signal** | [Most compelling buying signal with evidence] |
| **Key Contact** | [Name, Title] |
| **Secondary Contact** | [Name, Title] |
| **Recommended Approach** | [Specific outreach strategy] |
| **Talking Point** | [Personalized angle for first touch] |

### 2. [Company Name] -- Score: [X/100]
[Same format]

---

## Warm Leads (Active Nurture)

### [Number]. [Company Name] -- Score: [X/100]
| Field | Details |
|-------|---------|
| **Company Type** | |
| **HQ** | |
| **Size** | |
| **Active Trials** | |
| **Current EDC** | |
| **Signal Summary** | |
| **Key Contact** | |
| **Nurture Strategy** | |

---

## Cool Leads (Monitor and Revisit)

| # | Company | Type | Size | Trials | Signal | Score | Next Review |
|---|---------|------|------|--------|--------|-------|-------------|
| | | | | | | | |

---

## Market Observations
[Trends noticed during research: common pain points, technology shifts, budget cycles, competitive dynamics]


 [Immediate action for hot leads]
 [Nurture setup for warm leads]
 [Monitoring plan for cool leads]
 [Criteria refinement suggestions based on what was found]


[Key sources used during research]

Research Quality Standards

• Every lead must have verifiable clinical trial activity. Do not include companies based solely on industry association.
• Buying signal claims must have specific evidence (URL, date, description). Do not infer signals without evidence.
• Contact names must be verifiable via public sources. Do not guess or fabricate contact information.
• Scoring must be consistent. Apply the same criteria and thresholds to every lead.
• If the requested number of leads cannot be found at the quality threshold, report fewer leads rather than padding with low-quality ones.
• Clearly distinguish between confirmed data and estimates. Label uncertain data points as "[Estimated]".
• Check the local workspace for any existing lead lists, CRM exports, or customer data before starting to avoid duplicating effort or recommending existing customers.
• Recency matters: prioritize companies with activity in the last 6 months over older data.