| name | why-now |
| description | Build a "why now" case for reaching out to a company — the timing thesis and the specific hooks to lead with — by combining company signals (intent, news, scoops), account_research, your GTM context, and web research. Identify the company by ZoomInfo company ID (preferred) or name/domain (triggers a lookup). Use when someone asks "why should I reach out to Acme now", "what's our angle into this account", "give me a reason to call", or is planning outbound and needs timely, evidence-based hooks. Each hook ties a real signal to one of your offerings. |
Why Now
Answer the question a seller actually has before reaching out: why this account, why now, and what to lead with.
Prerequisites
enrich_company_signals charges data credits — each signal returned counts as a record, but companies already under management (enriched within the last 12 months by your organization) are free. account_research consumes AI credits. get_gtm_context and WebSearch are free. Intent, news, and scoop availability depends on your ZoomInfo package; if a signal type is empty, work with what is available rather than treating it as "nothing happening".
Input
Provided via $ARGUMENTS:
- Company (required) — ZoomInfo company ID (preferred), or a name/domain to resolve via
search_companies. If none is supplied, ask which company.
- Your angle (optional) — what you sell into them, or the play you are running. Sharpens the hooks.
Workflow
- Anchor on your side. Call
get_gtm_context (free) for offerings, ICP, competitors, and priorities. The "why now" only matters relative to what you sell.
- Resolve the company. Use the ZoomInfo ID directly, or resolve a name/domain via
search_companies.
- Pull the signals and context. Run
enrich_company_signals for the company with signalTypes: ["INTENT", "NEWS", "SCOOP"] (or omit signalTypes entirely, which returns all three) and account_research for deal/relationship and firmographic context, in parallel.
- Corroborate and extend with web research. Use
WebSearch for recent public developments that ZoomInfo may not carry (announcements, initiatives, leadership statements, funding) and to confirm anything time-sensitive. Capture URLs. Cross-check anything that looks stale.
- Synthesize the case. Identify the strongest timing reasons — a signal that maps to one of your offerings or to a named risk/initiative. Build the thesis, then derive specific hooks. Ground every hook in a real signal with a date and source. If the signals are thin, say the timing case is weak rather than manufacturing urgency.
Output Format
Why now — [Company]
Timing thesis — 2-3 sentences on why this account is worth reaching out to now, framed by what you sell.
Signals behind it — the specific intent topics, news, and scoops driving the thesis, most compelling first, each with a date and source (URL for web items).
Hooks (2-4) — each:
- Angle — the opening idea.
- Built on — the signal it rests on (with source).
- Maps to — the offering or value it connects to.
- Opener — one line you could actually send or say.
If the case is weak — if signals are thin or stale, say so plainly and note what would change it (a trigger to watch for), rather than inventing a reason to reach out.
