# Research method — LinkedIn

## Reading order

1. **Open roles.** The most honest document a company publishes. They name tools, describe broken processes, and show which teams are growing. Read these before anything else.
2. **Company page posts, last 90 days.** What the company says it is doing, in its own words.
3. **The person's current role description.** What they actually own, which is narrower than the title implies.
4. **Their activity — posts and comments, last 60 days.** The single best source of a first-message reference, because it is something they chose to say publicly.
5. **Their About section.** Written once, often years ago. Useful for background, weak as a trigger.
6. **Tenure and previous roles.** Useful for judging scope and for spotting a recent move.

## What each surface reliably tells you

| Surface | Reliable for | Not reliable for |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles | tools in use, growth areas, pain | headcount, budget |
| Job title | function | scope, authority — both depend on company size |
| Seniority filter | rough level | anything at small companies, where it is frequently wrong |
| Industry tag | broad category | anything precise; it is self-reported |
| Headcount band | order of magnitude | exact size |
| Posts | current attention | long-term priorities |
| "Changed jobs" signals | a real event | why they moved |

## What LinkedIn does not tell you

Revenue, budget, tech stack beyond what a job ad names, renewal dates, whether the problem is actually felt, and who really decides. All of these are call questions, not research findings. Never present them as research.

## The evidence rule

Every claim in a brief is one of:
- **Read** — it appears in pasted text. Quote it.
- **Inferred** — reasonable, but not stated. Label it.
- **Unknown** — say so.

An assistant that blurs these produces confident briefs that get sellers embarrassed on calls.

## Scope over title

A "Head of Finance" at a 60-person company signs for software. At 6,000 people, they approve a line item someone else chose. Always read the title against the headcount band before deciding who to contact.

## What matters for us specifically

<- The number of operating entities. Visible on the company page or in the job ads, occasionally in the About section.
- Whether they have a Group Financial Controller. If they do, that is the user; if they do not, the Finance Director is doing the work personally and the message changes.>

## Stop rule

Five minutes per prospect at the qualification stage, fifteen for an account that matters. Past that you are researching instead of selling, and the extra findings rarely change the first message.

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Linkediz LinkedIn AI Toolkit — v1.0, 18 September 2026
Source and updates: https://www.linkediz.com/ai/files/research
LinkedIn plan limits and prices in this file: https://www.linkediz.com/linkedin-limits