Researching your prospects on the Web

Rough Notes, Jul 2003 by Klein, Barry

Search engines provide easy access to useful background and photos

The World Wide Web is, among other things, a fantastic research tool. In this article, we're going to discuss how to use that tool to research insurance prospects.

The first place to start, of course, is the prospect's own Web site, assuming there is one. Surely you didn't need to read this article to know that, right? What if you don't know if they have one, or what the URL (Web site address) is? Believing that the shortest distance between two points is a simple straight line, why not call them up and ask? Or have someone else do it? "We're thinking of doing business with your company, and we'd like to look at your Web site first, if you have one. Can you tell us what it is?" If they have one, they'll probably be happy to tell you what it is.

If, for some reason, you don't want to do that, here's a simple way of finding their Web site. Go to the Google search engine, at www.google.com. Put in the company's name and the city, and press Enter, or the Google Search button. If you're at a computer, try this: Put in Johnson Plumbing Fayetteville and try it. There are companies called Johnson Plumbing all over the country, and your first guess at a URL would probably have been johnsonplumbing.com, which would have been the wrong one. Save time, and let Google do the work.

(Note that I didn't suggest using a state. You have no way of knowing whether Johnson used AR, ARK, or Arkansas on its site, but you can be reasonably sure that it did include the city.)

Some sites are small, and others are very big. If it is more than a small "brochureware" site, look for a site map. Most larger sites have them, and it is a great way to see the whole site at a glance, and to quickly navigate to the section(s) you want. Even if you don't read the whole site, digesting the site map will give you a good feel for it.

Pay particular attention to any section that says News, Press Releases, or any variation of these. Being able to ask about recent acquisitions, new product releases, or things like these shows your prospect that you care enough to have done your homework before you even begin.

That same Google search that found the prospect's site (if it did) will also find a lot of other sites that refer to your prospect. Check them out, they'll contain interesting information. There will often be at least one city directory, which (among other things) will show you who their local competitors are, as well as their neighbors.

Now let's get more technical. Let's say that the prospect's Web site is pottysafe.com (I made that up). Their product is a plastic device that securely attaches to a toilet (I made that up) to help children learn to go potty (I didn't make this up; I have grandchildren). Sounds great, and innocuous, right? As a good practice, you should always look in the database of all Web sites to see who owns any specific Web site. Here's how to do that, and why you should do it.

Every Web site that exists is listed in one of several databases. Originally, there was only one database, called "whois" (who is) and developed by the original registrar, Network Solutions. Today it is still the largest but also contains data from many of the other registrars, although sometimes it will refer you to the other registrar's whois directory. You can find this main directory at www.networksolutions.com/ cgi-bin/whois/whois. Enter the URL (without the "www." part) and press the Go button, and you'll often get some very useful information.

Many smaller, home-based businesses don't include an address, but you'll usually get that from the whois search. Usually you'll pick up the phone and fax numbers, too, if they aren't on the Web site. Occasionally-and this is why I recommend making this a standard research item-you'll find that the business is related to some other business that isn't mentioned on the site.

If our PottySafe's site was originally registered by Emerling Ladders (I made that up), the fact that they used to be in the wooden stepstool business is important to know. If you didn't know that, and the underwriter does (underwriters do research, too), it raises a question of whether you're being deceptive or incompetent, neither of which is a good thing.

Now let's do something fun. Let's say that your prospect is a publisher, such as The Rough Notes Company, and that you know or have found out that the CEO's name is Walt Gdowski. You haven't met him yet and don't know what he looks like. His picture isn't on the company Web site. Wouldn't it be nice to see what he looks like? Here's how to do it.

Go back to www.google.com and press the Images button. Did you know it was there? It's right above the search box. Type in Gdowski and do your search. Lo, and behold-there's a picture of Walt. It works only if there's an image of your prospect on the Web, but there often is. It might be a photo of the CEO coaching his Little League team, or some other shot that makes for really good conversation.