It has never been easier to conduct prospect research than it is today. The digital age has given everyone with a Wi-Fi connection access to the cumulative knowledge of the entire human race. In sales, information is power — and today’s salespeople have the benefit of selling in the age of information.

People: Still the Best Tool and Most Powerful Computer

Technology has given salespeople access to a variety of helpful tools that help enhance and streamline the sales process, but sales is still a business about people. A business’s most valuable asset might be the salesperson who knows both the product and the buyer inside and out, the ambitious intern who is eager to join the sales team, or the graduate student who generates quality leads through meticulous research. Nothing beats natural human intuition, but a talented salesperson armed with a few good sales tools is a force to be reckoned with.

LinkedIn: Check Them Out Online Before Picking Up the Phone

LinkedIn is the largest professional social network in the world. The prospect’s website is still the best way to identify the corporate structure, including the CEO and other officers, to identify who will be on the other end of the telephone — but LinkedIn gives salespeople the power to examine the human being behind the company headshot.

Once a salesperson identifies their contact, they can learn about their passions, their interests, and their background — all of which is crucial information — even if those details are not directly tied to the business, the product or the sale.

Institute of Directors: a Great Place to find Your Customers

More than just an amazing research facility, The Institute of Directors is a non-profit organisation that advises business leaders and provides them with information that they can use to move their enterprise forward. Find your local branch and network with your peers, perhaps you are looking for a certain size of business or specialism, then check out the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), your local chamber of commerce or industry group. Offer to speak at meetings and look to give away useful tips and connections, trust that if you do this well introductions will follow.

Exciting online tools are connecting people and taking the grunt work out of research. In the end, however, tools only empower smart, motivated people — they can never replace them.