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Stan Rymkiewicz
How AI research is replacing hours of manual work
We're witnessing the end of manual prospect research as we know it.
Most sales teams are still stuck in the old paradigm: spend hours researching each prospect, craft individual messages, hope for the best, but the best performers have moved to a completely different model.
They're using AI to do the deep research that used to take hours, while they focus on the human parts of sales: building relationships and closing deals.
This week, I'm diving into how AI research is revolutionizing prospecting and why the traditional research playbook is dead.
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The Research Reality Check
Traditional prospect research is expensive, time-consuming, and often surface-level.
The old way took 30-60 minutes per prospect, was limited to LinkedIn and company websites, gave you inconsistent quality across reps, didn't scale beyond small lists and had a high cost per research hour.
With AI, it can take 2-3 minutes per prospect, you get to search across multiple data sources, your research is consistent, comprehensive, and scalable and gets done at a fraction of the cost.
The Depth Advantage
Here's what most people miss about AI research: it's not just faster—it's deeper.
AI research covers three levels:
Individual Level
LinkedIn posts and engagement
Twitter activity and opinions
Podcast appearances and quotes
Newsletter mentions and features
YouTube videos and presentations
Company Level
Funding history and investor relationships
Competitor analysis and market position
Recent news and press mentions
Strategic initiatives and job postings
Financial performance indicators
Industry Level
Regulatory changes and compliance issues
Market trends and growth patterns
Competitive landscape shifts
Technology adoption patterns
Economic indicators affecting the sector
The Personalization Revolution
This depth of research enables a level of personalization that was previously impossible at scale.
One customer gave us this example: "I saw that company X raised a $10 million series A. I'm sure you're thinking about how to generate more pipeline right now without adding headcount. Here's how we can show you how." That's strategic insight based on competitive intelligence.
The difference:
Surface personalization: "I saw you're based in New York"
Deep personalization: "Your competitor just raised Series A funding, which typically creates pressure to accelerate growth without proportional cost increases"
Time Reclamation
The time savings are dramatic, but it’s more about the focus. This shift from research-heavy to review-light prospecting changes everything:
Before AI Research:
3-4 hours researching 10 prospects
1 hour writing personalized messages
Limited daily prospecting capacity
High cost per outreach
After AI Research:
20 minutes reviewing 50+ prospects
AI handles message creation
Unlimited daily prospecting capacity
Fraction of the cost per outreach
The Control Factor
One of the biggest advantages of AI research is immediate feedback and control. This real-time optimization capability means:
Faster iteration on messaging
Quick pivots based on market response
Continuous improvement without delay
Direct control over research parameters
Quality at Scale
The holy grail of sales development has always been personalization at scale. AI research finally makes this possible.
"When you incorporate that level of granularity into customized messages that are relevant to the people that I'm trying to get in touch with, it makes a big difference. And I think that helps me stand out from all the other sales people that might be sending similar messages."
The scale advantage:
Consistent research quality across all prospects
No fatigue or declining performance
Scalable to any list size
Maintains depth even at volume
The Human Element
This isn't about replacing human intelligence. One customer noted: "It's not static, it's dynamic as I need it to be, and it comes off as a natural extension of myself." It augments what’s possible by adding to the human and making it functional at scale.
AI handles:
Data collection and synthesis
Pattern recognition across sources
Initial message creation
Competitive intelligence gathering
Humans focus on:
Relationship building
Strategic conversations
Deal closing
Account management
The ROI Math
Let's break down the economics:
Manual Research Approach:
SDR salary: $60K annually
2 hours research per day
5 prospects researched daily
~1,250 prospects per year
Cost per research: ~$48
AI Research Approach:
Tool cost: $400-800 monthly
20 minutes review time
50+ prospects daily
12,500+ prospects per year
Cost per research: ~$0.50
The math is clear: AI research is 90%+ more cost-effective while delivering superior depth and consistency.
The Competitive Advantage
Early adopters of AI research are gaining a significant advantage:
Speed to Market:
Faster campaign launches
Quicker market penetration
Rapid iteration cycles
Quality Advantage:
Deeper personalization
More relevant messaging
Higher response rates
Cost Advantage:
Lower cost per prospect
Higher ROI on outreach
Better resource allocation
What This Means for Sales Teams
The shift to AI research is inevitable.
Teams that adapt early will:
Outperform competitors on response rates
Operate more efficiently
Scale faster with fewer resources
Focus human talent on high-value activities
Teams that delay will:
Fall behind on cost efficiency
Struggle with scaling challenges
Waste human resources on automatable tasks
Lose competitive advantage
The Implementation Reality
Switching to AI research requires mindset changes:
From perfection to optimization: AI won't be perfect immediately, but it improves rapidly with feedback
From control to guidance: You guide the research rather than conducting it manually
From individual to systematic: Focus on improving the system rather than individual messages
We're moving toward a world where manual prospect research feels as outdated as manually calculating spreadsheets. Smart teams are making the switch now, before their competitors catch up.
Check out Valley’s messaging here
How I Can Help?
Let me book sales calls for you while you’re revolutionizing your research process. Seriously.
I built Valley to be your automated SDR and empower AEs. Get started today and watch your calendar fill up with qualified leads.
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