Begin with the sources
A dossier is useful when you can inspect the pages behind it. Open the references supporting the most important findings. Check that the quoted material belongs to the right business and says what the summary suggests.
Dates matter. A launch announcement can be evidence of an event at a particular time. It does not automatically describe the organisation today. Preserve both the publication date and the date you reviewed the page when they are available.
Keep observations and inference separate
An observation describes something found in a source. An inference explains what that fact might mean for your business. They can both be useful, but they deserve different levels of confidence.
For example, a new service page supports the observation that a business is presenting that service. The suggestion that it needs a particular sales process is an interpretation you would still need to test.
Notice what remains unknown
A public website cannot establish every internal priority. Missing information about team size, budget or buying process should remain missing. An explicit unknown is more useful than a plausible invented answer.
Connect the finding to your offer
Use your confirmed business profile to assess relevance. Explain why a supported finding connects to work you can deliver. If the connection is weak, do not force a conversation angle. Preserve the source-backed facts even when you decide there is no useful next step.
A careful interpretation
Observation: a fictional business has published a new regional service page. Possible relevance: its enquiries may now come from an additional region. Unknown: whether its team needs help handling those enquiries. Each statement has a different evidential status.
Three different kinds of statement
Observation
The public site describes residential projects.
Interpretation
A clearer project narrative might help a first conversation.
Unknown
The budget, decision process and actual priorities are not public.
Illustrative process. Review public evidence and your own circumstances.
Illustrative review process. This does not represent a real prospect or customer outcome.
Before you move on
- Open important source links
- Check identity and dates
- Distinguish observation from inference
- Keep unknowns explicit
Public information can be incomplete or out of date. Check sources and your own circumstances before acting. This guide explains a review process; it does not guarantee a result.