Keep research attached to the prospect.
A card can hold the company, the relevant source links, the business problem to investigate, and the relationship owner. An agent can gather material and distinguish verified facts from hypotheses.
A company appearing on a prospect board is not evidence that it uses or endorses your product.
Use stages that represent a real handoff.
Research, qualified discussion, proposal, pilot, and ongoing relationship represent different evidence and next actions. Define what must be true before a prospect advances.
For example, a qualified discussion identifies an application, a business owner, a useful change, and a plausible route to access. A drafted message alone does not establish that qualification.
Review before contacting anyone.
The relationship owner checks the research, chooses the message, and authorizes outreach. Keep the recipient, purpose, and approval clear before a connected tool sends anything.
Record responses and commitments on the card so future follow-up reflects the actual conversation.
Measure the commercial outcome.
Track qualified conversations, proposals, pilots, accepted work, and ongoing relationships. Record losses and the reasons behind them. Activity counts can explain workload; they do not establish revenue.