Use Salesforce with an AI Browser for Prospect Research

If you use Salesforce and you regularly need to research a prospect, the bottleneck is usually the same: Salesforce holds part of the context, but prospect research also needs signals that live outside it - on the public web, in LinkedIn, in news, in other connected apps. Strawberry is built to combine the Salesforce context with the rest of the browser, and run the full workflow as a companion you can re-trigger every week.

This page describes specifically how Strawberry handles prospect research when Salesforce is one of the inputs. It names the Salesforce surfaces involved, the signals the workflow actually needs, an example prompt you can paste, and what a good output looks like.

The job a sales rep, founder, or account executive is trying to do

The goal of prospect research is to decide whether a prospect is worth a calendar slot and prepare a personalised first touch. The success metric is concrete: first reply rate above 8% and a meeting booked in under 14 days from first touch. That definition matters because it shapes what Salesforce needs to contribute to the workflow.

What signals prospect research actually needs

For each signal below, here is whether Salesforce can contribute directly or whether Strawberry has to find it via the browser:

• Role tenure and seniority on LinkedIn - Salesforce stores or surfaces this directly. Strawberry reads it through the connected integration.
• Recent funding rounds or M&A activity - Salesforce does not contain this directly. Strawberry uses the browser plus public sources to fetch it.
• Headcount growth or layoffs in the last 6 months - Salesforce does not contain this directly. Strawberry uses the browser plus public sources to fetch it.
• Tech stack and procurement signals - Salesforce does not contain this directly. Strawberry uses the browser plus public sources to fetch it.
• Recent content the prospect has published or commented on - Salesforce does not contain this directly. Strawberry uses the browser plus public sources to fetch it.
• Open job postings that reveal team priorities - Salesforce does not contain this directly. Strawberry uses the browser plus public sources to fetch it.

What Strawberry can do inside Salesforce

Strawberry can read an Account or Opportunity, pull related Contacts and Activities, and combine that context with web research for high-touch deal preparation.

Salesforce surfaces Strawberry uses for this workflow: accounts, opportunities, contacts, leads, reports.

How Strawberry runs prospect research with Salesforce

1. Strawberry opens the Salesforce accounts that contains the relevant context.
2. The companion pulls related context from Salesforce (opportunities, history, attached files) where it exists.
3. For the parts Salesforce does not store, Strawberry uses the browser - web search, LinkedIn, news, the prospect's website.
4. Strawberry synthesises the output in the shape this workflow needs: A one-page brief.
5. A human reviews before any external action (send, update, post). Then the approved output is saved back to Salesforce or your system of record.

Example Strawberry prompt

Paste this in a new Strawberry chat with Salesforce connected. Adjust the specifics to your actual ICP, role, or topic.

Read this Salesforce accounts and any linked context.
Then run a full prospect research workflow on it. Use the browser to fill any gaps not in Salesforce.
Return the output in the shape we use for prospect research: A one-page brief: name, role, company, ICP fit (yes/no with reason), top 3 talking points, suggested first message, 1-2 source links.
Do not send anything externally. Save the draft to me to review.

What a good prospect research output looks like

Here is what a finished output for prospect research should look like in practice. The specifics will change for your use case, but the shape should look similar:

• Anna Lindqvist - VP Marketing, Voi Technology
• ICP fit: yes (Series D scooter co, EU expansion, 1500 employees)
• Talking point 1: hired 4 paid-acquisition managers in last 90 days - clear shift toward performance marketing
• Talking point 2: spoke at SuperVenture last month on scooter unit economics
• Talking point 3: company just announced Germany pull-out - retention focus is likely a priority
• Suggested first message: short, references the SuperVenture talk, asks one specific question, no calendar link

Why Salesforce for this, and where to use a different tool

Salesforce is strong for this workflow because Strawberry can read an Account or Opportunity, pull related Contacts and Activities, and combine that context with web research for high-touch deal preparation.

Where Salesforce falls short Salesforce permission model is strict; custom objects and field-level security limit what agents can read; API call limits apply.

Consider also LinkedIn or ZoomInfo.

Common mistakes when running prospect research

• Researching prospects who don't match ICP - the brief is wasted
• Generic talking points ("impressive growth") that don't reference any real signal
• Copying public bio text instead of synthesising fit

Connecting Salesforce to Strawberry

Salesforce OAuth - production access requires Connected App configuration in the user's org. Once connected, the companion can read the surfaces above without re-authenticating, and any write action still requires explicit human approval the first time the workflow runs.

Caveats

Do not let any AI agent send emails, update CRM records, or change shared systems without a clear approval step. Strawberry is strongest when the workflow combines browser context with connected-app context and a human review for sensitive actions.