Separate evidence of past trade from evidence of current commercial fit. Use a repeatable checklist and leave uncertain facts marked as uncertain.
Start with the role of the business
A name in a trade record can belong to a business whose role differs from your target customer. Check whether you are researching a distributor, manufacturer, retailer or service provider. Confirm the business through its own website and other appropriate company sources.
Look for alignment between the products in the records and the company’s stated activities. If the connection is unclear, retain that as a research question. Do not use a single name match to assume ownership, purchasing authority or an ongoing supply need.
Separate recency, frequency and value
Recency asks when relevant activity occurred. Frequency asks how often it occurred during a defined period. Value asks about the monetary scale of that activity. These dimensions can describe different buying patterns, so keep them separate before deciding how to prioritize.
A company with frequent small purchases may have a different operating model from one with a large occasional purchase. Neither is automatically better. Compare the pattern with your own production constraints, minimum viable order and ability to support repeat business.
Practice on a published company view
The TradeDaas product page includes a company profile showing monthly activity from September 2023 through August 2024, with an availability date of 12 August 2024. It is useful for understanding the interface, but it is historical and the last displayed month may be incomplete.
Use the screen to ask what a profile can help you investigate: trade direction, changes in monthly activity and the relationship between shipments and value. Do not infer that the named company is currently a qualified lead, or treat the screenshot as current demand.
Inspect the published profile ↗Use a decision record, not an unexplained score
| Check | Record | Next action if uncertain |
|---|---|---|
| Product fit | Relevant description and application | Review product scope |
| Purchasing pattern | Time window and activity evidence | Check another comparable period |
| Company identity | Verified name, location and website | Separate ambiguous name matches |
| Commercial fit | Known requirements and open questions | Arrange a relevant conversation |
Let conversations improve your research
A prospect’s response can confirm or contradict your initial assessment. Capture useful feedback such as a different product specification, purchasing through a group company, or a supplier relationship that is not visible in your data. Update the research record rather than forcing the response into the original assumption.
Keep the next action explicit: investigate, contact, nurture or remove from the active shortlist. A clear decision with an evidence trail is easier for the next team member to use.
Sources and further reading
This is an original research workflow guide. Sources below support terminology and product examples; the guide is not a market forecast or a live company report.
Put the method to work.
Define your product, market and objective before requesting a relevant dataset.
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