Search an existing business network by relevant context
Find contacts in an authorized professional network who match a business-related request.
How this works
Find contacts in an authorized professional network who match a business-related request.
Search the existing professional network with evidence about roles and relationships. Normalize duplicates without erasing how the user knows someone, and report stale or uncertain matches rather than treating every stored contact as currently relevant.
Before you start
Defined operating scope
Existing professional relationships contain useful context for a specific business introduction.
Required source material
Obtain Permitted contact records; Known professional relationships; Search criteria. If connectors are unavailable, use authorized files with the same fields.
Decision and exception rules
Two records may describe different people with the same name. Keep them separate until identity is confirmed.
Prepare the inputs
- contact_records
- Required
Permitted IDs and professional fields
Keep original systems and record timestamps.
- relationship_context
- Required
Known introductions and interactions
Distinguish direct relationships from second-degree references.
- search_criteria
- Required
Role, sector and business purpose
Exclude sensitive personal attributes.
- contact_preferences
- Required
Restrictions and preferred channels
Preserve opt-outs and do-not-contact flags.
Implementation, step by step
Establish the working record
- Confirm the selected records, effective versions and responsible owner.
- Check contact_records, relationship_context, search_criteria, contact_preferences before beginning. Record the source version and the selected scope; an unavailable value stays unknown rather than becoming an inferred fact.
Checkpoint: The input record identifies the selected contact_records and any missing required fields.
Normalize and deduplicate the existing records
- Normalize names, domains and record IDs, merging only sufficiently supported duplicates while retaining original references.
- Check every match against an explicit professional criterion and source.
Checkpoint: A saved intermediate result for: Normalize and deduplicate the existing records.
Search by relevant role, sector, or company information
- Search explicit professional fields and relationship notes against the stated criteria.
- Inspect merged records to ensure relationships and restrictions were not lost.
Checkpoint: A saved intermediate result for: Search by relevant role, sector, or company information.
Return matching contacts with the basis for each match
- Return a shortlist with the basis of each match, relationship strength as known facts and missing current-role evidence.
- Check every match against an explicit professional criterion and source.
Checkpoint: A saved intermediate result for: Return matching contacts with the basis for each match.
Review freshness before any outreach
- Check role freshness and contact preferences before preparing any optional outreach draft.
- Inspect merged records to ensure relationships and restrictions were not lost.
Checkpoint: A saved intermediate result for: Review freshness before any outreach.
Package the result and unresolved work
- Limit use to permitted professional information and respect preferences. A match does not imply consent to receive a campaign.
- Search only the authorized professional network and relevant business context.
Checkpoint: A reviewable contact shortlist. Unresolved items remain visible in the review record.
Decisions along the way
Two records may describe different people with the same name.
Keep them separate until identity is confirmed.
A role is several years old.
Mark current role unverified and request a current professional source.
The contact is restricted from outreach.
Keep the restriction visible and do not include a send action.
What you will produce
business-contact-network-search-result.json
JSONA reviewable contact shortlist. Label proposed and completed states separately.
Include: contact_id · matching_criteria · professional_evidence · relationship_context · freshness · contact_restrictions · status · evidence_reference · review_note
business-contact-network-search-review.md
MarkdownKeep the evidence and unresolved decisions needed to apply this result, including exceptions involving contact_preferences.
Include: source_reference · question · owner · next_action
Check the result
- Check every match against an explicit professional criterion and source.
- Inspect merged records to ensure relationships and restrictions were not lost.
- Inspect contact_records and relationship_context in both the original and output; confirm that record identity and interpretation survived the transformation.
- Limit use to permitted professional information and respect preferences. A match does not imply consent to receive a campaign.
When something goes wrong
Two records may describe different people with the same name.
Keep them separate until identity is confirmed. Retain the affected evidence and recovery status.
A role is several years old.
Mark current role unverified and request a current professional source. Retain the affected evidence and recovery status.
The contact is restricted from outreach.
Keep the restriction visible and do not include a send action. Retain the affected evidence and recovery status.
A worked example
SYNTHETIC EXAMPLE · NOT A REPORTED BUSINESS RESULT
Request
Search an existing business network by relevant context for the following bounded example; prepare the result for review.
Inputs
Synthetic example: Contact K-4 was introduced by R-1 in 2024 as a finance lead; no later role evidence exists. The request seeks current finance leaders in retail.
Expected result
Synthetic expected result: Return K-4 as a conditional match with retail context and stale-role warning, not a confirmed current leader. Preserve the introduction path.
Run a small pilot
Start small
Trial a representative batch containing the ordinary case and the exception demonstrated above.
Record the baseline
Record current preparation time, review effort and correction types for the same records.
Agree success criteria
Agree acceptable review and error limits; measure relevant contacts confirmed by the relationship owner; search time per request.
Stop or revise
The contact is restricted from outreach. Pause affected records and apply this recovery: Keep the restriction visible and do not include a send action.
Keep the scope clear
- Search only the authorized professional network and relevant business context.
- A matching contact is not consent for a campaign or a claim of a close relationship.
Check before using
Limit use to permitted professional information and respect preferences. A match does not imply consent to receive a campaign.
Business activities
- Find and approach prospects
- Coordinate meetings and follow-ups
FROM A RECIPE TO YOUR WORKFLOW
Bring the company context together.
This workflow needs reliable inputs before it needs a better prompt. Moat8 Vault brings working information into a readable archive for the AI tools you use.
For this recipe: Permitted contact records · Known professional relationships · Search criteria
Start with one recurring task, agree which sources to use, and review the first result with your team.
Discuss this workflow