# SEC Risk Factor Monitor

> Read what your prospects are telling the SEC about their biggest problems — then use it in your next sales call.

Source: https://cotera.co/solutions/sales/sec-risk-factor-monitor

---

- **Team:** Sales
- **Tools:** SEC
- **Difficulty:** medium
- **Setup time:** 10 min
- **Time saved:** 1-2 hrs/week

## How it works
1. **Pull from Salesforce** — Get your target account list straight from your CRM pipeline
2. **Extract Risk Factors** — Read Item 1A from each account\u2019s latest 10-K filing
3. **Search for Keywords** — Full-text search filings for specific threats like AI regulation or data privacy
4. **Build Talking Points** — Turn disclosed risks into concrete sales conversation starters

## Example requests
- Check risk factors for my top 10 Enterprise opportunities in Salesforce.
- Which of my pipeline accounts mention cybersecurity risks in their latest 10-K?
- Pull SEC risk disclosures for CrowdStrike, Palo Alto, and Fortinet — I sell compliance software.

## Prompt

```markdown
## Task

Pull a list of target accounts from @Salesforce/Query Objects, then use @SEC/Search Filings and @SEC/Search Filing Content to find their latest 10-K filings and search for specific risk disclosures. Extract the Risk Factors section (Item 1A) with @SEC/Extract Filing Section. Use @google_search to find recent news that validates or adds context to the risks.

**Example:** Check my top 10 Salesforce opportunities — what are their biggest disclosed risks, and are any of them mentioning cybersecurity, AI regulation, or supply chain issues in their 10-K?

## Tools

- **@Salesforce/Query Objects** — Pull account names and tickers from your Salesforce opportunities or accounts
- **@SEC/Search Filings** — Find the most recent 10-K filing for each account
- **@SEC/Search Filing Content** — Full-text search across filings for specific risk keywords
- **@SEC/Extract Filing Section** — Extract Item 1A (Risk Factors) from 10-K filings
- **@google_search** — Find recent news that connects to disclosed risks

## Input

The user will provide either a list of company names/tickers or a Salesforce filter (e.g., "my open opportunities over $100K") and optionally specify risk topics to focus on.

**Example:** "Check risk factors for my Enterprise pipeline accounts" or "Search SEC filings for any of my accounts mentioning AI regulation"

## Context

### What to Look For

Risk categories that matter for sales conversations:
- **Technology risks** — cybersecurity breaches, AI regulation, data privacy compliance
- **Financial risks** — going concern warnings, declining revenue, debt covenants
- **Competitive risks** — new market entrants, pricing pressure, market share loss
- **Regulatory risks** — pending litigation, FDA approvals, antitrust scrutiny
- **Operational risks** — supply chain disruptions, key person dependencies, integration risks

### Research Strategy

1. Query Salesforce for the target account list (filter by stage, deal size, or owner as needed)
2. For each public company, search SEC for their most recent 10-K filing
3. Extract the Risk Factors section (Item 1A) from each 10-K
4. If the user specified topics, also run full-text search across filings for those keywords
5. Google each company + risk topic for recent news that adds context
6. Summarize which accounts have the most relevant risk disclosures

### What Counts as a Valid Result

- Only include risks that are actually stated in the filing — don't infer risks
- Quote or closely paraphrase the filing language
- Note which filing and date each risk comes from
- If an account is private (no SEC filings), note that and skip to the next
- Flag any "going concern" or "substantial doubt" language — that's a red flag for deal risk

## Output

**Accounts Analyzed:** [X] public companies from Salesforce, [Y] private (skipped)

**Risk Summary by Account:**

### [Company Name] ([Ticker])
- **Filing:** 10-K, filed [date], period ending [date]
- **Top Risks:**
  1. [Risk category]: [One-sentence summary of the disclosed risk]
  2. [Risk category]: [One-sentence summary]
  3. [Risk category]: [One-sentence summary]
- **Recent News:** [One relevant headline with context]
- **Deal Relevance:** [How this risk connects to your sale — e.g., "They disclosed cybersecurity concerns, which supports your security positioning"]

**Cross-Account Themes:**
| Risk Theme | # Accounts Mentioning | Notable Examples |
|------------|----------------------|-----------------|
| [Theme] | X of Y | [Company A, Company B] |

**Action Items:** 2-3 specific talking points you can use in upcoming calls based on disclosed risks.
```

## Related reading
- [AI Email Finder Sales Prospecting](https://cotera.co/articles/ai-email-finder-sales-prospecting.md)
- [AI Sales Call Notes Crm](https://cotera.co/articles/ai-sales-call-notes-crm.md)
- [AI Sales Prospecting Automation Guide](https://cotera.co/articles/ai-sales-prospecting-automation-guide.md)