Brief yourself before every sales call

What it does

Five minutes on LinkedIn is how most founders prep, and it shows. A real brief takes fifteen: what they told you when they booked, what their company is doing right now, every touch you’ve had, their numbers, and one guess at their biggest gap to test on the call. You walk in knowing more about their situation than any other vendor they’re talking to.

What you need

• Their answers from your booking form
• Your CRM and inbox, for every touch so far
• Their website and LinkedIn
• Claude or ChatGPT, if you want the brief drafted for you

How it works

1. 1

   Reread what they told you

   Their booking form answers, and the email or reply that led to the booking. Whatever they wrote is what they think the call is about.

2. 2

   Skim the company

   Their site, pricing page and LinkedIn: what they sell and to whom, and anything recent, like new hires, people who left, funding or a launch.

3. 3

   List every touch so far

   Emails, calls, events, who referred them, and any old deal or lost deal in your CRM. Nothing kills trust faster than asking something they already told you.

4. 4

   Run their numbers

   If they gave you their revenue, deal size or win rate, work out their ceiling roughly. It’s a number to test with them, not to open with.

5. 5

   Write one guess at their biggest gap

   The deals already in their CRM, more qualified opportunities, or a higher win rate. Write it down, and test it in discovery with questions. Let them say it.

6. 6

   Write three questions you need answered

   What you couldn’t find, and what would decide whether you can help them.

   Prompt for Claude or ChatGPT, with their answers, emails and CRM notes pasted in

   I have a sales call with [NAME], [TITLE] at [COMPANY] ([WEBSITE]) on [DATE].
   
   Here's what I have: their booking form answers, our emails, and anything from my CRM. [PASTE]
   
   Write me a one-page brief:
   1. In one line: who they are and why they booked
   2. The company: what they sell, to whom, its size, and anything recent (hires, departures, funding, launches), with links and dates
   3. Every touch we've had, in order
   4. Their numbers, as far as we know them, and what's missing
   5. My best guess at their biggest gap, and why
   6. Three questions I need answered on the call
   7. Watch-outs: anything that suggests they're not a fit
   
   Only use what I gave you and their public pages. Mark anything you inferred as a guess.

What good looks like

You open the call knowing their situation, with one guess to test and three questions to ask, and you never ask something they already told you.

Mistakes to skip

• Prepping in the five minutes before the call.
• Opening with your guess. Test it with questions, and let them say it.
• Asking what they already wrote on the form. It tells them you didn’t read it.