Sales call prep

Pre-sales-call intelligence composite.

How to use it

  1. Hit Copy SKILL.md — or use the Claude Code line below to get every file.
  2. Claude: ⋯ → Download .md, then Customize → Skills → Add → Upload skill.
    ChatGPT: make a Project and paste it into Instructions.
    Neither? Paste it at the top of a new chat — it works for that chat.
  3. Describe your job in plain words. The AI follows the skill from there.
Claude Code — installs the whole folder, not just SKILL.md
npx degit gooseworks-ai/goose-skills/skills/sales/composites/sales-call-prep#main ~/.claude/skills/sales-call-prep

For one project only, change the path to .claude/skills/sales-call-prep. This skill also uses notes.md — copying SKILL.md alone won't be enough. See the folder on GitHub.

Not working?
  • Check which app you pasted it into — the steps above name the right one.
  • Some skills need the paid tier of Claude or ChatGPT.
Step-by-step guide with screenshots · Ask in the forum

Paste into Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor.

Show the full text832 lines
sales-call-prep/SKILL.md832 lines37.9 KBpushed 96d agoRawView on GitHub

Sales Call Prep

The pre-call intelligence report that turns a 50/50 sales call into an 80/20 one. Researches the company (with a sales lens — not Wikipedia facts, but buying signals, pain indicators, competitive landscape, and budget context), researches the person (not just their bio, but their authority level, priorities, likely objections, and what they care about), then maps everything to your product to generate a specific call strategy.

What makes this different from meeting-brief:

Dimension meeting-brief sales-call-prep
Focus Who is this person? How do I sell to this person?
Company research Basic overview Sales-lens: pain signals, budget indicators, competitive stack, decision process
Person research LinkedIn + GitHub + news Authority mapping, buying style, priorities, likely objections
Product connection None Maps your product's value to their specific situation
Output Background brief Call strategy with talk track, questions, and objection prep
Audience Anyone with a meeting SDR, AE, founder walking into a sales call

When to Auto-Load

Load this composite when:

  • User says "prep me for my sales call", "call prep for [company]", "research [person] before our demo"
  • User says "I have a call with [person] at [company] tomorrow", "meeting prep for a prospect"
  • User has an upcoming meeting with a prospect (not an internal meeting, not a customer check-in)
  • An upstream workflow (meeting lifecycle, daily BDR rhythm) triggers call prep for sales meetings

Step 0: Configuration (One-Time Setup)

On first run, collect and store these preferences. Skip on subsequent runs.

Your Product Context

Question Purpose Stored As
What does your company do? (2-3 sentences) Frame product-to-prospect mapping company_description
What problem do you solve? Identify if the prospect has this problem pain_point
Who is your ideal buyer? (title, department) Map to the person on the call ideal_buyer
What are your top 3 proof points? (customer, metric, result) Arm the seller with specific evidence proof_points
What are the top 5 objections you hear? And how do you handle each? Pre-load objection handling common_objections
What competitors do you run into? And what's your positioning against each? Competitive prep competitors
What's your pricing model? (ballpark) Budget qualification context pricing_model
What does your typical sales process look like? (stages, timeline) Calibrate call objectives by stage sales_process
What discovery questions do you typically ask? Augment with prospect-specific questions discovery_questions

Data Source Config

Question Options Stored As
Where do you track deals? Salesforce / HubSpot / Pipedrive / Close / Supabase / None crm_tool
Where do you track outreach? Smartlead / Instantly / Outreach / None outreach_tool

Store config in the current working directory or wherever the user prefers.


Step 1: Gather Context

Purpose: Understand what this meeting is, who's attending, and what stage the deal is at. Pull any existing data from CRM/outreach history.

Input Contract

meeting_input: {
  # Option A: Calendar-driven (meeting already scheduled)
  calendar_event: {
    title: string
    date: string
    time: string
    attendees: [ { name: string, email: string } ]
    description: string | null
    meeting_link: string | null
  }

  # Option B: Manual input (user tells you who the call is with)
  manual: {
    person_name: string
    person_title: string | null
    person_email: string | null
    person_linkedin: string | null
    company_name: string
    company_domain: string | null
    meeting_type: string | null       # "discovery", "demo", "follow-up", "negotiation", etc.
    notes: string | null              # Any context the user provides
  }
}

Process

  1. Identify the prospect(s) from calendar or manual input. Filter out internal team members.

  2. Check ALL prior interaction sources (critical — do this before any web research):

    The goal is to reconstruct a complete interaction timeline before the call. Walking into a meeting without knowing you've already emailed someone, had a deal in pipeline, or that a teammate talked to their colleague is a credibility killer. Check every available source.

    A) CRM Records (Attio, Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, etc.)

    Check for BOTH the person AND their company. Pull:

    What to Check What to Pull Why It Matters
    Company record Does the company exist in your CRM? What lists is it on? Shows if they're already a prospect, customer, or cold
    Contact record Does THIS person exist? Are there other contacts at the company? Tells you if a colleague already engaged with you
    Active deals Any open deal for this company? Stage, value, owner, age? You might already be mid-cycle with them — don't restart the conversation
    Closed deals Any won or lost deals? If lost, what was the reason? Lost deals = you know their objections. Won deals = upsell conversation.
    Deal notes Notes from previous calls, meetings, or interactions Read every note — they contain gold for personalization
    Deal history Stage changes, timeline, velocity Shows how fast (or slow) they move
    Other contacts at company Names, titles, roles of other people you've talked to Reference them: "I was speaking with [colleague] about..."
    Comments / activities Any logged calls, emails, tasks, or comments on their record May contain context that didn't make it into deal notes

    B) Outreach / Sequencing Tool (SmartLead, Instantly, Outreach, Lemlist, etc.)

    Search by email AND by name. Pull:

    What to Check What to Pull Why It Matters
    Campaign membership Were they in a campaign? Which one? When? You already reached out — don't pretend this is a cold intro
    Emails sent Exact subject lines and email bodies you sent them Know what you said so you don't repeat yourself or contradict it
    Their reply Did they reply? What did they say? Full reply text. Their exact words are the best conversation opener: "You mentioned X..."
    Lead category Interested / Not interested / Out of office / Bounced / etc. If they were marked "interested," you know their temperature
    Trigger signal What signal sourced this outreach? (hiring, funding, leadership change) Reference the original signal: "When we first reached out, it was because [signal]..."
    Sequence position Which email in the sequence did they respond to (or stop at)? Tells you what messaging resonated vs. fell flat
    Email account used Which sender mailbox was used? Know which "version of you" they interacted with

    C) Other Interaction Sources

    Check any additional places where prior contact may have occurred:

    Source What to Check
    Client notes file Any existing notes — may reference past conversations, call summaries, or decisions
    Previous content/outputs Past call preps, outreach drafts, or research that included this person or company
    Calendar Previous meetings with this person or company
    LinkedIn messages Direct messages or InMail exchanges (ask user if they recall any)
    Referral context How did this meeting come about? Warm intro from whom? Ask user.
    Shared Slack/email threads Any back-channel conversations about this prospect

    D) Compile Interaction Timeline

    After checking all sources, build a chronological timeline of every touchpoint:

    interaction_timeline: [
      { date: "2026-01-15", type: "outreach_sent", detail: "Email 1 of hiring-signal campaign. Subject: 'The new CCO mandate'" },
      { date: "2026-01-18", type: "reply_received", detail: "Replied: 'Interesting, let's chat next month'" },
      { date: "2026-02-01", type: "deal_created", detail: "Deal created in Attio. Stage: Meeting booked. Value: $36K" },
      { date: "2026-02-10", type: "call_completed", detail: "Discovery call. Notes: 'Interested in outbound automation, evaluating Clay'" },
      { date: "2026-02-10", type: "deal_stage_change", detail: "Stage moved to Evaluation" },
    ]
    

    This timeline goes directly into the 30-Second Brief and Call Strategy. If you have prior interactions, the call type, opening line, and discovery questions all change:

    Prior Interaction How It Changes the Call
    No prior interaction True cold discovery — qualify from scratch
    Outreach sent, no reply Warm-ish — they've seen your name. Reference the email: "I sent you a note about X a few weeks ago..."
    Outreach sent, they replied positively Warm — pick up where the conversation left off. Don't re-pitch.
    Outreach sent, they replied negatively Handle carefully — they already said no. Understand why before re-engaging.
    Active deal in CRM You're mid-cycle — this is a follow-up, not a discovery call. Read all notes.
    Lost deal in CRM Re-engagement — acknowledge the history: "I know we talked back in [month] and the timing wasn't right..."
    Colleague already engaged Multi-thread — reference the colleague: "I've been working with [name] on..."
  3. Determine call type and objective:

    Call Type How to Detect Default Objective
    Cold discovery No prior deal, first meeting Qualify: Do they have the problem? Budget? Authority? Timeline?
    Warm discovery They replied to outreach positively Qualify + build rapport. They already showed interest — figure out why.
    Demo Post-qualification, scheduled demo Show value. Map product to their specific pain. Get next step.
    Follow-up Post-demo, they're evaluating Handle objections. Introduce new proof. Advance to proposal.
    Negotiation Proposal sent, discussing terms Close. Handle final objections. Align on timeline and terms.
    Champion call Internal champion, not decision maker Arm the champion. Give them ammunition to sell internally.
    Executive meeting VP+ or C-suite involved Be strategic, not tactical. ROI and vision, not features.

Output Contract

meeting_context: {
  call_type: string
  call_objective: string
  prospect: {
    name: string
    title: string | null
    email: string | null
    linkedin_url: string | null
    company: string
    company_domain: string | null
  }
  prior_interactions: {
    has_prior_contact: boolean           # Critical flag — changes the entire call approach
    interaction_timeline: [              # Chronological list of all touchpoints
      {
        date: string
        type: "outreach_sent" | "reply_received" | "deal_created" | "deal_stage_change" |
              "call_completed" | "note_added" | "linkedin_message" | "referral" | "other"
        source: "crm" | "outreach_tool" | "email" | "linkedin" | "notes" | "calendar" | "other"
        detail: string                   # What happened, in one sentence
      }
    ]
    crm_context: {
      company_record_exists: boolean
      contact_record_exists: boolean
      active_deal: {
        stage: string
        age_days: integer
        amount: number | null
        owner: string | null
        notes: string[]
      } | null
      closed_deals: [ { outcome: "won" | "lost", amount: number, reason: string | null } ]
      other_contacts: [ { name: string, title: string } ]
      comments_and_activities: string[]
    } | null
    outreach_context: {
      campaign_name: string | null
      campaign_status: string | null
      emails_sent: integer
      emails_sent_detail: [ { seq_number: integer, subject: string, date: string } ]
      their_reply: string | null         # Full reply text
      reply_date: string | null
      lead_category: string | null       # Interested, Not Interested, etc.
      trigger_signal: string | null      # What signal sourced the outreach
    } | null
    other_context: {
      client_notes_mentions: string[]    # Relevant mentions from notes.md
      previous_outputs: string[]         # Previous call preps, research, etc.
      referral_source: string | null     # How this meeting came about
    } | null
  }
  additional_attendees: [ { name: string, title: string } ] | null
}

Step 2: Company Deep Dive

Purpose: Research the prospect's company with a sales lens. Not a Wikipedia summary — focus on signals that indicate need, budget, urgency, and competitive landscape.

Input Contract

prospect: { company, company_domain, ... }  # From Step 1
your_company: { ... }                        # From config

Process

Research across seven dimensions. Use web search (always available) as the primary tool.

A) Company Overview (Quick Context)

What to Find Where to Look Why It Matters for the Call
What they do (1-2 sentences) Website, Crunchbase, LinkedIn Sets the context for everything else
Industry / vertical Website Determines which proof points to use
Company size (employees) LinkedIn, Crunchbase Maps to pricing tier and complexity
HQ location Website Timezone, regional context
Founded year Crunchbase Maturity indicator
Business model (B2B/B2C/marketplace) Website Affects how they think about tools

B) Financial & Growth Signals

What to Find Where to Look Why It Matters for the Call
Funding history Crunchbase, web search Indicates budget availability and growth stage
Last funding date + amount Crunchbase, press releases Recent raise = fresh budget, evaluating vendors
Revenue estimate (if public or disclosed) Press, SEC filings, web search Budget calibration
Growth trajectory (hiring velocity, office expansion) LinkedIn, job boards Growing = buying. Flat/contracting = harder sell.
Recent layoffs Web search, news Budget pressure — position as cost-saving, not cost-adding

C) Pain & Need Indicators

What to Find Where to Look Why It Matters for the Call
Job postings related to your product's domain LinkedIn Jobs, Indeed Hiring for the role = they have the problem you solve
Complaints/challenges on social media LinkedIn posts, Twitter, Reddit Direct evidence of pain you can reference
Industry-specific challenges Industry reports, web search Common pain points they're likely facing
Recent company news that implies need Press, blog, LinkedIn Expansion, new product, compliance change = new needs
Product reviews of their product (if applicable) G2, Capterra, app stores Their customers' complaints may point to needs your product addresses

D) Technology & Competitive Stack

What to Find Where to Look Why It Matters for the Call
Current tools in your category Job postings (mentioning tools), website source, BuiltWith Know what you're displacing or complementing
Competitor's product in use? Web search, job postings, LinkedIn mentions Prepare competitive positioning
Tech stack (relevant parts) Job postings, website Integration opportunities or blockers
Vendor evaluation signals G2 comparisons, LinkedIn research posts Actively shopping = high intent

E) Decision-Making Landscape

What to Find Where to Look Why It Matters for the Call
Organizational structure LinkedIn, website team page Who else is involved in the decision?
Other stakeholders (above/below the prospect) LinkedIn Who do they report to? Who reports to them?
Recent leadership changes LinkedIn, web search New leader = re-evaluating stack
Company culture signals Glassdoor, careers page, LinkedIn Fast-moving vs. bureaucratic affects sales cycle
Procurement style Company size indicator SMB = founder decides. Enterprise = procurement process.

F) Relationship Mapping

What to Find Where to Look Why It Matters for the Call
Mutual connections LinkedIn Warm intro potential, reference-ability
Past interactions with your company CRM, outreach history Don't repeat what they already know
Customer of a partner? Partner records Potential warm angle
In your existing customer's network? LinkedIn, web search "Your peer [company] uses us"

G) Recent Company News (Last 90 Days)

What to Find Where to Look Why It Matters for the Call
Product launches Blog, press New products = new ops challenges
Partnerships announced Press, LinkedIn New partnerships = integration needs
Awards / recognition Web search Compliment material, shows what they're proud of
Controversies / issues Web search Landmines to avoid
Earnings / performance Press, SEC Business health indicator

Output Contract

company_research: {
  overview: {
    name: string
    description: string
    industry: string
    employee_count: string
    location: string
    founded: string
    business_model: string
  }
  financial: {
    funding_total: string | null
    last_round: { amount: string, stage: string, date: string } | null
    revenue_estimate: string | null
    growth_signal: "growing" | "stable" | "contracting" | "unknown"
  }
  pain_indicators: [
    { signal: string, source: string, relevance_to_product: string }
  ]
  tech_stack: {
    known_tools: string[]
    competitor_in_use: string | null
    integration_opportunities: string[]
  }
  decision_landscape: {
    decision_maker_likely: string     # Title of likely decision maker
    other_stakeholders: string[]
    procurement_style: "founder_led" | "committee" | "procurement" | "unknown"
    estimated_sales_cycle: string
  }
  recent_news: [
    { headline: string, date: string, relevance: string }
  ]
  relationship_map: {
    mutual_connections: string[]
    peer_customers: string[]          # Your customers in their network
    past_interactions: string | null
  }
}

Step 3: Person Deep Dive

Purpose: Research the specific person on the call. Not just their bio — understand their authority, priorities, communication style, and likely concerns.

Input Contract

prospect: { name, title, email, linkedin_url, company }  # From Step 1
company_research: { ... }                                  # From Step 2
your_company: { ... }                                      # From config

Process

A) Professional Profile

What to Find Where to Look Why It Matters
Current title + department LinkedIn Authority level, budget ownership
Time in current role LinkedIn <6 months = new, evaluating stack. 2+ years = established, harder to displace incumbent
Career trajectory LinkedIn experience Moving up fast = ambitious, wants tools to accelerate. Lateral = stable, risk-averse.
Previous companies LinkedIn Industry experience, tools they've used before
Education LinkedIn Conversation starter, common ground
Skills / endorsements LinkedIn Technical vs. business orientation

B) Authority & Buying Power Assessment

Factor How to Assess Implication
Title level VP+ = likely has budget. Director = may have budget. Manager = influencer, not buyer. IC = user/champion. Determines whether to talk ROI (buyer) or workflow (user)
Department Does their department buy your product? If they're in engineering and you sell to sales, they might be evaluating for someone else
Reports to whom LinkedIn org structure The person above them is likely the decision maker if they're not
Team size LinkedIn, company page Larger team = more at stake, bigger deal potential
Budget indicators Title + company size + funding "Does this person plausibly control the budget for our product?"

Authority classification:

Level Who How to Sell
Economic buyer VP+, C-suite, founder Talk ROI, strategic value, competitive advantage. Don't demo features.
Technical buyer Director, senior manager, tech lead Talk capabilities, integrations, implementation. Demo the product.
Champion Manager, senior IC Talk workflow improvement, daily life impact. Help them build the internal case.
User IC, operator Talk ease of use, time savings, learning curve. Get them excited to use it.
Evaluator Analyst, consultant Talk data, comparisons, proof points. Be thorough and transparent.

C) What They Care About

What to Find Where to Look Why It Matters
Recent LinkedIn posts LinkedIn activity What are they thinking about? What problems are they voicing?
Articles they've shared LinkedIn shares What topics interest them?
Comments they've made LinkedIn engagement What opinions do they hold?
Conference talks / webinars Web search, YouTube What are they publicly expert in?
Published content (blog, podcast) Web search Deep insight into their thinking

D) Communication Style Signals

Signal How to Detect How to Adapt
Data-driven Posts include numbers, references studies, shares reports Lead with metrics and ROI. Bring a business case.
Visionary Posts about trends, future of industry, big ideas Lead with vision and strategic impact. Don't get stuck in details.
Operational Posts about process, efficiency, team management Lead with workflow improvement and implementation ease.
Skeptical Posts questioning tools/trends, contrarian takes Anticipate tough questions. Lead with proof, not claims.
Relationship-oriented Posts about people, culture, team wins Spend time on rapport. Don't rush to the pitch.

E) Likely Objections (Predicted)

Based on their profile, company situation, and your common objections:

Their Situation Likely Objection Pre-Load
Using a competitor "We already have [tool]" Prepare competitive positioning, switching cost analysis
Recently hired "I'm still getting up to speed" Position as "quick win for your first 90 days"
Small team / early stage "We can't afford this right now" Prepare ROI framing, start small options
Large enterprise "Our procurement process takes 6 months" Prepare for a longer cycle, ask about process early
Technical role "Does it integrate with [our stack]?" Prepare integration story
Recently burned by a vendor "We tried something like this before" Prepare "what's different" narrative

Output Contract

person_research: {
  profile: {
    name: string
    title: string
    department: string
    time_in_role: string
    previous_roles: [ { title: string, company: string, duration: string } ]
    education: string | null
  }
  authority: {
    level: "economic_buyer" | "technical_buyer" | "champion" | "user" | "evaluator"
    budget_authority: "confirmed" | "likely" | "unlikely" | "unknown"
    reports_to: string | null
    team_size: string | null
    assessment: string                # One-sentence assessment of their buying power
  }
  interests_and_priorities: {
    recent_posts_summary: string      # What they've been posting/sharing about
    key_topics: string[]              # Themes they care about
    public_opinions: string[]         # Positions they've taken publicly
    conversation_hooks: string[]      # Specific things to reference in the call
  }
  communication_style: {
    primary_style: string             # "data-driven", "visionary", "operational", "skeptical", "relationship-oriented"
    how_to_adapt: string              # Specific guidance
  }
  predicted_objections: [
    {
      objection: string
      likelihood: "high" | "medium" | "low"
      reasoning: string               # Why we predict this
      prepared_handle: string          # How to address it
    }
  ]
}

Step 4: Product-to-Prospect Mapping

Purpose: This is the core value-add. Map your product's capabilities to this specific prospect's situation. Not generic value props — specific connections based on the research. Pure LLM reasoning.

Input Contract

company_research: { ... }            # From Step 2
person_research: { ... }             # From Step 3
meeting_context: { ... }             # From Step 1
your_company: {
  description: string
  pain_point: string
  proof_points: string[]
  competitors: [ { name: string, positioning: string } ]
  pricing_model: string
  sales_process: string
  discovery_questions: string[]
}

Process

A) Value Mapping

For each pain indicator found in Step 2, map to a specific product capability:

Their Pain/Need Your Product's Answer Proof Point How to Say It
[pain from research] [specific capability] [customer/metric] [one sentence pitch]
[another pain] [another capability] [proof] [pitch]

Only include pains where there's a genuine connection. Don't force-fit.

B) Competitive Positioning (If Relevant)

If they're using or evaluating a competitor:

Dimension Competitor Your Product How to Frame
[key differentiator 1] [their approach] [your approach] [framing]
[key differentiator 2] [their approach] [your approach] [framing]

Rules:

  • Never trash the competitor. Acknowledge what they do well. Differentiate on where you're stronger.
  • If you don't know the competitor, ask the prospect: "What do you like about [tool]? What's missing?"
  • Frame as "different approach" not "we're better"

C) Relevant Proof Points

Select 2-3 proof points most relevant to THIS prospect:

Proof Point Why It's Relevant to Them
"[Customer] saw X% improvement" Same industry / same size / same problem
"[Metric] in [timeframe]" Matches their pain indicator
"[Company] switched from [competitor]" They're using the same competitor

Selection criteria: Same industry > same size > same problem > same competitor > general. Always choose the most specific proof point available.

D) Risk Factors & Landmines

Things that could derail the call:

Risk Source Mitigation
[risk — e.g., "just signed 2-year contract with competitor"] [where you found this] [how to handle]
[risk — e.g., "company culture is anti-vendor"] [source] [how to handle]
[risk — e.g., "recent bad press — sensitive topic"] [source] [avoid this topic]

Output Contract

product_mapping: {
  value_connections: [
    {
      their_pain: string
      your_answer: string
      proof_point: string
      how_to_say_it: string
      confidence: "strong" | "moderate" | "speculative"
    }
  ]
  competitive_positioning: {
    competitor_in_play: string | null
    differentiators: [ { dimension: string, their_approach: string, your_approach: string, framing: string } ]
    competitive_advice: string        # One paragraph on how to handle the competitive dynamic
  } | null
  relevant_proof_points: [
    { proof: string, why_relevant: string }
  ]
  risk_factors: [
    { risk: string, source: string, mitigation: string }
  ]
}

Step 5: Generate Call Strategy & Brief

Purpose: Synthesize everything into a single pre-call document with: executive brief, call strategy, talk track, discovery questions, and objection prep.

Input Contract

meeting_context: { ... }              # From Step 1
company_research: { ... }            # From Step 2
person_research: { ... }             # From Step 3
product_mapping: { ... }             # From Step 4
your_company: { ... }                # From config

Report Structure

# Sales Call Prep: [Person Name] @ [Company]
**Date:** [meeting date/time] | **Call type:** [discovery/demo/follow-up/etc.]
**Prepared for:** [user's name/role]

---

## 30-Second Brief

[4-5 bullet points. Everything you need if you have 30 seconds before the call.]

- **Who:** [Name], [Title] at [Company] — [authority level]. [Time in role].
- **What they do:** [Company] is a [1-sentence description]. [Size, industry, stage].
- **Prior interaction:** [CRITICAL — "No prior contact" OR "We emailed them on [date] about [topic], they replied [summary]" OR "Active deal in [stage] since [date]" OR "Lost deal [date] — reason: [reason]". This single line changes the entire call approach.]
- **Why this call:** [How this meeting came about — outreach reply, inbound, referral, etc.]
- **Key signal:** [The one thing that makes this call timely — funding, hiring, pain post, etc.]
- **Your angle:** [One sentence on why your product matters to them right now]

---

## Company Intelligence

### Overview
[2-3 sentences on what the company does, their market position, and current trajectory]

### Business Context
| Factor | Detail | Sales Relevance |
|--------|--------|----------------|
| Size | [employees] | [pricing tier / complexity indicator] |
| Funding | [last round] | [budget indicator] |
| Growth | [signal] | [expanding = buying, contracting = cost-cutting] |
| Industry | [vertical] | [which proof points to use] |

### Pain Signals Found
| Signal | Source | Connection to Your Product |
|--------|--------|--------------------------|
| [pain] | [where you found it] | [how your product addresses this] |
| [pain] | [source] | [connection] |

### Their Current Stack
| Category | Tool | Implication |
|----------|------|------------|
| [your category] | [competitor or unknown] | [displacement or greenfield opportunity] |
| [adjacent] | [tool] | [integration opportunity] |

### Recent News
| Date | Headline | Relevance |
|------|----------|-----------|
| [date] | [news] | [why it matters for this call] |

---

## Prior Interactions

[If no prior interactions exist, state "No prior contact found across CRM, outreach tools, or other sources. This is a true cold meeting." and move on.]

[If prior interactions exist, this section becomes one of the most important in the brief.]

### Interaction Timeline
| Date | Type | Source | Detail |
|------|------|--------|--------|
| [date] | [outreach_sent / reply / deal / call / etc.] | [CRM / SmartLead / email / etc.] | [What happened] |

### What They Already Know About You
[Based on the outreach and interactions above, summarize what this person already knows about your product/company. This prevents you from re-explaining things they've already heard.]

### What You Already Know About Them
[Based on replies, call notes, CRM notes — summarize what you've learned from prior interactions. These are conversation gold: "Last time we spoke, you mentioned X..."]

### How Prior Interactions Should Shape This Call
[Specific guidance on how to adjust the call approach based on history. Examples:]
- "They replied positively to your hiring-signal outreach — open by referencing that: 'You mentioned you were interested when we first reached out about [topic]...'"
- "Deal has been in Evaluation for 18 days with no movement — this is a re-engagement call, not a discovery call. Ask what's changed since the last conversation."
- "Your colleague [name] already talked to their VP Sales — reference that: 'I know [colleague] has been working with [their VP]...'"
- "They were marked 'Not Interested' in a previous campaign 3 months ago — acknowledge it: 'I know we reached out before and the timing wasn't right. What's different now?'"

---

## Person Intelligence

### Profile
[1-2 paragraphs on who this person is — not their resume, but what makes them tick.
What they care about, what they've been vocal about, what their priorities likely are.]

### Authority Assessment
| Factor | Assessment |
|--------|-----------|
| Authority level | [economic buyer / technical buyer / champion / user] |
| Budget authority | [likely/unlikely] |
| Reports to | [name/title] |
| Decision process | [solo / committee / procurement] |

### Communication Style: [Type]
[2-3 sentences on how to adapt your communication to this person.
E.g., "Lead with data — they post frequently about metrics and ROI.
Don't spend too long on rapport. Get to the numbers quickly."]

### Conversation Hooks
[3-5 specific things you can reference to show you've done your homework]
1. [Their recent post about X — use as an opener or bridge]
2. [A project they led at their previous company]
3. [Something from company news they're likely proud of]
4. [Mutual connection or shared experience]
5. [A comment they made about a problem you solve]

---

## Call Strategy

### Objective
**Primary:** [What you want to achieve in this call — e.g., "Qualify: confirm pain, budget, timeline, authority"]
**Secondary:** [Backup objective — e.g., "If not qualified, get referral to right person"]

### Agenda Suggestion
[A proposed call structure. Adapt to call type.]

| Phase | Time | What to Do |
|-------|------|-----------|
| **Open** | 2 min | [How to open — rapport hook, agenda set] |
| **Discovery / Context** | 10-15 min | [Key questions to ask — see below] |
| **Value / Demo** | 10-15 min | [What to show or discuss — see value connections] |
| **Next Steps** | 3-5 min | [What to propose — see below] |

### Opening Line
> "[Suggested opening — references a conversation hook and sets the agenda naturally.
  E.g., 'Thanks for making time, [Name]. I saw your post about [topic] — that's actually
  a big part of why I wanted to connect. I'd love to learn about how [Company] is
  handling [pain area] and see if what we're building is relevant. Sound good?']"

### Discovery Questions (Prioritized)

**Must-ask** (qualify the deal):
1. [Question that confirms they have the pain your product solves]
2. [Question about how they're handling it today — incumbent tool or manual process?]
3. [Question about timeline — are they actively evaluating or just learning?]
4. [Question about decision process — who else is involved?]
5. [Question about budget — how do they typically buy tools in this category?]

**Should-ask** (deepen the conversation):
6. [Question specific to their company situation from research]
7. [Question about their priorities for the next 6-12 months]
8. [Question that surfaces a pain they might not have articulated]

**Nice-to-ask** (if time allows):
9. [Question about their experience with competitors]
10. [Question about what a successful outcome looks like for them]

### Value Points to Make
[Ordered by relevance to THIS prospect — not your generic pitch deck]

1. **[Value point]** — [How to frame it for this prospect, using their specific situation]
   - Proof: [Relevant proof point]
   - Transition: [How to move from discovery to this point naturally]

2. **[Value point]** — [Framing]
   - Proof: [Proof]

3. **[Value point]** — [Framing]
   - Proof: [Proof]

### Proposed Next Step
[What to suggest at the end of the call, based on call type]

| Call Type | Suggest |
|-----------|---------|
| Discovery (qualified) | "Would it be helpful to see a demo tailored to [their specific use case]? I can have that ready by [date]." |
| Discovery (not sure yet) | "Let me put together a one-pager on how [peer company] handled this. Can I send it over and follow up [date]?" |
| Demo | "Based on what we covered, it sounds like [stakeholder] should probably see this too. Can we set up a follow-up with them?" |
| Follow-up | "I can have a proposal over by [date]. Would it be useful to include [specific thing they asked about]?" |
| Negotiation | "If we can align on [terms], we could have you live by [date]. What does your approval process look like from here?" |

---

## Objection Prep

[Pre-loaded responses for likely objections, ordered by predicted likelihood]

### [Objection 1 — Highest Likelihood]
**They'll say:** "[Exact wording of the objection]"
**Why:** [Why we predict this based on research]
**Handle:**
> "[Suggested response — acknowledge, reframe, proof point]"

### [Objection 2]
**They'll say:** "[Objection]"
**Why:** [Reasoning]
**Handle:**
> "[Response]"

### [Objection 3]
**They'll say:** "[Objection]"
**Why:** [Reasoning]
**Handle:**
> "[Response]"

---

## Landmines & Things to Avoid

- [Thing NOT to bring up and why — e.g., "Don't mention their recent layoffs. Still sensitive."]
- [Topic to avoid — e.g., "Don't reference competitor by name unless they bring it up first."]
- [Assumption NOT to make — e.g., "Don't assume they have budget authority — verify first."]

---

## After the Call

### Notes Template
After the call, capture:
- [ ] **Outcome:** Qualified / Not qualified / Needs follow-up
- [ ] **Key pains confirmed:** [What they actually said they struggle with]
- [ ] **Decision process:** [Who's involved, timeline, budget]
- [ ] **Next step agreed:** [What happens next]
- [ ] **Objections raised:** [What came up, how you handled it]
- [ ] **Competitive mentions:** [Any competitors discussed]
- [ ] **Follow-up items:** [What you promised to send/do]
1---
2name: sales-call-prep
3version: 1.1.0
4description: >
5 Pre-sales-call intelligence composite. Deep dives on the person AND their company
6 before a sales call, then maps findings to your product to generate talking points,
7 objection prep, and a call strategy. Goes beyond generic attendee research — this
8 is sales-specific intelligence that helps SDRs, AEs, and founders walk into calls
9 with a plan. Tool-agnostic — works with any CRM, research source, and calendar.
10tags: [research]
11---
12 
13# Sales Call Prep
14 
15The pre-call intelligence report that turns a 50/50 sales call into an 80/20 one. Researches the company (with a sales lens — not Wikipedia facts, but buying signals, pain indicators, competitive landscape, and budget context), researches the person (not just their bio, but their authority level, priorities, likely objections, and what they care about), then maps everything to your product to generate a specific call strategy.
16 
17**What makes this different from `meeting-brief`:**
18 
19| Dimension | `meeting-brief` | `sales-call-prep` |
20|-----------|-----------------|-------------------|
21| Focus | Who is this person? | How do I sell to this person? |
22| Company research | Basic overview | Sales-lens: pain signals, budget indicators, competitive stack, decision process |
23| Person research | LinkedIn + GitHub + news | Authority mapping, buying style, priorities, likely objections |
24| Product connection | None | Maps your product's value to their specific situation |
25| Output | Background brief | Call strategy with talk track, questions, and objection prep |
26| Audience | Anyone with a meeting | SDR, AE, founder walking into a sales call |
27 
28## When to Auto-Load
29 
30Load this composite when:
31- User says "prep me for my sales call", "call prep for [company]", "research [person] before our demo"
32- User says "I have a call with [person] at [company] tomorrow", "meeting prep for a prospect"
33- User has an upcoming meeting with a prospect (not an internal meeting, not a customer check-in)
34- An upstream workflow (meeting lifecycle, daily BDR rhythm) triggers call prep for sales meetings
35 
36---
37 
38## Step 0: Configuration (One-Time Setup)
39 
40On first run, collect and store these preferences. Skip on subsequent runs.
41 
42### Your Product Context
43 
44| Question | Purpose | Stored As |
45|----------|---------|-----------|
46| What does your company do? (2-3 sentences) | Frame product-to-prospect mapping | `company_description` |
47| What problem do you solve? | Identify if the prospect has this problem | `pain_point` |
48| Who is your ideal buyer? (title, department) | Map to the person on the call | `ideal_buyer` |
49| What are your top 3 proof points? (customer, metric, result) | Arm the seller with specific evidence | `proof_points` |
50| What are the top 5 objections you hear? And how do you handle each? | Pre-load objection handling | `common_objections` |
51| What competitors do you run into? And what's your positioning against each? | Competitive prep | `competitors` |
52| What's your pricing model? (ballpark) | Budget qualification context | `pricing_model` |
53| What does your typical sales process look like? (stages, timeline) | Calibrate call objectives by stage | `sales_process` |
54| What discovery questions do you typically ask? | Augment with prospect-specific questions | `discovery_questions` |
55 
56### Data Source Config
57 
58| Question | Options | Stored As |
59|----------|---------|-----------|
60| Where do you track deals? | Salesforce / HubSpot / Pipedrive / Close / Supabase / None | `crm_tool` |
61| Where do you track outreach? | Smartlead / Instantly / Outreach / None | `outreach_tool` |
62 
63**Store config** in the current working directory or wherever the user prefers.
64 
65---
66 
67## Step 1: Gather Context
68 
69**Purpose:** Understand what this meeting is, who's attending, and what stage the deal is at. Pull any existing data from CRM/outreach history.
70 
71### Input Contract
72 
73```
74meeting_input: {
75 # Option A: Calendar-driven (meeting already scheduled)
76 calendar_event: {
77 title: string
78 date: string
79 time: string
80 attendees: [ { name: string, email: string } ]
81 description: string | null
82 meeting_link: string | null
83 }
84 
85 # Option B: Manual input (user tells you who the call is with)
86 manual: {
87 person_name: string
88 person_title: string | null
89 person_email: string | null
90 person_linkedin: string | null
91 company_name: string
92 company_domain: string | null
93 meeting_type: string | null # "discovery", "demo", "follow-up", "negotiation", etc.
94 notes: string | null # Any context the user provides
95 }
96}
97```
98 
99### Process
100 
1011. **Identify the prospect(s)** from calendar or manual input. Filter out internal team members.
102 
1032. **Check ALL prior interaction sources** (critical — do this before any web research):
104 
105 The goal is to reconstruct a complete interaction timeline before the call. Walking into a meeting without knowing you've already emailed someone, had a deal in pipeline, or that a teammate talked to their colleague is a credibility killer. Check every available source.
106 
107 #### A) CRM Records (Attio, Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, etc.)
108 
109 Check for BOTH the person AND their company. Pull:
110 
111 | What to Check | What to Pull | Why It Matters |
112 |---------------|-------------|----------------|
113 | **Company record** | Does the company exist in your CRM? What lists is it on? | Shows if they're already a prospect, customer, or cold |
114 | **Contact record** | Does THIS person exist? Are there other contacts at the company? | Tells you if a colleague already engaged with you |
115 | **Active deals** | Any open deal for this company? Stage, value, owner, age? | You might already be mid-cycle with them — don't restart the conversation |
116 | **Closed deals** | Any won or lost deals? If lost, what was the reason? | Lost deals = you know their objections. Won deals = upsell conversation. |
117 | **Deal notes** | Notes from previous calls, meetings, or interactions | Read every note — they contain gold for personalization |
118 | **Deal history** | Stage changes, timeline, velocity | Shows how fast (or slow) they move |
119 | **Other contacts at company** | Names, titles, roles of other people you've talked to | Reference them: "I was speaking with [colleague] about..." |
120 | **Comments / activities** | Any logged calls, emails, tasks, or comments on their record | May contain context that didn't make it into deal notes |
121 
122 #### B) Outreach / Sequencing Tool (SmartLead, Instantly, Outreach, Lemlist, etc.)
123 
124 Search by email AND by name. Pull:
125 
126 | What to Check | What to Pull | Why It Matters |
127 |---------------|-------------|----------------|
128 | **Campaign membership** | Were they in a campaign? Which one? When? | You already reached out — don't pretend this is a cold intro |
129 | **Emails sent** | Exact subject lines and email bodies you sent them | Know what you said so you don't repeat yourself or contradict it |
130 | **Their reply** | Did they reply? What did they say? Full reply text. | Their exact words are the best conversation opener: "You mentioned X..." |
131 | **Lead category** | Interested / Not interested / Out of office / Bounced / etc. | If they were marked "interested," you know their temperature |
132 | **Trigger signal** | What signal sourced this outreach? (hiring, funding, leadership change) | Reference the original signal: "When we first reached out, it was because [signal]..." |
133 | **Sequence position** | Which email in the sequence did they respond to (or stop at)? | Tells you what messaging resonated vs. fell flat |
134 | **Email account used** | Which sender mailbox was used? | Know which "version of you" they interacted with |
135 
136 #### C) Other Interaction Sources
137 
138 Check any additional places where prior contact may have occurred:
139 
140 | Source | What to Check |
141 |--------|---------------|
142 | **Client notes file** | Any existing notes — may reference past conversations, call summaries, or decisions |
143 | **Previous content/outputs** | Past call preps, outreach drafts, or research that included this person or company |
144 | **Calendar** | Previous meetings with this person or company |
145 | **LinkedIn messages** | Direct messages or InMail exchanges (ask user if they recall any) |
146 | **Referral context** | How did this meeting come about? Warm intro from whom? Ask user. |
147 | **Shared Slack/email threads** | Any back-channel conversations about this prospect |
148 
149 #### D) Compile Interaction Timeline
150 
151 After checking all sources, build a chronological timeline of every touchpoint:
152 
153 ```
154 interaction_timeline: [
155 { date: "2026-01-15", type: "outreach_sent", detail: "Email 1 of hiring-signal campaign. Subject: 'The new CCO mandate'" },
156 { date: "2026-01-18", type: "reply_received", detail: "Replied: 'Interesting, let's chat next month'" },
157 { date: "2026-02-01", type: "deal_created", detail: "Deal created in Attio. Stage: Meeting booked. Value: $36K" },
158 { date: "2026-02-10", type: "call_completed", detail: "Discovery call. Notes: 'Interested in outbound automation, evaluating Clay'" },
159 { date: "2026-02-10", type: "deal_stage_change", detail: "Stage moved to Evaluation" },
160 ]
161 ```
162 
163 **This timeline goes directly into the 30-Second Brief and Call Strategy.** If you have prior interactions, the call type, opening line, and discovery questions all change:
164 
165 | Prior Interaction | How It Changes the Call |
166 |-------------------|----------------------|
167 | No prior interaction | True cold discovery — qualify from scratch |
168 | Outreach sent, no reply | Warm-ish — they've seen your name. Reference the email: "I sent you a note about X a few weeks ago..." |
169 | Outreach sent, they replied positively | Warm — pick up where the conversation left off. Don't re-pitch. |
170 | Outreach sent, they replied negatively | Handle carefully — they already said no. Understand why before re-engaging. |
171 | Active deal in CRM | You're mid-cycle — this is a follow-up, not a discovery call. Read all notes. |
172 | Lost deal in CRM | Re-engagement — acknowledge the history: "I know we talked back in [month] and the timing wasn't right..." |
173 | Colleague already engaged | Multi-thread — reference the colleague: "I've been working with [name] on..." |
174 
1753. **Determine call type and objective:**
176 
177 | Call Type | How to Detect | Default Objective |
178 |-----------|--------------|-------------------|
179 | **Cold discovery** | No prior deal, first meeting | Qualify: Do they have the problem? Budget? Authority? Timeline? |
180 | **Warm discovery** | They replied to outreach positively | Qualify + build rapport. They already showed interest — figure out why. |
181 | **Demo** | Post-qualification, scheduled demo | Show value. Map product to their specific pain. Get next step. |
182 | **Follow-up** | Post-demo, they're evaluating | Handle objections. Introduce new proof. Advance to proposal. |
183 | **Negotiation** | Proposal sent, discussing terms | Close. Handle final objections. Align on timeline and terms. |
184 | **Champion call** | Internal champion, not decision maker | Arm the champion. Give them ammunition to sell internally. |
185 | **Executive meeting** | VP+ or C-suite involved | Be strategic, not tactical. ROI and vision, not features. |
186 
187### Output Contract
188 
189```
190meeting_context: {
191 call_type: string
192 call_objective: string
193 prospect: {
194 name: string
195 title: string | null
196 email: string | null
197 linkedin_url: string | null
198 company: string
199 company_domain: string | null
200 }
201 prior_interactions: {
202 has_prior_contact: boolean # Critical flag — changes the entire call approach
203 interaction_timeline: [ # Chronological list of all touchpoints
204 {
205 date: string
206 type: "outreach_sent" | "reply_received" | "deal_created" | "deal_stage_change" |
207 "call_completed" | "note_added" | "linkedin_message" | "referral" | "other"
208 source: "crm" | "outreach_tool" | "email" | "linkedin" | "notes" | "calendar" | "other"
209 detail: string # What happened, in one sentence
210 }
211 ]
212 crm_context: {
213 company_record_exists: boolean
214 contact_record_exists: boolean
215 active_deal: {
216 stage: string
217 age_days: integer
218 amount: number | null
219 owner: string | null
220 notes: string[]
221 } | null
222 closed_deals: [ { outcome: "won" | "lost", amount: number, reason: string | null } ]
223 other_contacts: [ { name: string, title: string } ]
224 comments_and_activities: string[]
225 } | null
226 outreach_context: {
227 campaign_name: string | null
228 campaign_status: string | null
229 emails_sent: integer
230 emails_sent_detail: [ { seq_number: integer, subject: string, date: string } ]
231 their_reply: string | null # Full reply text
232 reply_date: string | null
233 lead_category: string | null # Interested, Not Interested, etc.
234 trigger_signal: string | null # What signal sourced the outreach
235 } | null
236 other_context: {
237 client_notes_mentions: string[] # Relevant mentions from notes.md
238 previous_outputs: string[] # Previous call preps, research, etc.
239 referral_source: string | null # How this meeting came about
240 } | null
241 }
242 additional_attendees: [ { name: string, title: string } ] | null
243}
244```
245 
246---
247 
248## Step 2: Company Deep Dive
249 
250**Purpose:** Research the prospect's company with a sales lens. Not a Wikipedia summary — focus on signals that indicate need, budget, urgency, and competitive landscape.
251 
252### Input Contract
253 
254```
255prospect: { company, company_domain, ... } # From Step 1
256your_company: { ... } # From config
257```
258 
259### Process
260 
261Research across seven dimensions. Use web search (always available) as the primary tool.
262 
263#### A) Company Overview (Quick Context)
264 
265| What to Find | Where to Look | Why It Matters for the Call |
266|-------------|--------------|---------------------------|
267| What they do (1-2 sentences) | Website, Crunchbase, LinkedIn | Sets the context for everything else |
268| Industry / vertical | Website | Determines which proof points to use |
269| Company size (employees) | LinkedIn, Crunchbase | Maps to pricing tier and complexity |
270| HQ location | Website | Timezone, regional context |
271| Founded year | Crunchbase | Maturity indicator |
272| Business model (B2B/B2C/marketplace) | Website | Affects how they think about tools |
273 
274#### B) Financial & Growth Signals
275 
276| What to Find | Where to Look | Why It Matters for the Call |
277|-------------|--------------|---------------------------|
278| Funding history | Crunchbase, web search | Indicates budget availability and growth stage |
279| Last funding date + amount | Crunchbase, press releases | Recent raise = fresh budget, evaluating vendors |
280| Revenue estimate (if public or disclosed) | Press, SEC filings, web search | Budget calibration |
281| Growth trajectory (hiring velocity, office expansion) | LinkedIn, job boards | Growing = buying. Flat/contracting = harder sell. |
282| Recent layoffs | Web search, news | Budget pressure — position as cost-saving, not cost-adding |
283 
284#### C) Pain & Need Indicators
285 
286| What to Find | Where to Look | Why It Matters for the Call |
287|-------------|--------------|---------------------------|
288| Job postings related to your product's domain | LinkedIn Jobs, Indeed | Hiring for the role = they have the problem you solve |
289| Complaints/challenges on social media | LinkedIn posts, Twitter, Reddit | Direct evidence of pain you can reference |
290| Industry-specific challenges | Industry reports, web search | Common pain points they're likely facing |
291| Recent company news that implies need | Press, blog, LinkedIn | Expansion, new product, compliance change = new needs |
292| Product reviews of their product (if applicable) | G2, Capterra, app stores | Their customers' complaints may point to needs your product addresses |
293 
294#### D) Technology & Competitive Stack
295 
296| What to Find | Where to Look | Why It Matters for the Call |
297|-------------|--------------|---------------------------|
298| Current tools in your category | Job postings (mentioning tools), website source, BuiltWith | Know what you're displacing or complementing |
299| Competitor's product in use? | Web search, job postings, LinkedIn mentions | Prepare competitive positioning |
300| Tech stack (relevant parts) | Job postings, website | Integration opportunities or blockers |
301| Vendor evaluation signals | G2 comparisons, LinkedIn research posts | Actively shopping = high intent |
302 
303#### E) Decision-Making Landscape
304 
305| What to Find | Where to Look | Why It Matters for the Call |
306|-------------|--------------|---------------------------|
307| Organizational structure | LinkedIn, website team page | Who else is involved in the decision? |
308| Other stakeholders (above/below the prospect) | LinkedIn | Who do they report to? Who reports to them? |
309| Recent leadership changes | LinkedIn, web search | New leader = re-evaluating stack |
310| Company culture signals | Glassdoor, careers page, LinkedIn | Fast-moving vs. bureaucratic affects sales cycle |
311| Procurement style | Company size indicator | SMB = founder decides. Enterprise = procurement process. |
312 
313#### F) Relationship Mapping
314 
315| What to Find | Where to Look | Why It Matters for the Call |
316|-------------|--------------|---------------------------|
317| Mutual connections | LinkedIn | Warm intro potential, reference-ability |
318| Past interactions with your company | CRM, outreach history | Don't repeat what they already know |
319| Customer of a partner? | Partner records | Potential warm angle |
320| In your existing customer's network? | LinkedIn, web search | "Your peer [company] uses us" |
321 
322#### G) Recent Company News (Last 90 Days)
323 
324| What to Find | Where to Look | Why It Matters for the Call |
325|-------------|--------------|---------------------------|
326| Product launches | Blog, press | New products = new ops challenges |
327| Partnerships announced | Press, LinkedIn | New partnerships = integration needs |
328| Awards / recognition | Web search | Compliment material, shows what they're proud of |
329| Controversies / issues | Web search | Landmines to avoid |
330| Earnings / performance | Press, SEC | Business health indicator |
331 
332### Output Contract
333 
334```
335company_research: {
336 overview: {
337 name: string
338 description: string
339 industry: string
340 employee_count: string
341 location: string
342 founded: string
343 business_model: string
344 }
345 financial: {
346 funding_total: string | null
347 last_round: { amount: string, stage: string, date: string } | null
348 revenue_estimate: string | null
349 growth_signal: "growing" | "stable" | "contracting" | "unknown"
350 }
351 pain_indicators: [
352 { signal: string, source: string, relevance_to_product: string }
353 ]
354 tech_stack: {
355 known_tools: string[]
356 competitor_in_use: string | null
357 integration_opportunities: string[]
358 }
359 decision_landscape: {
360 decision_maker_likely: string # Title of likely decision maker
361 other_stakeholders: string[]
362 procurement_style: "founder_led" | "committee" | "procurement" | "unknown"
363 estimated_sales_cycle: string
364 }
365 recent_news: [
366 { headline: string, date: string, relevance: string }
367 ]
368 relationship_map: {
369 mutual_connections: string[]
370 peer_customers: string[] # Your customers in their network
371 past_interactions: string | null
372 }
373}
374```
375 
376---
377 
378## Step 3: Person Deep Dive
379 
380**Purpose:** Research the specific person on the call. Not just their bio — understand their authority, priorities, communication style, and likely concerns.
381 
382### Input Contract
383 
384```
385prospect: { name, title, email, linkedin_url, company } # From Step 1
386company_research: { ... } # From Step 2
387your_company: { ... } # From config
388```
389 
390### Process
391 
392#### A) Professional Profile
393 
394| What to Find | Where to Look | Why It Matters |
395|-------------|--------------|----------------|
396| Current title + department | LinkedIn | Authority level, budget ownership |
397| Time in current role | LinkedIn | <6 months = new, evaluating stack. 2+ years = established, harder to displace incumbent |
398| Career trajectory | LinkedIn experience | Moving up fast = ambitious, wants tools to accelerate. Lateral = stable, risk-averse. |
399| Previous companies | LinkedIn | Industry experience, tools they've used before |
400| Education | LinkedIn | Conversation starter, common ground |
401| Skills / endorsements | LinkedIn | Technical vs. business orientation |
402 
403#### B) Authority & Buying Power Assessment
404 
405| Factor | How to Assess | Implication |
406|--------|--------------|-------------|
407| **Title level** | VP+ = likely has budget. Director = may have budget. Manager = influencer, not buyer. IC = user/champion. | Determines whether to talk ROI (buyer) or workflow (user) |
408| **Department** | Does their department buy your product? | If they're in engineering and you sell to sales, they might be evaluating for someone else |
409| **Reports to whom** | LinkedIn org structure | The person above them is likely the decision maker if they're not |
410| **Team size** | LinkedIn, company page | Larger team = more at stake, bigger deal potential |
411| **Budget indicators** | Title + company size + funding | "Does this person plausibly control the budget for our product?" |
412 
413**Authority classification:**
414 
415| Level | Who | How to Sell |
416|-------|-----|-----------|
417| **Economic buyer** | VP+, C-suite, founder | Talk ROI, strategic value, competitive advantage. Don't demo features. |
418| **Technical buyer** | Director, senior manager, tech lead | Talk capabilities, integrations, implementation. Demo the product. |
419| **Champion** | Manager, senior IC | Talk workflow improvement, daily life impact. Help them build the internal case. |
420| **User** | IC, operator | Talk ease of use, time savings, learning curve. Get them excited to use it. |
421| **Evaluator** | Analyst, consultant | Talk data, comparisons, proof points. Be thorough and transparent. |
422 
423#### C) What They Care About
424 
425| What to Find | Where to Look | Why It Matters |
426|-------------|--------------|----------------|
427| Recent LinkedIn posts | LinkedIn activity | What are they thinking about? What problems are they voicing? |
428| Articles they've shared | LinkedIn shares | What topics interest them? |
429| Comments they've made | LinkedIn engagement | What opinions do they hold? |
430| Conference talks / webinars | Web search, YouTube | What are they publicly expert in? |
431| Published content (blog, podcast) | Web search | Deep insight into their thinking |
432 
433#### D) Communication Style Signals
434 
435| Signal | How to Detect | How to Adapt |
436|--------|--------------|-------------|
437| **Data-driven** | Posts include numbers, references studies, shares reports | Lead with metrics and ROI. Bring a business case. |
438| **Visionary** | Posts about trends, future of industry, big ideas | Lead with vision and strategic impact. Don't get stuck in details. |
439| **Operational** | Posts about process, efficiency, team management | Lead with workflow improvement and implementation ease. |
440| **Skeptical** | Posts questioning tools/trends, contrarian takes | Anticipate tough questions. Lead with proof, not claims. |
441| **Relationship-oriented** | Posts about people, culture, team wins | Spend time on rapport. Don't rush to the pitch. |
442 
443#### E) Likely Objections (Predicted)
444 
445Based on their profile, company situation, and your common objections:
446 
447| Their Situation | Likely Objection | Pre-Load |
448|----------------|-----------------|----------|
449| Using a competitor | "We already have [tool]" | Prepare competitive positioning, switching cost analysis |
450| Recently hired | "I'm still getting up to speed" | Position as "quick win for your first 90 days" |
451| Small team / early stage | "We can't afford this right now" | Prepare ROI framing, start small options |
452| Large enterprise | "Our procurement process takes 6 months" | Prepare for a longer cycle, ask about process early |
453| Technical role | "Does it integrate with [our stack]?" | Prepare integration story |
454| Recently burned by a vendor | "We tried something like this before" | Prepare "what's different" narrative |
455 
456### Output Contract
457 
458```
459person_research: {
460 profile: {
461 name: string
462 title: string
463 department: string
464 time_in_role: string
465 previous_roles: [ { title: string, company: string, duration: string } ]
466 education: string | null
467 }
468 authority: {
469 level: "economic_buyer" | "technical_buyer" | "champion" | "user" | "evaluator"
470 budget_authority: "confirmed" | "likely" | "unlikely" | "unknown"
471 reports_to: string | null
472 team_size: string | null
473 assessment: string # One-sentence assessment of their buying power
474 }
475 interests_and_priorities: {
476 recent_posts_summary: string # What they've been posting/sharing about
477 key_topics: string[] # Themes they care about
478 public_opinions: string[] # Positions they've taken publicly
479 conversation_hooks: string[] # Specific things to reference in the call
480 }
481 communication_style: {
482 primary_style: string # "data-driven", "visionary", "operational", "skeptical", "relationship-oriented"
483 how_to_adapt: string # Specific guidance
484 }
485 predicted_objections: [
486 {
487 objection: string
488 likelihood: "high" | "medium" | "low"
489 reasoning: string # Why we predict this
490 prepared_handle: string # How to address it
491 }
492 ]
493}
494```
495 
496---
497 
498## Step 4: Product-to-Prospect Mapping
499 
500**Purpose:** This is the core value-add. Map your product's capabilities to this specific prospect's situation. Not generic value props — specific connections based on the research. Pure LLM reasoning.
501 
502### Input Contract
503 
504```
505company_research: { ... } # From Step 2
506person_research: { ... } # From Step 3
507meeting_context: { ... } # From Step 1
508your_company: {
509 description: string
510 pain_point: string
511 proof_points: string[]
512 competitors: [ { name: string, positioning: string } ]
513 pricing_model: string
514 sales_process: string
515 discovery_questions: string[]
516}
517```
518 
519### Process
520 
521#### A) Value Mapping
522 
523For each pain indicator found in Step 2, map to a specific product capability:
524 
525| Their Pain/Need | Your Product's Answer | Proof Point | How to Say It |
526|----------------|----------------------|-------------|--------------|
527| [pain from research] | [specific capability] | [customer/metric] | [one sentence pitch] |
528| [another pain] | [another capability] | [proof] | [pitch] |
529 
530Only include pains where there's a genuine connection. Don't force-fit.
531 
532#### B) Competitive Positioning (If Relevant)
533 
534If they're using or evaluating a competitor:
535 
536| Dimension | Competitor | Your Product | How to Frame |
537|-----------|-----------|-------------|-------------|
538| [key differentiator 1] | [their approach] | [your approach] | [framing] |
539| [key differentiator 2] | [their approach] | [your approach] | [framing] |
540 
541**Rules:**
542- Never trash the competitor. Acknowledge what they do well. Differentiate on where you're stronger.
543- If you don't know the competitor, ask the prospect: "What do you like about [tool]? What's missing?"
544- Frame as "different approach" not "we're better"
545 
546#### C) Relevant Proof Points
547 
548Select 2-3 proof points most relevant to THIS prospect:
549 
550| Proof Point | Why It's Relevant to Them |
551|------------|--------------------------|
552| "[Customer] saw X% improvement" | Same industry / same size / same problem |
553| "[Metric] in [timeframe]" | Matches their pain indicator |
554| "[Company] switched from [competitor]" | They're using the same competitor |
555 
556**Selection criteria:** Same industry > same size > same problem > same competitor > general. Always choose the most specific proof point available.
557 
558#### D) Risk Factors & Landmines
559 
560Things that could derail the call:
561 
562| Risk | Source | Mitigation |
563|------|--------|-----------|
564| [risk — e.g., "just signed 2-year contract with competitor"] | [where you found this] | [how to handle] |
565| [risk — e.g., "company culture is anti-vendor"] | [source] | [how to handle] |
566| [risk — e.g., "recent bad press — sensitive topic"] | [source] | [avoid this topic] |
567 
568### Output Contract
569 
570```
571product_mapping: {
572 value_connections: [
573 {
574 their_pain: string
575 your_answer: string
576 proof_point: string
577 how_to_say_it: string
578 confidence: "strong" | "moderate" | "speculative"
579 }
580 ]
581 competitive_positioning: {
582 competitor_in_play: string | null
583 differentiators: [ { dimension: string, their_approach: string, your_approach: string, framing: string } ]
584 competitive_advice: string # One paragraph on how to handle the competitive dynamic
585 } | null
586 relevant_proof_points: [
587 { proof: string, why_relevant: string }
588 ]
589 risk_factors: [
590 { risk: string, source: string, mitigation: string }
591 ]
592}
593```
594 
595---
596 
597## Step 5: Generate Call Strategy & Brief
598 
599**Purpose:** Synthesize everything into a single pre-call document with: executive brief, call strategy, talk track, discovery questions, and objection prep.
600 
601### Input Contract
602 
603```
604meeting_context: { ... } # From Step 1
605company_research: { ... } # From Step 2
606person_research: { ... } # From Step 3
607product_mapping: { ... } # From Step 4
608your_company: { ... } # From config
609```
610 
611### Report Structure
612 
613```
614# Sales Call Prep: [Person Name] @ [Company]
615**Date:** [meeting date/time] | **Call type:** [discovery/demo/follow-up/etc.]
616**Prepared for:** [user's name/role]
617 
618---
619 
620## 30-Second Brief
621 
622[4-5 bullet points. Everything you need if you have 30 seconds before the call.]
623 
624- **Who:** [Name], [Title] at [Company] — [authority level]. [Time in role].
625- **What they do:** [Company] is a [1-sentence description]. [Size, industry, stage].
626- **Prior interaction:** [CRITICAL — "No prior contact" OR "We emailed them on [date] about [topic], they replied [summary]" OR "Active deal in [stage] since [date]" OR "Lost deal [date] — reason: [reason]". This single line changes the entire call approach.]
627- **Why this call:** [How this meeting came about — outreach reply, inbound, referral, etc.]
628- **Key signal:** [The one thing that makes this call timely — funding, hiring, pain post, etc.]
629- **Your angle:** [One sentence on why your product matters to them right now]
630 
631---
632 
633## Company Intelligence
634 
635### Overview
636[2-3 sentences on what the company does, their market position, and current trajectory]
637 
638### Business Context
639| Factor | Detail | Sales Relevance |
640|--------|--------|----------------|
641| Size | [employees] | [pricing tier / complexity indicator] |
642| Funding | [last round] | [budget indicator] |
643| Growth | [signal] | [expanding = buying, contracting = cost-cutting] |
644| Industry | [vertical] | [which proof points to use] |
645 
646### Pain Signals Found
647| Signal | Source | Connection to Your Product |
648|--------|--------|--------------------------|
649| [pain] | [where you found it] | [how your product addresses this] |
650| [pain] | [source] | [connection] |
651 
652### Their Current Stack
653| Category | Tool | Implication |
654|----------|------|------------|
655| [your category] | [competitor or unknown] | [displacement or greenfield opportunity] |
656| [adjacent] | [tool] | [integration opportunity] |
657 
658### Recent News
659| Date | Headline | Relevance |
660|------|----------|-----------|
661| [date] | [news] | [why it matters for this call] |
662 
663---
664 
665## Prior Interactions
666 
667[If no prior interactions exist, state "No prior contact found across CRM, outreach tools, or other sources. This is a true cold meeting." and move on.]
668 
669[If prior interactions exist, this section becomes one of the most important in the brief.]
670 
671### Interaction Timeline
672| Date | Type | Source | Detail |
673|------|------|--------|--------|
674| [date] | [outreach_sent / reply / deal / call / etc.] | [CRM / SmartLead / email / etc.] | [What happened] |
675 
676### What They Already Know About You
677[Based on the outreach and interactions above, summarize what this person already knows about your product/company. This prevents you from re-explaining things they've already heard.]
678 
679### What You Already Know About Them
680[Based on replies, call notes, CRM notes — summarize what you've learned from prior interactions. These are conversation gold: "Last time we spoke, you mentioned X..."]
681 
682### How Prior Interactions Should Shape This Call
683[Specific guidance on how to adjust the call approach based on history. Examples:]
684- "They replied positively to your hiring-signal outreach — open by referencing that: 'You mentioned you were interested when we first reached out about [topic]...'"
685- "Deal has been in Evaluation for 18 days with no movement — this is a re-engagement call, not a discovery call. Ask what's changed since the last conversation."
686- "Your colleague [name] already talked to their VP Sales — reference that: 'I know [colleague] has been working with [their VP]...'"
687- "They were marked 'Not Interested' in a previous campaign 3 months ago — acknowledge it: 'I know we reached out before and the timing wasn't right. What's different now?'"
688 
689---
690 
691## Person Intelligence
692 
693### Profile
694[1-2 paragraphs on who this person is — not their resume, but what makes them tick.
695What they care about, what they've been vocal about, what their priorities likely are.]
696 
697### Authority Assessment
698| Factor | Assessment |
699|--------|-----------|
700| Authority level | [economic buyer / technical buyer / champion / user] |
701| Budget authority | [likely/unlikely] |
702| Reports to | [name/title] |
703| Decision process | [solo / committee / procurement] |
704 
705### Communication Style: [Type]
706[2-3 sentences on how to adapt your communication to this person.
707E.g., "Lead with data — they post frequently about metrics and ROI.
708Don't spend too long on rapport. Get to the numbers quickly."]
709 
710### Conversation Hooks
711[3-5 specific things you can reference to show you've done your homework]
7121. [Their recent post about X — use as an opener or bridge]
7132. [A project they led at their previous company]
7143. [Something from company news they're likely proud of]
7154. [Mutual connection or shared experience]
7165. [A comment they made about a problem you solve]
717 
718---
719 
720## Call Strategy
721 
722### Objective
723**Primary:** [What you want to achieve in this call — e.g., "Qualify: confirm pain, budget, timeline, authority"]
724**Secondary:** [Backup objective — e.g., "If not qualified, get referral to right person"]
725 
726### Agenda Suggestion
727[A proposed call structure. Adapt to call type.]
728 
729| Phase | Time | What to Do |
730|-------|------|-----------|
731| **Open** | 2 min | [How to open — rapport hook, agenda set] |
732| **Discovery / Context** | 10-15 min | [Key questions to ask — see below] |
733| **Value / Demo** | 10-15 min | [What to show or discuss — see value connections] |
734| **Next Steps** | 3-5 min | [What to propose — see below] |
735 
736### Opening Line
737> "[Suggested opening — references a conversation hook and sets the agenda naturally.
738 E.g., 'Thanks for making time, [Name]. I saw your post about [topic] — that's actually
739 a big part of why I wanted to connect. I'd love to learn about how [Company] is
740 handling [pain area] and see if what we're building is relevant. Sound good?']"
741 
742### Discovery Questions (Prioritized)
743 
744**Must-ask** (qualify the deal):
7451. [Question that confirms they have the pain your product solves]
7462. [Question about how they're handling it today — incumbent tool or manual process?]
7473. [Question about timeline — are they actively evaluating or just learning?]
7484. [Question about decision process — who else is involved?]
7495. [Question about budget — how do they typically buy tools in this category?]
750 
751**Should-ask** (deepen the conversation):
7526. [Question specific to their company situation from research]
7537. [Question about their priorities for the next 6-12 months]
7548. [Question that surfaces a pain they might not have articulated]
755 
756**Nice-to-ask** (if time allows):
7579. [Question about their experience with competitors]
75810. [Question about what a successful outcome looks like for them]
759 
760### Value Points to Make
761[Ordered by relevance to THIS prospect — not your generic pitch deck]
762 
7631. **[Value point]** — [How to frame it for this prospect, using their specific situation]
764 - Proof: [Relevant proof point]
765 - Transition: [How to move from discovery to this point naturally]
766 
7672. **[Value point]** — [Framing]
768 - Proof: [Proof]
769 
7703. **[Value point]** — [Framing]
771 - Proof: [Proof]
772 
773### Proposed Next Step
774[What to suggest at the end of the call, based on call type]
775 
776| Call Type | Suggest |
777|-----------|---------|
778| Discovery (qualified) | "Would it be helpful to see a demo tailored to [their specific use case]? I can have that ready by [date]." |
779| Discovery (not sure yet) | "Let me put together a one-pager on how [peer company] handled this. Can I send it over and follow up [date]?" |
780| Demo | "Based on what we covered, it sounds like [stakeholder] should probably see this too. Can we set up a follow-up with them?" |
781| Follow-up | "I can have a proposal over by [date]. Would it be useful to include [specific thing they asked about]?" |
782| Negotiation | "If we can align on [terms], we could have you live by [date]. What does your approval process look like from here?" |
783 
784---
785 
786## Objection Prep
787 
788[Pre-loaded responses for likely objections, ordered by predicted likelihood]
789 
790### [Objection 1 — Highest Likelihood]
791**They'll say:** "[Exact wording of the objection]"
792**Why:** [Why we predict this based on research]
793**Handle:**
794> "[Suggested response — acknowledge, reframe, proof point]"
795 
796### [Objection 2]
797**They'll say:** "[Objection]"
798**Why:** [Reasoning]
799**Handle:**
800> "[Response]"
801 
802### [Objection 3]
803**They'll say:** "[Objection]"
804**Why:** [Reasoning]
805**Handle:**
806> "[Response]"
807 
808---
809 
810## Landmines & Things to Avoid
811 
812- [Thing NOT to bring up and why — e.g., "Don't mention their recent layoffs. Still sensitive."]
813- [Topic to avoid — e.g., "Don't reference competitor by name unless they bring it up first."]
814- [Assumption NOT to make — e.g., "Don't assume they have budget authority — verify first."]
815 
816---
817 
818## After the Call
819 
820### Notes Template
821After the call, capture:
822- [ ] **Outcome:** Qualified / Not qualified / Needs follow-up
823- [ ] **Key pains confirmed:** [What they actually said they struggle with]
824- [ ] **Decision process:** [Who's involved, timeline, budget]
825- [ ] **Next step agreed:** [What happens next]
826- [ ] **Objections raised:** [What came up, how you handled it]
827- [ ] **Competitive mentions:** [Any competitors discussed]
828- [ ] **Follow-up items:** [What you promised to send/do]
829```
830 
831 
832 

Discussion

Alternatives

Also in Pipeline & forecast
Arbor — Autonomous Optimization via Hypothesis Tree RefinementAutonomously improve a real artifact (code, training recipe, agent harness, data pipeline, prompt) against an objective and an evaluator, using Hypothesis Tree Refinement (HTR) from the Arbor paper. Use this whenever someone wants to iteratively optimize something over many experiments without overfitting — e.g. "get my model's eval score up", "improve this agent/harness", "tune this pipeline", "beat the baseline on this benchmark", "run a search over approaches and keep the best", "do an MLE-bench / Kaggle-style optimization", or any long-horizon "make this artifact better and don't just memorize the dev set" task. Trigger it even when the user doesn't say "Arbor" or "hypothesis tree" but describes repeated experiment-and-evaluate loops, branching exploration of competing ideas, or worries about a dev/test gap. Runs Claude itself as the coordinator with subagent executors in isolated git worktrees; for the standalone `arbor` CLI tool see references/arbor-upstream.md.Science · MITFix How You Run Your TeamYou describe how you currently run your team, meetings, and week. You get back an honest scorecard and a short list of the exact changes that would make you a better manager.Business & ops · MITPredictable Revenue FrameworkBuild a scalable outbound B2B sales machine with specialized roles (SDR, AE, CSM). Use when the user mentions "outbound sales", "Cold Calling 2.0", "cold email sequences", "sales pipeline", "SDR process", "sales development", "build an outbound sales team", or "fill my pipeline". Also trigger when setting up a B2B SaaS sales team from scratch or building a lead-qualification framework to improve close rates. Covers the three lead types (seeds/nets/spears), role specialization, the referral-email method, ANUM qualification, and pipeline math. For offer design, see hundred-million-offers. For persuasion science, see influence-psychology.Sales & ecommerce · MITInbound lead qualificationQualifies inbound leads against full ICP criteria — company size, industry, use case fit, role/seniority of the person. Checks CRM and existing customer base for duplicates and existing relationships. Outputs a scored CSV with qualification status, reasoning, and pipeline overlap flags. Tool-agnostic — works with any CRM, enrichment tool, or data source.Sales & ecommerce · MIT