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Research a prospect in 10 minutes before a first call

Before a call with someone new, I spend ten minutes on this. It turns the opening of the call from basic questions I could have answered myself into a real conversation.

You'll haveA short prospect brief with what the company does, what may be changing, and five good questions
Time10 minutes
You needAn AI assistant with web search switched on

Steps

  1. Make sure web search is switched on in your AI assistant, so it reads current pages rather than guessing.
  2. Paste the prompt below with the company name and website.
  3. Open two or three of the sources it cites and check the key facts yourself.
  4. Pick the two questions you most want answered and put them at the top of your call notes.

The prompt

Copy it, then replace the [highlighted parts] with your own details.

Build the prospect brief 
Search the web and research [COMPANY NAME] ([COMPANY WEBSITE]) before my first sales call with them.
I sell [WHAT YOU SELL, in one line].

Give me a short brief with:
1. What they do and who their customers are, in two sentences
2. Anything that has changed recently: new products, hiring, funding, leadership changes, expansion
3. Two or three problems they might have that relate to what I sell, marked as guesses
4. Five open questions I could ask to find out if those problems are real

Link the source for every fact. If you cannot find something, say so rather than guessing.

What a good result looks like

An illustrative example. The company and figures are made up.

What they do: a regional chain of physiotherapy clinics, around 20 locations, serving mostly private patients. Recent changes: two new clinics opened this year; hiring front-desk staff in three cities. Possible problems (guesses): booking and reminders handled differently by each clinic; new staff trained clinic by clinic. Questions: How do new clinics get set up today? Where do bookings fall through? What does a great first month look like for a new front-desk hire?

Make it better

  • Add the person's role. "I am meeting their head of operations" changes which questions are worth asking.
  • Ask it to find one thing worth congratulating them on. It is the easiest good opening line there is.
  • Always check the sources. Research tools sometimes mix up companies with similar names.

Faster with

Todoist. Save the two questions you most want answered as tasks due on the call date, so they are in front of you when the call starts.

Before you install: Tasks sync through Todoist's servers so they appear on every device. Keep passwords and confidential client details out of task names.

Try TodoistAffiliate · Free plan. Pro $5 a month, billed yearly

Before you paste anything, remove details you would not share outside your company, such as customer names, contract terms or personal information. How to use AI at work safely

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