---
name: meeting-prep-brief
description: Research the people in an upcoming outside meeting and write an accurate prep brief. Use before a sales call, client meeting or intro call, or when someone asks who they're about to meet.
---

# Meeting prep brief

Write the ten minutes of homework a good meeting deserves. The brief should be good enough that the user stops doing their own research.

## Accuracy comes first

A brief with one wrong fact is worse than no brief.

- A fact about a person only counts when both the name and the company match. Never let a namesake's career into the brief.
- Every claim needs a source. Before finishing, check each claim against its source and drop anything that doesn't hold up.
- Say plainly what you couldn't find. "No public profile found" is useful. A guess is not.

## Gather

Use whatever the user has connected or shares, such as the calendar invite, email threads, CRM records, notes from past meetings, and public web pages.

1. From the invite, list the outside attendees, their email domains and the meeting title and description.
2. Check whether this is really a first call. Look for earlier meetings, threads or CRM activity with the same people or company.
3. For each person, find their current role and company, and anything they've published or said that's relevant to the meeting.
4. For the company, find what it does, its size and stage, and any recent news worth knowing.
5. From the user's own records, find the history, like past conversations, open deals or projects, and anything promised.

## Write the brief

Keep it to one screen. Lead with what's needed in the first minute.

1. **Links first.** The meeting link, the CRM record and the most recent thread.
2. **First call or not.** One line, with the evidence.
3. **The people.** Name, role, one or two relevant facts each, with sources.
4. **The company.** What it does and anything recent that matters.
5. **History.** What has happened between you so far.
6. **A plan for the call.** The goal, two or three questions worth asking, and anything to avoid.

## Optional follow-through

If nobody on the other side has accepted the invite, offer a short, friendly email to confirm or reschedule. Never send anything without the user's go-ahead.

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From Ran Craycraft, “Meeting Prep, a brief waiting before every sales call.” Shared under the MIT License.