pre-call-prep

name	pre-call-prep
description	Builds a structured pre-call brief from manually provided account context. Produces talking points, questions to ask, risks to address, and a clear call objective. Use when asked to prepare for a customer call, build talking points, create a pre-meeting brief, structure a call agenda, or when a CSM has a call in 30 minutes and needs to walk in prepared. Also triggers for questions about call preparation, meeting readiness, talking point development, or structuring a productive customer conversation.
license	MIT
metadata	{"author":"Stephen Rogan","version":"1.0.0","standalone":true}

Pre-Call Prep

Builds a structured brief for any customer call. The 10 minutes you spend preparing determine whether the call advances the relationship or wastes everyone's time.

How to Use

Provide whatever you know:

• Account name, ARR, health status
• Call type (check-in, QBR, escalation, renewal, first meeting, ad hoc)
• Who is attending (customer contacts and internal team)
• Last touchpoint (what was discussed, any open items)
• Current account situation (health, usage, engagement, open issues)
• What you want to accomplish (the objective of this specific call)
• Anything you are worried about (risk signals, difficult topics, relationship concerns)

The 5-Minute Brief

For routine calls, the skill produces a 5-minute brief:

## Pre-Call Brief: [Account Name]
**Date:** [date] | **Type:** [type] | **Duration:** [expected]

### Call Objective
[One sentence: what does success look like when this call ends?]

### Context (30-Second Refresh)
[Account name] | EUR [ARR] | [Health] | [Renewal: date]
Last touch: [date, what happened]
Open items: [any commitments pending from either side]

### Talking Points (In Priority Order)
1. [Most important topic -- the one you must cover even if the call runs short]
2. [Second priority]
3. [Third priority -- cover if time allows]

### Questions to Ask
- [Question 1 -- genuine information-gathering, not leading]
- [Question 2]

### Watch For
- [Signal to listen for -- competitive mention, sentiment shift, new information]

### Do Not Forget
- [Open item to close, commitment to confirm, or follow-up to mention]

Prep by Call Type

Check-In Call

Element	Content
Objective	Maintain the relationship. Surface any changes. Offer value
Lead with	Something specific to their account (usage observation, upcoming event, open item status)
Ask about	Their priorities this quarter, any changes, any concerns
Avoid	Running through a generic checklist. If you have nothing specific, reconsider whether this call should happen

QBR / Business Review

Element	Content
Objective	Demonstrate value. Align on direction. Identify expansion or risk
Lead with	Value evidence (the headline number they should take away)
Prepare	Deck or data (from qbr-content-assembler), discussion questions, strategic recommendation
Avoid	Data dump without narrative. QBR is a conversation, not a presentation

Escalation / Issue Review

Element	Content
Objective	Show accountability. Provide an update. Confirm resolution path
Lead with	The update -- what has been done since the last conversation. Do not make them ask
Prepare	Timeline, resolution status, next steps, any asks of the customer
Avoid	Defensive language. Do not explain why the issue is hard. Explain what is being done

Renewal Conversation

Element	Content
Objective	Confirm value. Initiate the commercial conversation. Understand their position
Lead with	Value delivered (use the value-narrative-builder output)
Prepare	Renewal pricing, objection responses (from pricing-conversation-framework), competitive readiness
Avoid	Jumping to the commercial discussion before establishing value. Value first, then pricing

First Meeting with New Contact

Element	Content
Objective	Build the relationship. Understand their priorities. Establish credibility
Lead with	A brief introduction and a genuine question about their priorities
Prepare	Research on their role and likely concerns (from stakeholder-research-prep)
Avoid	Presenting. First meetings should be 70% listening, 30% responding

The Call Objective Test

Before every call, write one sentence: "This call is successful if [specific outcome]."

Good Objectives	Bad Objectives
"Confirm Tom supports the renewal and identify any blockers"	"Discuss the renewal"
"Understand Lisa's priorities for Q2 and identify one way our product supports them"	"Check in with Lisa"
"Get agreement to schedule a QBR for April"	"Talk about doing a QBR"
"Confirm the escalation is resolved from the customer's perspective"	"Follow up on the issue"

If you cannot write a specific objective, either (a) you need more preparation or (b) the call does not need to happen.

Output

The skill produces:

• The structured brief (5-minute or full depending on call complexity)
• The call objective (one sentence)
• Talking points in priority order (most important first)
• Questions to ask (genuine, not leading)
• Signals to watch for (competitive, sentiment, political)
• Post-call actions to plan (follow-up email, CRM update, internal debrief if warranted)

Quality Gates

• Does the brief have a clear objective? Not a topic -- an objective with a definition of success
• Are the talking points prioritised? If the call runs short, will you have covered the most important item?
• Is there at least one genuine question? A call where you only talk and never ask is a presentation, not a conversation
• Are open items from the last touchpoint addressed? Walking into a call without knowing what was promised last time is a credibility failure
• Can you complete this prep in under 10 minutes? If the prep is longer than the call, the tool is not working

Principles

• Preparation is respect for the customer's time. Walking into a call unprepared wastes 30 minutes of their day. 10 minutes of preparation creates 30 minutes of value
• The objective is the anchor. If the conversation drifts, the objective brings it back. If the customer takes the conversation in a new direction, the objective helps you assess whether that direction is more valuable than what you planned
• Priority order saves bad calls. If the internet drops at minute 15, you have covered the most important topic. If the customer takes the call in a different direction, you covered the critical item before the drift
• The best calls feel like a conversation, not a checklist. The prep provides structure. Your skill as a CSM provides the responsiveness, empathy, and judgment that make the conversation valuable