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
1---2name: pre-call-prep3description: 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.4license: MIT5---67# Pre-Call Prep89Builds 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.1011## How to Use1213Provide whatever you know:14- Account name, ARR, health status15- Call type (check-in, QBR, escalation, renewal, first meeting, ad hoc)16- Who is attending (customer contacts and internal team)17- Last touchpoint (what was discussed, any open items)18- Current account situation (health, usage, engagement, open issues)19- What you want to accomplish (the objective of this specific call)20- Anything you are worried about (risk signals, difficult topics, relationship concerns)2122## The 5-Minute Brief2324For routine calls, the skill produces a 5-minute brief:2526```27## Pre-Call Brief: [Account Name]28**Date:** [date] | **Type:** [type] | **Duration:** [expected]2930### Call Objective31[One sentence: what does success look like when this call ends?]3233### Context (30-Second Refresh)34[Account name] | EUR [ARR] | [Health] | [Renewal: date]35Last touch: [date, what happened]36Open items: [any commitments pending from either side]3738### Talking Points (In Priority Order)391. [Most important topic -- the one you must cover even if the call runs short]402. [Second priority]413. [Third priority -- cover if time allows]4243### Questions to Ask44- [Question 1 -- genuine information-gathering, not leading]45- [Question 2]4647### Watch For48- [Signal to listen for -- competitive mention, sentiment shift, new information]4950### Do Not Forget51- [Open item to close, commitment to confirm, or follow-up to mention]52```5354## Prep by Call Type5556### Check-In Call5758| Element | Content |59|---------|---------|60| Objective | Maintain the relationship. Surface any changes. Offer value |61| Lead with | Something specific to their account (usage observation, upcoming event, open item status) |62| Ask about | Their priorities this quarter, any changes, any concerns |63| Avoid | Running through a generic checklist. If you have nothing specific, reconsider whether this call should happen |6465### QBR / Business Review6667| Element | Content |68|---------|---------|69| Objective | Demonstrate value. Align on direction. Identify expansion or risk |70| Lead with | Value evidence (the headline number they should take away) |71| Prepare | Deck or data (from qbr-content-assembler), discussion questions, strategic recommendation |72| Avoid | Data dump without narrative. QBR is a conversation, not a presentation |7374### Escalation / Issue Review7576| Element | Content |77|---------|---------|78| Objective | Show accountability. Provide an update. Confirm resolution path |79| Lead with | The update -- what has been done since the last conversation. Do not make them ask |80| Prepare | Timeline, resolution status, next steps, any asks of the customer |81| Avoid | Defensive language. Do not explain why the issue is hard. Explain what is being done |8283### Renewal Conversation8485| Element | Content |86|---------|---------|87| Objective | Confirm value. Initiate the commercial conversation. Understand their position |88| Lead with | Value delivered (use the value-narrative-builder output) |89| Prepare | Renewal pricing, objection responses (from pricing-conversation-framework), competitive readiness |90| Avoid | Jumping to the commercial discussion before establishing value. Value first, then pricing |9192### First Meeting with New Contact9394| Element | Content |95|---------|---------|96| Objective | Build the relationship. Understand their priorities. Establish credibility |97| Lead with | A brief introduction and a genuine question about their priorities |98| Prepare | Research on their role and likely concerns (from stakeholder-research-prep) |99| Avoid | Presenting. First meetings should be 70% listening, 30% responding |100101## The Call Objective Test102103Before every call, write one sentence: "This call is successful if [specific outcome]."104105| Good Objectives | Bad Objectives |106|----------------|---------------|107| "Confirm Tom supports the renewal and identify any blockers" | "Discuss the renewal" |108| "Understand Lisa's priorities for Q2 and identify one way our product supports them" | "Check in with Lisa" |109| "Get agreement to schedule a QBR for April" | "Talk about doing a QBR" |110| "Confirm the escalation is resolved from the customer's perspective" | "Follow up on the issue" |111112If you cannot write a specific objective, either (a) you need more preparation or (b) the call does not need to happen.113114## Output115116The skill produces:117- The structured brief (5-minute or full depending on call complexity)118- The call objective (one sentence)119- Talking points in priority order (most important first)120- Questions to ask (genuine, not leading)121- Signals to watch for (competitive, sentiment, political)122- Post-call actions to plan (follow-up email, CRM update, internal debrief if warranted)123124## Quality Gates125126- Does the brief have a clear objective? Not a topic -- an objective with a definition of success127- Are the talking points prioritised? If the call runs short, will you have covered the most important item?128- Is there at least one genuine question? A call where you only talk and never ask is a presentation, not a conversation129- Are open items from the last touchpoint addressed? Walking into a call without knowing what was promised last time is a credibility failure130- Can you complete this prep in under 10 minutes? If the prep is longer than the call, the tool is not working131132## Principles133134- 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 value135- 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 planned136- 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 drift137- 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
stephenrogan