Tips for Preparing for Important Calls

I might get hate mail for this: Appearances and first impressions still matter—big time. Zoom calls and remote work culture erupted over the past decade, and somewhere along the way, we stopped caring about the 'little things'. Salespeople, missing the details = lighting cash on fire 🔥. 💰 Every call on your calendar costs your marketing team a few thousand dollars. Each meeting could be thousands in commission for you. That CMO you’re meeting with? Her 30 minutes is worth $500. When she brings her team, they spend $3k in salary just showing up. So, why do we show up like we don’t give a sh*t? Sweating the details can often be a waste of time, other times it's worth the effort. 💡 Here are 6 details you should never skip: 1) Do your research.  Asking where they live or what their company does—things you could Google in 5 seconds—doesn’t build rapport; it just makes you look unprepared. Instead, come in with a point of view on something you've already researched. 2) Use a good webcam & mic.  Who would you rather spend 30 minutes with in the screenshot below? You don’t need to break the bank—a solid cam/mic setup costs under $100. 3) Get your lighting right.  Clear the shadow from your face. Sit in front of good lighting. A $20 ring light can do wonders. 4) Dress like you care.  Would you rather be over-dressed or under-dressed when you're presenting to the C-suite of a $2billion dollar company? Toss the wrinkly T-shirt and baseball cap. Throw on a button-up or polo. Maybe even take a morning shower and comb your hair. 5) Send a follow-up the same day.  Buyers appreciate a quick recap they can share internally. Tools like WINN.AI, Gong, or Sybill can automate this, so you can get the email out in minutes instead of hours. 6) Send a pre-meeting brief.  An engaged audience = a better meeting. Prime their brains before the call. *Bonus tip: Send personalized messages to each stakeholder - this takes more effort, but it's worth it. A CMO has different interests/problems than a Sales Manager. Make it clear that you took the time to curate messages for each person. These details might seem trivial, but it's worth it if they make you even 1% more engaging. I get it—some of you will think I'm an old-fashioned grandpa. (Probably true.) Some will think, "it’s 2025, and this stuff doesn’t matter anymore." 🎲 But are you willing to gamble your company's hard-earned pipeline (and your own commission) on that? Deals are won or lost by tiny margins. Skimp a little here, skimp a little there, and watch your win rates suffer. (Legit, I had a rep almost lose a deal because he presented a deck using the customer's outdated logo <- the CMO was not smiling about it. We did damage control for 2 weeks.) ⚖️ My stance: obsess over the details. Alone, they might seem minor, but together, they will tip the scales and split success from failure. Would love to hear what details you swear by? 

If You’re Nervous About Client Calls, Read This! When I started my career in audit, I thought I was doing everything right. Before client calls, I’d go through the control description. I’d revise the narrative. And I thought, “That should be enough.” Then came my first walk-through call for an ITAC where I was supposed to drive the conversation. I asked a few questions, confident that I was leading the call. The client paused and said, “We have already provided these answers in the evidence requests. Did you get a chance to review them?” Boom :) My carefully prepared questions? Completely irrelevant. Worse, when they started asking me technical questions about business process controls, I froze. Thankfully, my manager stepped in and helped steer the conversation. But after that call, I promised myself I’ll never walk into a call underprepared again. A client call isn’t just about asking questions. It’s about understanding the bigger picture. Here’s what I’ve learned since then (the hard way): 1. Don’t just read the control description. - Why does this control exist? - What risk is it trying to mitigate? - If you don’t know this, you won’t ask the right questions. 2. Always align with your team first. - Before the call, talk to your manager. - Talk to the financial auditors (if it’s an integrated audit). - Understand their expectations from this walk-through. 3. Start prepping a week in advance. - If the meeting is on Wednesday, start reviewing by Thursday or Friday of the week before. - That gives you Monday and Tuesday to clear any doubts. 4. Write down your questions. - Don’t trust your memory. - Maintain a sheet, add your questions, take notes, and refer to them during the call. 5. Ask probing questions. - Avoid questions that can be answered with a yes or no. - Avoid asking generalized questions. Even today, I don’t get it right every time. I still fumble. I still learn. But I now walk into every call prepared, intentional, and aware. And that makes all the difference. **** This is a snippet from my weekly newsletter where I share unfiltered audit lessons. ♻ Repost and subscribe to learn more. #audit #professionaldevelopment #clientmanagement #careertips

Imagine what it feels like to be in a cookie-cutter process where the rep has NO clue who you are. 70% of sellers make buyers feel this way. 70%! The best sales reps I've coached understand this: Your first impression means everything as a seller. Preparation isn't a nice trait to have; it's a must-have. Here's how you can nail your first impression every time: 1) Research your prospects thoroughly. Go deep on research. Have a point of view, a perspective, a suspicion. Go beyond how they make money as a business. Write down the topics they most commonly talk about online. What is the dynamic at play within the organization? How long have they been in their role? What do they want professionally? What do they fear? Going deep before a call and jotting down the bullets allows you to be present during the call in ways your competition will not. This is felt deeply by buyers. It builds credibility and trust. 2) Prepare and plan both questions and stories You're the expert on your product because you sell it every day. It’s not that interesting. They are. You need to actually care about them. Some call this “being curious”. I call it “giving a shit." It’s a requirement to go beyond the basic discovery questions. What is jumping off of the page a little bit? What customer does this remind you of? What stories come to mind? What about your research made the spidey-senses tingle? Having a list of these is how you stand out. The quality of the conversation is dictated by how much you learn about them and how little time is spent talking about your product. 3) Practice your PVE. Pace (speed, patience) Volume (tone) Energy (inflection). The experience that you provide matters. People want engaging, fun experiences. They want to be interested. They want to talk to people who are interesting. Doing your research and preparing thoughtful questions and stories will differentiate you from 70% of sellers. But the very best also focus on the delivery. The energy, arch, and pacing of the call. The best are patient… they don’t rush in. They know the job is to collect information, to get them talking. But they also know when it’s time, and they can turn it on. They can provide captivating moments that deeply engage their prospects. It’s in how they ask a question. It’s in how they tell that customer story. It’s the passion, conviction, the authenticity of it. This isn’t about extroverts or introverts; both do this with mastery. It’s about a transfer of confidence between the seller and the buyer. When done right, the buyer notices. This is how you earn their trust. And once you have that, the rest is history.

I’m often asked how I prep for customer calls. Here’s the 5-point, 15-minute checklist I’ve been using over the last decade before every customer meeting: 1/ Look up all attendees on LinkedIn Goal here is to know who you’re talking to and where they’ve worked. Pro-tip is to find 1 commonality with each person to quickly build rapport (ie college, living location, previous employer, etc.) 2/ Browse their website This is the most obvious thing that is not done enough. Go to their website and learn about their products and value prop. Jot down a few of their key customers to reference. See if they have any unique channels like a partner program. This one is a no-brainer that is skipped way too much! 3/ Study their LinkedIn company page I’ve found that LinkedIn company pages are full of unique insights you can’t find elsewhere. They have the most accurate employee counts, can give you a pulse on recent posts, and provide an up-to-date company mission in a few short lines. 4/ Find the latest news via Google News Do a Google News search for the company. Heading into a meeting, I’ve found huge nuggets here like a CEO change, a recent acquisition, or even controversies to steer clear of. 5/ Understand their market via a competitor search Do a simple search for [company name] competitors. This will give you a good sense of the landscape and who they are competing against. And 2 bonus points if you're meeting with a public company: 6/ Look up their stock ticker on Google Finance This will give you a real-time view into the company financials. I like to zoom out to 1 or 5 year performance, and do a quick glance into the “news” section for insight on recent earnings. 7/ Understand the company history via Wikipedia This one is not used enough, but there are tons of juicy details you can find on Wikipedia pages. Almost a mini-history lesson on a company. What else do you do to prep for your customer meetings? #sales #salesenablement #learning 

A decade into my sales career, and I still get just as nervous for big presentations as I did as a new AE. The difference is that now I have a proven preparation method that guarantees a smooth, confident delivery. Here’s how I prepare to ensure I perform at my best: Two days before: - Review prep materials/research to determine what is top of mind for attendees The goal is to identify the top outcome they want to drive and the biggest pain they want to solve. - Identify my one takeaway that ties back to my audience’s “top of mind" If the audience only remembers one point, what do I need it to be? - Build a talk track to emphasize my primary takeaway They'll forget what they hear while remembering what they feel. I build my talk track around the question, " What do I want them to feel that is associated with my main takeaway?" One day before: - Practice until mostly smooth, with minimal reliance on notes The timing here is extremely intentional: sleep reinforces learning. One night’s rest between practice and presentation allows my brain to cement the flow. If I'm 80% polished the day before, simply sleeping and waking up gets me to 95%. Brain science is cool. Day of: - One more walkthrough, with emphasis on tonality (where I want to pause for emphasis, etc.) At this point, I've mastered the material. I know what I want to say. I just need to polish how I want to say it. Then, I enter the call with the confidence that stems from preparation. Regardless of your experience or comfort presenting, you should never outgrow the need to practice and prepare. Next time you have a big presentation, try this framework. I bet you'll deliver a more confident and impactful message.

Before every big meeting  I read every document. Twice.  I research every attendee.  I think through every possible dynamic before walking into the room. People call it "over-preparing." I call it strategic advantage. I have learned over the years that I have to do this. This approach saved me countless times: • In White House briefings where one wrong answer could make headlines • In boardrooms where millions were on the line • In client meetings where credibility was everything The secret? It's not just about knowing the facts.  It's about understanding the people and the politics. Before every important meeting, I ask: ⇾ Who are the key decision-makers? ⇾ What are their primary concerns? ⇾ Where might resistance come from? ⇾ How can I make their job easier? Preparation isn't about perfection—it's about positioning. When you're the most prepared person in the room, you're not just participating. You're leading. #StrategicPreparation #LeadershipTips #PowerPivot

Years ago, I had a new team member ask how I became so comfortable speaking in meetings, able to pivot when the conversation went in unexpected directions. The answer: Preparation. My meeting prep routine looks something like this: ✏ What do I need from this meeting/conversation? Goals, objectives (stated/unstated) ✏ What do I know/believe others need from this meeting/conversation? Goals, objectives (stated/unstated) ✏ What questions need to be asked/answered to achieve those objectives? That is, what do we already know & what information is missing. ✏ What concerns might be presented – and how will I respond? Use that EI to identify potential concerns, consider what is at the root of the concerns, and review what I know, what I can share. ✏ What is the most important information or decision to share during the interaction? Be ready to connect each person with the objective and confirm the ‘why’ is clear. ✏ What topics need to be avoided (and how will I respond when that topic comes up)? Prepare next steps to offer and clear, honest rationale. This routine works for me whether I’m leading or attending a meeting, too. Some meetings require more preparation, some less, but these questions are constantly humming in the back of my brain, so the routine has become both quick and efficient. (Also, every meeting should have an agenda with goals & objectives and a clear purpose for attendees. If it doesn’t, ask for one before you agree to attend!) If you have additional tips, I’d love to hear them! #culture #womeninleadership

Most salespeople “prep” for a call by glancing at a LinkedIn profile. That’s not pre-call planning. That’s winging it with better lighting. If you want to earn trust in a discovery call, you need to walk in already understanding their world. Here’s how I prep: 1. I study their LinkedIn profile to see how they think, not just what they do 2. I analyze their website like a buyer, not a seller 3. I use ChatGPT to synthesize what I’ve found into a strategy, not a script Then I ask it for: 1. A quick SWOT 2. A likely DISC profile of the contact 3. Discovery questions using CHIRP™ (Challenge, History, Impact, Risk, Priority) 4. Key competitors and industry trends 5. Objections I’m likely to hear and how to earn the next question, not rush to the pitch I broke the entire process down for you. If your team treats pre-call planning as a checkbox, this post might shift the way you prepare, and how your prospects experience you. #SalesLeadership #SocialSelling #ChatGPT #LinkedInSelling #PreCallPlanning #TrustBasedSelling #CHIRP #CRISPYPrompt #askssl #sslinsights

Salespeople, let me know if this sounds familiar: You have a call scheduled with a prospect for a few days out. Suddenly, you see a few new attendees “accepted” your invite. You think to yourself, “hell yea, they must be very interested if the DM is adding people to the call.” You show up to the call and it turns out they are very interested but they’ve brought some technical people and are peppering you with integration questions. You answer the best you can but some questions you will have to get back to them on. Momentum stalls a bit. I’ve been on both sides of these sales calls in good and bad ways and my advice is, if you are not thoroughly researching all the people joining a sales call, you are really missing an opportunity. This is where meeting prep starts. I’m not saying you should be focusing on where they went to college, which cities they’re from, what sports teams they like. Unless they like the New York Giants it doesn’t matter anyway. Start by looking at their job titles and seniority level. Ask yourself why might they joining the call? What will they be expecting? Are they additional DMs? Are they potential users of the solution? If so, think about how they could be using the solution or product. Will the new attendees be up to speed? What will be most important to them? What questions will they have? What questions will you have for them? The answers will certainly impact how you will handle the call. Finally, if you really want to set yourself up, you should send an email prior to the call asking if there are specific areas they are looking to cover. This is the best way to be prepared. What did I miss? What are some other ways you prepare for calls with multiple stakeholders?

Last week, I spent 5 extra minutes preparing for an account call. In just a few hours, I accomplished more than I had in two months. Even top medical sales reps fall into the trap of "winging it". We tell ourselves, “I’ll just see where the conversation goes,” and leave without progress. 👉 You don’t need to sell a device on every visit. 🚫 But you should never leave an account without accomplishing something. Ask yourself: How can I move my business forward with this call? It could be as simple as: 👨🏼⚕️ Learning something new about the physician or clinical staff 🩻 Gathering intel on a competitor’s device 👩🏫 Educating a new team member The "big sale" doesn’t happen every day, but progress should. Here’s 3 ways I make the most of my account calls: 🎯Set clear goals • Outline a few goals you would like to accomplish • Define the purpose of each goal (sale related, connection, understanding, teaching) • Don't worry if you don’t achieve all of them, roll over for the next call 💎Provide value • Get genuinely curious-what drives the team? • Find ways to add value with your presence, not just your product • Make sure the physician and staff feel the impact of your visit 🚀Move forward • Never leave without some progress, no matter how small • Align your actions with the overall strategy for the account • Be able to articulate how the call moved your business forward The takeaway? Five minutes of preparation can save you months of wasted effort. Stop winging it. Your future self will thank you. 🙋🏼♂️Follow me, Brendan Kane , to level up your sales skills and fast track your career. ♻️Repost to help others #Medicalsales #MedicalDevice #SalesTips #SalesSuccess #SalesLeadership