playbook

The post-call follow-up system

Turn any call recording or transcript into momentum: the real objections, what they committed to, the open questions, and a ready-to-send recap with a clear next step.

medium ~30 min

when to reach for this

The hour after a call is when deals are won or lost, and it's exactly when you're tired and on to the next meeting. The recap goes out two days late, vague, with no clear next step — and the momentum is gone. This system turns the transcript into structured momentum: the objections they actually raised (not the polite ones), what they committed to, the questions still open, and a recap email good enough to send before you've left the room.

gather this first

The call as a transcript file — demo-transcript.txt from your recorder, or pasted-in notes if you took them live.
The pre-call brief or your notes on what you wanted out of the call (from *The pre-call account brief*), so Claude can compare goal vs. outcome.
Your standard next-step options — trial, pilot, proposal, exec intro — so the recap proposes a real one, not a vague "let's stay in touch."

the workflow

01
Extract the real signal, not a transcript summary

Don't ask "summarize the call" — you'll get a play-by-play. Ask for the four things that move a deal, including the objection underneath the polite one.
you ask
```
Read demo-transcript.txt. Pull out four things only: (1) every objection or concern they raised — and for each, what the REAL concern underneath it might be; (2) anything they committed to; (3) questions they asked that we didn't fully answer; (4) buying signals, positive or negative. Don't summarize the whole call.
```
what you get back Four tight lists — e.g. objection "need to check with finance" / likely real concern "not convinced of ROI yet"; committed to "loop in their VP next week"; open question "does it integrate with their CRM"; signal "asked about pricing tiers unprompted."

The "real concern underneath" reframe is where the value is — "too expensive" is rarely about price, and naming the true blocker is what you'll actually address in the recap.
02
Score the call honestly against your goal

Ask for a skeptical read on where the deal actually stands. This counters happy-ears — the tendency to hear what you hoped for.
you ask
```
Compared to my goal for this call (a pilot agreement), give me a blunt read: did it move forward, stall, or slip? What's the single biggest blocker now, and what has to be true for this to close? Be skeptical, not encouraging.
```
what you get back An honest verdict — "Stalled. Biggest blocker is unproven ROI for finance, not the champion's interest. To close, you need a number their VP will accept" — instead of a comforting recap that hides the risk.
03
Draft the recap that creates the next step

Now write the email. The job of a recap isn't to summarize — it's to confirm the commitment and lock the next step on the calendar.
you ask
```
Draft a recap email to send now: thank them, restate what we agreed (especially what THEY committed to), answer the one open question we can answer in writing, and propose a specific next step with a concrete date. Keep it under 120 words, warm and direct, no fluff.
```
what you get back A send-ready email that mirrors their commitment back ("as discussed, you'll loop in your VP"), answers the integration question, and proposes "a 30-min pilot scope call Thursday" — a clear next step, not "let me know."
04
Update the record and queue the internal note

Close the loop in your system so the deal doesn't go stale. Ask for a short CRM-ready update and the next-action reminder.
you ask
```
Give me a 3-line CRM update for this deal (status, next step, date) and a one-line internal note flagging the biggest risk for my manager. Plain text, paste-ready.
```
what you get back A clean CRM update ("Stage: Pilot pending • Next: scope call Thu • Risk: finance ROI sign-off") and a one-liner your manager can read in five seconds — so the deal's state is current, not in your head.

make it your own

**No recording:** paste your live notes instead of a transcript — the four-list extraction works on rough notes, just with less nuance on the "real concern" reads.
**Recurring objections:** when the same concern shows up across calls, feed those extractions into *The objection battle-cards* to turn a pattern into a reusable response.
**Standardize it:** save the four-list prompt as a /recap custom command (see the *Features* tab) so every call gets the same rigorous follow-up, not just the ones you have energy for.

watch out for

Transcripts are imperfect — names, numbers, and who-said-what get garbled. Verify any commitment or figure against your own memory before you put it in a recap; don't promise something back that they never actually agreed to.
A call transcript is some of the most sensitive customer data you hold. Keep demo-transcript.txt in your approved workspace, never paste it into an untrusted tool, and scrub names to [prospect] if you share a prompt for help.
Claude drafts the recap and reads the room from text; you were actually there. If its "honest verdict" conflicts with what you felt in the room, trust your read — and you own what the email actually says before it sends.

you'll end up with Four lists of real signal, an honest read on where the deal stands, and a send-ready recap with a dated next step — momentum captured before you've left the meeting.

Extract the real signal, not a transcript summary

Score the call honestly against your goal

Draft the recap that creates the next step

Update the record and queue the internal note