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playbook

The pre-call account brief

Turn folders of notes, an email thread, and a CRM export into a tight pre-call brief — where you stand, what they care about, open promises, the top risks, and your opening line.

easy ~15 min
when to reach for this

It's ten minutes to the call and the account is a blur: three folders of notes, a long email thread, a CRM row you last touched six weeks ago. Walking in cold is how you miss the promise you made last quarter or the competitor they mentioned. This system turns all that scattered context into one tight brief — where the relationship stands, what they care about, the promises still open, the biggest risks, and the single best question to open with — in the time it takes to refill your coffee.

gather this first
  • The account's notes as actual files — a folder like acme-notes/, or call-notes.txt, so Claude reads them instead of you skimming.
  • The relevant email thread saved as acme-thread.txt (export or copy-paste the chain).
  • A CRM export for this account — acme-crm.csv — with stage, plan, renewal date, owner, and last activity.
the workflow

  1. Point Claude at everything and have it read it back

    In Claude Desktop, open the account folder and just ask in the chat — no terminal needed. Don't ask for the brief yet, though. First make sure Claude has actually absorbed the material and can summarize it back — that catches a misread before it ends up in your opener.

    you ask
    Read every file in acme-notes/, the email thread in acme-thread.txt, and acme-crm.csv. In 4 bullets, tell me: their current plan and renewal date, who the champion is, the single thing they care most about, and the last thing we promised them. Don't write a brief yet.

    what you get back A short read-back — e.g. "Growth plan, renews Aug 14; champion is the VP Ops; they care most about onboarding time; last promise was a custom export by end of Q2." If any of that is wrong, you found it now, not on the call.

    This "read it back to me first" move is the highest-leverage habit in the whole system — it verifies Claude read the right things before you trust the brief.

  2. Build the one-page brief

    Now ask for the structured brief. Naming the exact sections keeps it scannable in the 90 seconds you'll have to read it.

    you ask
    Now write a one-page brief with these sections: Where we stand (2 lines), What they care about (3 bullets), Open promises we still owe, and Recent history (last 3 touches with dates). Keep it tight enough to read in 90 seconds.

    what you get back A scannable brief: relationship status, their priorities, the promises you still owe ("custom export — not yet delivered"), and a dated mini-timeline of the last three interactions.

  3. Surface the risks and your opener

    The brief tells you the facts; this step tells you what to worry about. Ask for the three biggest risks and one sharp question — not a generic script.

    you ask
    Based on all of this, what are the 3 biggest risks to this deal or renewal, ranked? Then give me the single best question to open the call with — one that surfaces the real blocker early instead of small talk.

    what you get back A ranked risk list ("1. Champion may be changing roles; 2. Budget freeze rumored in their thread; 3. Competitor mentioned twice") and one opener like "Last time you flagged onboarding time — where has that landed since we spoke?"

  4. Pre-draft the recap so it's half-done before you start

    Write the follow-up email now, with a placeholder for whatever they commit to. You'll only fill in what changed — momentum starts before the call ends.

    you ask
    Draft a 5-line recap email I can send right after the call: thank them, restate where we landed, and a clear next step. Leave a [commitment] placeholder and a [next-step date] placeholder for me to fill in live.

    what you get back A ready-to-send recap with [commitment] and [next-step date] placeholders — so the moment the call ends, you fill two blanks and hit send.

make it your own
  • Net-new prospect, no history: when there's no CRM row yet, point Claude at the company's site and any intro email instead — this is the on-ramp to The personalized outreach engine.
  • Right after the call: feed the transcript into The post-call follow-up system to turn what just happened into objections, commitments, and a finished recap.
  • Make it one command (Power Track): once the structure is stable, save it as a /brief custom command (see the Playbook's Capabilities tab) so prepping any account is one line, not four prompts.
watch out for
  • Verify the facts before you walk in — Claude can state a renewal date or a past promise with total confidence and be wrong. The brief is a starting point you confirm against the source, not gospel.
  • Account notes and threads are customer data. Keep acme-thread.txt and exports inside your own approved workspace and use [champion name]-style placeholders if you ever share a prompt — never paste a customer's private details somewhere you don't control.
  • The brief can't commit the company. It may surface a discount you floated or a term you once offered — but pricing, contract changes, and new promises clear deal-desk or your manager before you say them on the call, not after. Claude preps the conversation; the authority to commit stays with whoever owns it.
  • Claude drafts the brief and the recap; you still own the relationship and the call. Read it, trust your read of the room over the bullet points, and decide what to actually say.

you'll end up with A one-page brief, a ranked risk list, a ready opener, and a half-written recap — so you walk into any call knowing the history, the risks, and your first line.

Questions people ask

How long does the brief take to produce?
About 15 minutes — roughly the time it takes to refill your coffee. You point Claude at the notes, thread, and CRM export, have it read them back, then generate the one-page brief, risks, and a pre-drafted recap.
What do I need to gather first?
Three things as actual files so Claude reads them rather than you skimming: the account's notes folder (e.g. `acme-notes/`), the relevant email thread (`acme-thread.txt`), and a CRM export (`acme-crm.csv`) with stage, plan, renewal date, owner, and last activity.
Can I trust the renewal dates and past promises in the brief?
Verify them before you walk in. Claude can state a renewal date or a past promise with total confidence and still be wrong — the brief is a starting point you confirm against the source, not gospel.
Is it safe to put customer notes and threads into a prompt?
Keep account notes, threads, and exports inside your own approved workspace, and use `[champion name]`-style placeholders if you ever share a prompt. Never paste a customer's private details into a tool you don't control.