A Guide to Using AI in Sales Meeting Prep

Research is one of the most time-consuming parts of the sales process.

You have to dig up information, sift through calls, and make sense of scattered insights. The process is tedious. Given the long list of responsibilities in closing deals, it falls to the bottom of the to-do list for many. Worse still, you have to invest hours into research before even qualifying the prospect. So, you don’t even know if they’re worth the effort yet.

Well, one of the benefits of AI in sales is that you can say goodbye to long hours bent over your laptop. And you can say hello to effortlessly efficient prospect research with AI for meeting prep. 

In this article, you’ll discover how AI can improve your meeting preparation process. From sorting through data to offering tailored insights, AI can be a game-changer.

Let’s see how.

Challenges of traditional meeting prep:

As a salesperson, one of your sharpest tools is your ability to tailor your pitch. 

This means tuning into your prospect’s specific pain points and showing you empathize. Without research, salespeople find themselves taking meetings unprepared, which affects their confidence, their performance, and, in some cases, the entire deal.

But finding the time to spend multiple hours prepping for each call and making sense of all of that information is practically impossible with the number of responsibilities most salespeople juggle. 

Digging into a prospect’s business, unearthing past conversations, and grasping their unique needs can gobble up hours, and most salespeople don’t have the luxury of spending that much time preparing for each meeting. Worse still, a lot of the data found either online or even in the CRM is incorrect or outdated anyway.

Worse still, a lot of the data found either online or even in the CRM is incorrect or outdated anyway. In fact, according to a study done by Beagle Research Group and Oracle, 85% of sellers have ​​made potentially embarrassing mistakes because of faulty CRM data. 

That’s where AI can step in.

How AI can improve meeting prep

So, how can AI turn this often chaotic process into a seamless and efficient routine?

Below, you’ll see some of the ways AI streamlines meeting prep so you have the time to focus on more strategic work.

Now let’s dive into the specifics so you can see the step-by-step process you need to follow to reap the many benefits of AI in sales meeting prep.

First meeting prep

Here’s how to streamline research for your first meeting.

Step 1: Prime ChatGPT: Start by priming ChatGPT.
Enter the following-

You’re a sales rep for [COMPANY NAME]. You are preparing for a first meeting with a [JOB TITLE] from [COMPANY NAME]. Given your upcoming meeting, you'd like to better understand the individual you’ll be speaking with. I will provide their LinkedIn profile, any personal blogs or publications they've authored, and any other relevant links that might offer insights into their professional background and personal interests.

Step 2: Collect information: Then go and collect posts from their LinkedIn profile, and find any articles they’ve written or interviews they’ve given.

Step 3: Analyze the information with ChatGPT: Copy and paste that information into ChatGPT with the following series of prompts:

Based on the following social media posts from [NAME], please provide insights into their interests, preferences, recent activities, and potential pain points or needs that can be addressed in our upcoming sales meeting.
[Insert social media posts here]

Based on the following information about the prospect's position and company, please provide insights into their potential responsibilities, challenges they might face, and areas where our solutions could align with their needs.
[Insert details about the prospect's position and company here]

Please present a concise bullet list highlighting key points about the individual, focusing on areas that will help in building rapport, understanding their professional journey, and identifying topics of mutual interest or discussion points for the meeting.

Add all that information together, and boom – you’ve got yourself a personalized meeting guide.

Here’s an example of what that might look like for Eldad Postan-Koren, the CEO of WINN.AI based on some of his recent LinkedIn posts.

Prepping for subsequent meetings

You’re going to want to take another dig, but this time you already know where to look:

Recap previous meetings – What happened last time? What needs to happen next? Just jot those down.

To streamline this process, take the transcript of your previous meeting and plug it into ChatGPT with the following prompt:

1. You’re a sales rep for [COMPANY NAME]. You are preparing for a second meeting with a [JOB TITLE] from [COMPANY NAME]. Given your upcoming meeting, you'd like to address any pain points or requirements the prospect already mentioned. I will provide the transcript of the original meeting.

2. Based on the following meeting with [NAME], please provide insights into their current position, highlighting areas where they are still doubtful about our product: [TRANSCRIPT]

3. Please present a concise bullet list highlighting key points about the individual, focusing on areas that will help in building trust and moving the deal forward.

Oh, and don’t forget to reconnect on a personal note. Remember their dog’s name? Mention it!

How to use AI to research a company 

So you want to know where the shoe pinches for your prospect’s company? Here’s how:

Step 1: Start your research process. Focus on the following 4 key areas of the prospect’s company:

• Identify the company’s current challenges and needs by researching recent news articles, industry reports, and LinkedIn posts to gather insights into the company’s current challenges.

• Explore the company’s website, especially sections that provide insights into their technology or partnerships to understand more about their tech stack.

• Understand the company’s culture from its mission statement.

• Check employee reviews on third-party platforms and highlight any significant recent changes or developments the company has undergone.

• Peruse third-party review websites to see what their customers say about their product.

Step 2: ChatGPT Time: Here’s where the magic happens. Feed those reviews into your ChatGPT, and cue the prompt:

"Given our company's specialization, please provide a comprehensive overview of the prospect's company. I will include their company URL, a few of their past LinkedIn posts, and any available reviews from third-party platforms. Focus on areas where they might benefit from our offerings, including their current processes. Highlight any challenges they might be facing, recent industry changes, and potential collaboration opportunities."

Step 3: Then enter your information using the following prompt:

Provide the analysis based on the information I attach here.
My company URL: [Your company URL] Prospect's company URL: [Prospect's company URL]
Past LinkedIn Posts: [LinkedIn post 1] [LinkedIn post 2] [LinkedIn post 3]
Reviews URL: [Third-party review URL]
News articles [Article 1] [Article 2] [Article 3]
Employee reviews: [Third-party employee review site]

Output Request:
After analyzing the provided information, please present a concise bullet list of the 5 most important points to notice about the prospect's company, focusing on key areas for collaboration and potential benefits from our offerings.”

Benefits of AI in sales meeting prep 

Here are some of the many benefits of AI in sales meeting prep for the modern professional:

1. Efficient time management: Automating the preparation process leaves more time for strategic relationship-building. So you can improve the quality of interactions with clients.
2. Enhanced personalization: Through deep analysis of previous interactions, purchases, and preferences, AI can help you craft pitches that align precisely with the pain points already discussed.
3. Emotional intelligence analysis: Some advanced AI tools can analyze a prospect’s personality. So you can show your product’s features and benefits in a way that will make a deeper impact.
4. Seamless integration with your CRM: AI can sync with your CRM. So, it can pull relevant data at the click of a button.

Features to look for in an AI tool for meeting prep 

Many AI-powered tools are available on the market, tailored to the specific needs of sales professionals.

Here’s what to prioritize when considering AI tools that can elevate your meeting prep to the next level:

1. Meeting summaries: Let AI transform the bulk of information from a meeting into concise, accurate summaries. 
   
2. Future meetings overview: Keep track of your upcoming engagements, with a comprehensive view of all your future meetings, a summary of past touch points, and pertinent details so you can manage your time.
   
3. Deal rooms and account rooms: Organize and manage your sales deals and accounts within dedicated virtual spaces. That way, all relevant information is readily accessible.
   
4. Prospect data enrichment: Some AI tools can provide valuable information about a lead’s background, interests, and needs, allowing for more personalized engagement.
   
5. Email thread summaries: Navigating long email threads can be cumbersome. Let AI provide succinct summaries of email conversations, highlighting the key points, decisions, and action items.
   
6. Integration and compatibility: Choose an AI tool that smoothly integrates with your existing systems, including your CRM. So you can keep important information about your contact in one central location.

Whether it’s a high-stakes deal or a routine catch-up, these features empower you to approach every meeting with confidence and clarity. 

Tools

If you’re going to reap the many benefits of AI in sales, you’ll need to have the right tools. Here are some of our favorites: 

1. WINN.AI: WINN.AI automatically summarizes all of your meetings with prospects, organizes relevant data for you according to your sales methodology, and uploads it to your CRM. So, in subsequent meetings, you’ll have all of the information you need to be summarized and organized. A quick review and you’re ready to go!
   
2. Humantic AI: Humantic AI helps you better understand other people’s personalities by analyzing their LinkedIn profiles according to popular psychological models like DISC and OCEAN. Plus, the Chrome extension allows you to integrate the tool with email, LinkedIn, and all popular CRMS.
   
3. Crystal Knows: It’s a tool that suggests words and phrases in real time so you can personalize every message to match your buyer’s natural style.

Some final thoughts about the benefits of AI in sales meeting prep

​​It’s 2023, but many sales reps are still laboring over manual meeting preparation, sifting through pages of data, and struggling to tailor their pitch in real time.

But why waste valuable time on tedious prep work when AI can streamline the process for you?

Focus on what truly resonates – understanding your prospects, crafting the perfect pitch, and closing those deals. It’s time to bid farewell to the old ways of meeting preparation. 

Let AI take the reins.

You’ve got relationships to build and deals to win.