How to Prepare for a Sales Call: A 10-Minute Checklist

1. 1

   Research the person (2 minutes)

   Open their LinkedIn profile and get the essentials: current role, tenure, career path, and something recent — a move, a post, a project. Call Me Ready condenses all of this into a profile summary with one click, so this step takes about 60 seconds.

2. 2

   Know their company in 30 seconds

   One sentence on what the business does, one on its size or stage, and one on why your product matters in their world. That is enough for a first or second call.

3. 3

   Find one piece of common ground

   A shared employer, school, city, or connection. Mentioning it briefly early on builds rapport — just keep it genuine and short.

4. 4

   Write down 3 questions

   Choose questions the profile cannot answer: about their process, their priorities, their decision criteria. Three good questions beat a list of twenty read in order.

5. 5

   Draft your opener

   The first line sets the tone. Make it specific to them — a role change, a company milestone, a shared background — rather than “thanks for taking the time.”

6. 6

   Check for watch-outs

   A very recent job change, a company in the news for the wrong reasons, a name you are unsure how to pronounce. Thirty seconds of checking avoids a bad first minute.

7. 7

   Set one goal for the call

   Decide what a successful call looks like before it starts: a booked next step, a champion identified, a disqualification. One goal, written down, keeps the call on track.

The first three items on the checklist — the person, the company, the common ground — are exactly what Call Me Ready generates from a LinkedIn profile. Open the profile, click Prep for Meeting, and the profile summary appears in a side panel: snapshot, career arc, talking points, common ground, their company in 30 seconds, a suggested opener, and watch-outs. Most reps finish the whole checklist in under five minutes.

How long should sales call prep take?

For most calls, 5 to 10 minutes is enough. The checklist above is built for that window. Big multi-stakeholder meetings deserve more; routine discovery calls rarely do.

What should I research before a sales call?

Three things: the person (role, tenure, recent activity), the company (what they do, size, stage), and one piece of common ground. Call Me Ready generates all three from a LinkedIn profile in one click.

What is pre call planning?

Pre call planning is the short, repeatable routine a rep runs before a sales call: research the person, review the account, choose questions, and set a goal. The teams that do it consistently run shorter, more relevant calls.

How do I prepare for a call with someone I have never met?

Start with their LinkedIn profile. A profile summary gives you the career story, talking points, common ground, and watch-outs — enough to open warmly and ask informed questions even with no prior relationship.

Does reopening a saved profile summary cost a credit?

No. Profile summaries are stored for 30 days. Reopening the same person's profile within that window shows the stored summary again at no cost.

Put the prep to work: cold call script template, discovery call questions, and cold calling tips.