Discovery meeting prep is not optional.

AEs — Discovery meeting prep is not optional.

And no — scanning BDR notes or grabbing the BDR two minutes before the call doesn’t count.
Landing a single meeting can take hundreds of dials, emails sent, and connections made. The least you can do is actually prepare.

Here’s why it matters:
Your BDR books you with a contact who looks mid- or low-level. Easy to wing it, right?
But with 15 minutes of research, you uncover:

• Who they report to and where that person sits.
  
  
• Other decision-makers connected to the project.
  
  
• Expansion plans, hiring patterns, or tech changes.
  
  

That changes your strategy entirely.
And if the lead no-shows?
You still walk away with intel to work the account and personalize outreach to the rest of the buying committee.

Account first. Lead second.
Think long-term.

Quick gut check for managers:

• Pick an AE meeting for later today.
  
  
• Ask to see their prep doc.
  
  
• If they don’t have one — or plan to “do it right before” — that’s already a miss.
  Prep should be done the day before so the AE can think, adjust the agenda, and come in sharp.
  
  

BDR role:

1. Drop your transcript into AI for a summary in CRM.
   
   
2. Link the call recording.
   
   
3. Account map.
   
   
4. Book a 10–15 min prep call with the AE.
   
   
5. Update the meeting agenda.
   
   

AE role:

• Do your own research.
  
  
• Adjust your questions.
  
  
• Give the BDR a clear role in the call.
  
  

This isn’t busywork. It’s the difference between “just another meeting” and “progress toward the deal.”

(Illustration by Eli 5 Stone)