Your play
Pre-call research is one of the biggest sources of wasted time in sales. Reps either spend too long piecing together information manually or end up reconfirming basics live on the call, which slows momentum and makes demos feel generic.
When context isn’t clear upfront, conversations drift, discovery drags on, and demos feel disconnected from what the buyer cares about. Credibility is harder to establish, and next steps are less certain.
This play shows you how to use account intelligence to compress research into a few focused minutes, so you can combine discovery and demo into one tight, relevant conversation and move faster to a clear next step.
Tools
Firmable: Use account intelligence to pull fast context before the call, including company size, structure, recent changes, and likely blockers.
Digital channels: You could use virtual meetings, phone, and email in this play. Meet first for discovery and demo conversations, then follow up with a short email to lock in next steps.
CRM: Use your CRM to confirm ownership and stage before the call, capture stakeholders, risks, and next steps after.
Actions
Step 1: Review the account
Open your leads account in Firmable and scan of company information, then run an account intelligence check to capture the essentials: size and structure, what they do, who matters, what’s changed recently, and any competitive or growth context that could shape the call.
Step 2: Set a lightweight agenda
Based on your findings, set a simple plan for the call. Decide what needs confirming in discovery and which parts of the demo you’ll emphasise. You’re not locking the script. You’re setting direction so you can move quickly from discovery into value proposition.
Step 3: Lead discovery with relevance
Use the first part of the call to confirm context and understand how they operate. Focus on their current tools or processes, stakeholders involved, and how buying decisions are made. Before moving into the demo, check if there are any questions or must-haves you should cover.
Step 4: Demo through their context
Transition straight into a demo tailored to your learning. Show your product through the buyer’s lens, using their priorities, workflows, or pain points rather than a generic walkthrough.
If they already use a competitor, move faster to differentiation and proof points. Keep linking what you show back to outcomes, not features.
Step 5: Lock next steps and capture insights
Template
Outbound activation checklist
“Thanks for making the time, [first name]. I’ll keep this tight today and make sure we finish on time.
Before we jump into it, I’ll spend a couple of minutes setting context and confirming what you want to get out of today, then we’ll go straight into the demo.
Before we start, what would make this call useful for you?”
Context bridge
“From what I can see, [company] looks like [size/structure] and there’s been [recent change] recently. When you think about the next quarter, is the priority more about [priority A] or [priority B]?”
Recap email
Subject: Next steps for [company]
Hi [first name],
Thanks again for the time today. Based on what we covered, the priority is [priority], with [blocker or constraint] to work around.
Next steps:
- [next step 1]
- [who needs to be involved]
- Timing: [date or timeframe]
If anything changes on your side, let me know and I’ll adjust.
Metrics
- Time saved on pre-call prep per opportunity
- Time to first value moment in the conversation
- Next-step conversion rate from the demo
- Pipeline progression after the call
- Stakeholders identified and looped in per opportunity
Bottom line
Account intelligence isn’t about deeper research. It’s about faster, better decisions before the call. This play helps AEs replace manual prep with a clear snapshot, shorten discovery, and run relevant demos that move deals forward with momentum.
Run this play in your next demo, or talk to us about how to roll this play out across sales workflows.
