Why reps walk in cold
The information exists. Invoices, balances, last orders, overdue amounts — it's all in the ERP. But the ERP was built for the back office: several screens, filters, exports. At 8:50 in a car park, nobody does that.
So reps walk in with memory and good intentions, and get caught out when the client opens with an overdue invoice the rep didn't know about, or asks why a product they buy every month hasn't arrived.
The six questions
A good briefing answers six questions. Nothing more is needed to walk in prepared.
- What do they owe us, and is any of it overdue? Never be surprised by a debt the client raises first — and decide beforehand whether you'll raise it.
- What have they bought recently, and how does this year compare with last? The trend tells you whether you're growing the account or quietly losing it.
- What do they buy most — and what have they stopped buying? A product that disappears from the orders is the earliest sign of a competitor, and the easiest conversation to open.
- What's open? Quotes, deals and tasks: what you promised last time.
- What happened at the last visit? Who you met, what they objected to, what was agreed.
- What else is on the calendar with them? Other meetings, and other colleagues involved in the account.
Ask once, in plain words
With emily you don't run six reports. On the way, you ask one question — "anything I should know before meeting Ferragens Lopes?" — and she pulls the balance, what's overdue, recent purchases and what's logged in the CRM, then answers follow-ups like "and compared with last year?". See pre-visit briefings and asking your ERP.
An illustrative exchange, on a WhatsApp voice call (the figures are examples):
That's the whole briefing, in less time than it takes to find a parking space.
Numbers you can say in front of a client
A briefing is only useful if it's right. emily answers from your ERP's own data, and when something isn't there she says so instead of guessing — see reliable numbers. Access follows each person's permissions, so a rep who isn't meant to see margins doesn't get them in a briefing either.
Make it a habit
- Ask on the way, not the night before. The data is fresher and so is your memory.
- Ask the same six questions every time. Consistency is what turns a briefing into an advantage.
- Close the loop after the visit with a voice recap, so the next briefing knows what happened today — see why the CRM fails in the car.
- Managers: ask for the briefing in pipeline reviews. "What did the ERP say before you went in?" is a better question than "how did it go?".
The bottom line
Preparation used to mean an evening with the ERP. Now it's a minute on the way in, asked in your own words. The reps who walk in knowing the balance, the trend and the last promise made are the ones clients take seriously.
For the full picture of what AI can do for a team on the road, read our guide to AI for field sales teams.