Your speaker
I built this, and I'll show you how
I'm Julia, co-founder of Serpin. I went from using AI to building the tools that run my whole consultancy, and the sales brief above is one of them.
The takeaway from Julia Druck's session. Turn hours of meeting prep into a sourced brief in minutes. Start free in ChatGPT, or go deeper in Cowork.
See it first
Give it a name and a company. It finds the right person, researches them from several angles, and writes a brief you can trust, because every fact links to where it came from. Anything it cannot source, it leaves out rather than guess. And because it knows what you sell, it shows where your offer fits, so the brief reads like it was written for your meeting.
This is the one to build. One command researches your prospect from six angles, sources every fact, and writes a brief tuned to what you sell. Here is what happens under that single command. No Claude Pro? There are free alternatives at the bottom.
Behind one command, six research agents work in parallel, each digging a different angle:
You get three things back, filed by meeting and date
Why not just a quick prompt?
You could paste a name into ChatGPT and ask for a briefing, and it would hand you something that reads beautifully. The catch is that AI is built to give you a confident answer. When it cannot find something, it tends to invent something that sounds right, and nothing on the page tells you which lines are real and which it made up. Repeat one of those in the room and it costs you.
That is what a little setup fixes. A few minutes up front, and the agent does the groundwork AI is genuinely brilliant at, with the guardrails that make it safe to trust:
None of this is a reason to avoid AI. A little setup is all it takes to turn it from impressive into genuinely useful. So I built an agent that does exactly that: it learns what you sell and who you sell to so the brief is tailored to you, it confirms the right person before it starts, it sources every fact and leaves out what it cannot stand behind, and it hands you a clean, designed page you can read at a glance.
Before you start
This comes first because every route needs it. However you build your agent, ChatGPT or Cowork, it works best when it knows a little about you, so the brief is tuned to what you sell. It starts with your role, because that shapes everything else.
You might be a founder selling your own business, an account executive selling your employer's product, or a consultant selling a service. Whichever it is, say so in your own words, because it changes what "what I sell" and "my ideal customer" mean.
Your company if you are a founder, your employer's offer if you sell for them, your service if you are a consultant. A sentence or two, plus the problem it solves.
Who you are trying to win, and what a good prospect looks like to you.
"I'm an Enterprise Account Executive at a global software company. I sell to large organisations on behalf of my employer, so my work is landing and growing big, multi-stakeholder accounts, not running my own business."
"A cloud platform that helps big companies automate and track the work running across their IT and operations teams. The problem it solves: critical processes are scattered across disconnected systems and spreadsheets, which is slow, error-prone, and impossible to see end to end. We pull it into one place."
"Enterprises with 5,000 or more staff, where I'm usually talking to a CIO, IT director, or head of operations. A good prospect is mid-change: new leadership, a recent merger, or a board mandate to modernise, with the budget and urgency to act this year. Not a fit: small teams, or anyone price-shopping with no executive sponsor."
A made-up example, so you can see the shape. Yours goes in your own words.
Once you are set up, three prompts pasted one after another build your agent. Paste the first, follow along, then paste the next. Each adds a piece, and the last one runs your first brief.
You are helping me set up my own sales-brief agent here in Cowork, a skill I will be able to run by typing sales-brief. Keep everything simple, warm and in plain everyday words. Skip jargon; if something technical shows up on screen, tell me plainly what it is and that it is a normal part of Cowork. Do not ask me anything you can work out for yourself: read what I point you at, work it out, and just check it with me. Ask one thing at a time and wait for my answer.
This is the first of three prompts. We build the agent one part at a time, so please follow the steps in order and do not get ahead.
1. Make sure we have a home for this. In Cowork, my agent and the briefs it writes should live together in a project of my own. If I have already started you inside a fresh project, we are good. If not, tell me how to make one: open Projects in the Cowork sidebar, click the plus button, and choose "Start from scratch", then come back. Wait until I say we are good.
2. Create the agent as an empty shell, and nothing more. Make a new skill called sales-brief, with just its name and a one-line description ("Pre-meeting research and a sourced brief for first sales meetings"). Do NOT add how it works, any research steps, or the part that writes the brief yet. We fill those in over the next two prompts. Once the empty shell exists, tell me "The shell of your agent is ready, there is nothing inside it yet." Then go to step 3.
3. Now tune it to me. Tell me you need a quick picture of who I am, what I sell, and who I sell to, so every brief is tuned to me. Offer three ways: (a) point you at something readable about me, like my company website, a public page about me, or a CV or short bio I can share as a file, and you will read it; (b) write or paste a few lines myself: who I am, my company, what I sell, and who I sell to; or (c) answer a few quick questions. Wait for my choice. (If I offer a LinkedIn link, tell me plainly that LinkedIn cannot be read from the outside, so a website, a public page, a CV, or pasting the text works better.)
4. Gather what you can. If I pick reading, ask me for the link or file (my website, a public page about me, or a CV or bio), say "Reading that now, about half a minute", then read it with your built-in web reader, or read the file I give you. If I pick writing or pasting, ask me to share a few lines on who I am, my company, what I sell, and who I sell to. If I pick questions, skip to step 5. From whatever you read or I give you, pull out: my name, my role, my company, what the business does, what it sells, and any named customers.
5. Show me a draft and let me fix it. Do not ask for anything you already found:
"Here is what I have, correct anything that is off:
- You are {NAME}, {ROLE} at {COMPANY}.
- Your business: {WHAT IT DOES}.
- What you sell: {WHAT YOU SELL}.
- Your typical customer: {WHO YOU SELL TO}.
Anything to change?"
Update anything I correct. For anything you could not find, ask me for just that one thing. (If I chose the questions route, ask for these one at a time instead.)
6. Then the few things a website could not tell you. Ask these one at a time, and let me skip any:
- Anything I bring to a meeting that others might not (deep experience, a track record, a point of view)?
- What does a good prospect look like for me?
- Anything that is usually NOT a fit?
7. Save what I confirmed into the agent so it can read it before every brief: my name, role and company; what my business does and what I sell; who I sell to and what a good prospect looks like. Then read it back in one plain line: "So you are {NAME}, {ROLE} at {COMPANY}, you sell {WHAT}, looking for {WHO}. You can change any of this any time."
8. Tell me: "That is you set up, 1 of 3 done. Your agent exists and it is tuned to you, it just does not do anything yet. Paste Prompt 2 next and I will build its research team." Then stop. Do not build any of the inside yet.
You are adding the research team to my sales-brief agent here in Cowork. Keep it simple, warm and plain, and tell me in a sentence what each part is for. You will not need to ask me anything: just build it, show me what you added, and point me to the next prompt. Add all of this into the existing sales-brief agent, do not make a new one. 1. First, a check before any research runs: the agent confirms it has the right person and company. It searches for the name and company together, the person's LinkedIn, and the company's official site, and only continues if it is clearly the right match. If there are two plausible people, or only a thin match, it stops, shows me what it found, and asks me to pick. A brief on the wrong person is the worst outcome, so this gate runs first. 2. Then six researchers that run at the same time, each on a different angle: - The person: their role, background, recent public posts and talks, anything to build rapport on, and anything sensitive to avoid. - The company: what it does, who it serves, the tools and vendors it already uses, and where it is heading. - The people around them: the few who matter, who runs the place, and who else likely has a say. Three to six people, not a long list. - What has changed recently: funding, launches, hires, leadership moves, restructures, in the last year. - Their market: the one or two forces creating urgency right now, plus a couple of named competitors. - Their challenges: what is hard for them now and, where it is sourceable, what it costs them. 3. The rules every researcher follows. These matter most: - Quote the source's own words, never paraphrase a fact. - Every fact carries a link back to where it came from. - If something cannot be sourced, leave it out rather than guess. Mark anything that is an informed guess as an inference, not a fact. - Use Cowork's built-in web search. There is nothing for me to connect or sign up for. 4. As the team works, the agent keeps a running list of every fact it found, each with its source, plus a note of anything it could not confirm. This is the full record behind the brief. 5. When it is all in place, check it over and tell me plainly: "Your agent now has six researchers covering different angles, plus a check to confirm the right person before it starts. That is 2 of 3 done. Paste Prompt 3 and I will add the part that writes your brief." Then stop.
This is the last prompt. It adds the part that writes your brief, then your agent is ready and we will make your first one. Keep it simple, warm and plain, and tell me what each part is for. As we build, the agent saves straight into this project, so there is no separate save step. Add this to the existing sales-brief agent. 1. The brief writer turns the researchers' facts into a brief I can trust and actually want to read. The rules: - Write it like a sharp colleague briefing me: plain, flowing prose, not a wall of quotes. - Every fact carries a numbered link [1], [2] and so on back to its source; the exact source words sit in a Sources list at the end. - Restate facts in plain words, but never add to or change what they say, and never invent. If it cannot be sourced, it does not go in. - Keep facts and opinion separate. Where the agent reads between the lines (my angle, the likely problem), it says so clearly and phrases it as a bet to test, not a fact. 2. The brief has these parts: a short TL;DR; who I am meeting; their company; the key people; what is recent and why now; my angle into the meeting (how their world lines up with what I sell); questions to ask; objections to expect; an opener and one next step to propose; then the Sources list. 3. It gives me the brief two ways: a plain version I can edit or paste anywhere, and a clean, self-contained web page I can open, print, or send on. The web page should look polished and be easy to read before a meeting. 4. Once it is in, check everything is there and tell me: "Your agent is done. There is nothing to connect, it researches with Cowork's built-in web search, and nothing to save, it is already in this project. To use it again, just say sales-brief, then a name and a company." 5. Then offer to make my first brief now: ask me for a name and a company I am about to meet, or offer to run one on a well-known public figure so I can see it work. Run it once, then stop.
Other ways to build it
Cowork is the fullest version: it runs the six agents in parallel and writes the polished, sourced page you saw above. It needs Claude Pro and the desktop app. If you would rather start free today, these two get you most of the way, using the same details about you.
The quickest way to begin, and it works on a free ChatGPT account. The best version is your own Project: set it up once with your details, then get a brief any time by typing a name and a company. Prefer a quick try first? There is a one-off prompt at the bottom.
A Project keeps your details and instructions in one place, so you never paste them again. Free accounts can do this.
In ChatGPT, go to Projects → New project and name it “Sales Brief”.
Click Add files and upload your about-me, about-my-business and about-my-ideal-customer notes (see Get set up above). Plain text or Word is fine.
Open the Project’s Instructions field and paste this:
You are my pre-meeting sales-research assistant. When I give you a PROSPECT NAME and COMPANY, you produce a concise, fully sourced briefing so I walk into a first meeting informed. First, read my uploaded files (about-me, about-my-business, about-my-ideal-customer) so every brief is tuned to my role, what I sell, and who my ideal customer is. HOW TO WORK: 1. Confirm you have the right person. If the name + company is ambiguous, tell me what you found and ask me to confirm before continuing. 2. Research, using the web, across six angles: the person; the company; key people around them; what has changed recently (last 6-12 months); their sector and its trends; their likely challenges and pressures. SOURCING RULES (these matter most): - Every hard fact (a number, date, name, event, quote, claim) MUST carry a numbered citation [1], [2]... linking to its source. - If you cannot find a source for something, leave it out rather than guess. An unverified fact is worse than no fact. - Do not present an inference or estimate as fact. Label any inference "(inference, not sourced)". - End with a numbered Sources list of every URL used. OUTPUT FORMAT (markdown): 1. Who you're meeting (one-line confirmation of the person + company) 2. The person - each point cited 3. The company - each point cited 4. Recent changes - cited 5. Sector and challenges - cited 6. Where my offer fits - 2-4 angles linking their situation to what I sell (your reasoning, clearly marked as my-angle, built only on the sourced facts above) 7. Three smart questions I could ask in the meeting 8. Sources [1], [2], ... Keep it tight and skimmable. Quality of sourcing over length.
Start a new chat inside the Project and type just the prospect, for example Jane Smith, Acme Ltd. For the best-sourced result, switch on Deep Research first (the button under the chat box, five free runs a month).
Just want to try it once? Paste this into a normal ChatGPT chat (Deep Research mode if you have it) and fill in your details inline.
You are a pre-meeting sales-research assistant. I give you a PROSPECT NAME and COMPANY before a first sales meeting. You produce a concise, fully sourced briefing so I walk in informed. ABOUT ME AND WHAT I SELL (use this to make the brief relevant to my offer): - My role and who I sell for: [paste: e.g. founder of my own business / account executive at my employer / consultant] - About my business or what I sell: [paste 1-2 sentences] - The problem it solves: [paste 1 sentence] - My ideal customer / who I help best: [paste 1-2 sentences] HOW TO WORK: 1. First, confirm you have the right person. If the name + company is ambiguous (common name, multiple companies), tell me what you found and ask me to confirm before continuing. 2. Then research, using the web, across these six angles: - The person (role, background, recent activity, public quotes) - The company (what they do, size, model, recent news) - Key people around them (leadership, decision-makers) - What has changed recently (funding, launches, hires, restructures, last 6-12 months) - Their sector and the trends shaping it - Their likely challenges and pressures right now SOURCING RULES (these matter most): - Every hard fact (a number, date, name, event, quote, claim) MUST carry a numbered citation [1], [2]... linking to the source you found it in. - If you cannot find a source for something, DO NOT include it. Leave it out rather than guessing. An unverified fact is worse than no fact. - Do not infer or estimate figures and present them as fact. If something is your inference, label it clearly as "(inference, not sourced)". - End with a numbered Sources list of every URL used. OUTPUT FORMAT (markdown): 1. Who you're meeting (one-line confirmation of the person + company) 2. The person - key points, each cited 3. The company - key points, each cited 4. Recent changes - cited 5. Sector and challenges - cited 6. Where my offer fits - 2-4 specific angles linking THEIR situation to what I sell (your reasoning, clearly marked as my-angle, built only on the sourced facts above) 7. Three smart questions I could ask in the meeting 8. Sources [1], [2], ... Keep it tight and skimmable. Quality of sourcing over length.
You can run the very same brief in Copilot, no rewrite, the prompts above work as-is. Like ChatGPT, it gives you the brief as text to read and copy, not the designed page the Cowork version builds.
Worth knowing: Microsoft now routes Copilot's Researcher to Claude models under the hood (enterprise only). The tool you build in Cowork uses the same family directly.
Your speaker
I'm Julia, co-founder of Serpin. I went from using AI to building the tools that run my whole consultancy, and the sales brief above is one of them.