---
ref: workflow:sales-call-prep
title: Prepare a brief and agenda before a sales call
author: Shahzaib0217
tools: [tool:bridge/list-upcoming-meetings, tool:bridge/get-person, tool:bridge/get-company, tool:bridge/search-meetings, tool:exa/search-web, tool:bridge/generate-meeting-brief, tool:bridge/update-meeting-notepad]
tags: [capability:host-meetings, capability:manage-docs, capability:research-accounts, capability:review-recordings, capability:search-web, has:mcp, motion:outbound]
updated: 2026-10-28
---

# Prepare a brief and agenda before a sales call

Gathers what Bridge remembers about the prospect, adds recent company news, generates a meeting brief and writes an agenda to the Notepad.

Set up the tools below, then run the steps in order for the user, carrying each step's results into the next. The run is done when the user has the outcome below.

## Outcome

- A Bridge brief on the meeting with attendee profiles, past context and open action items.
- A one-page prep summary: who is coming, what was said before, recent company news and open questions.
- An agenda and discovery questions in the meeting's Notepad.

## Inputs

Ask the user for these before you start.

- `meeting`: the upcoming call, by title, attendee or day, e.g. Acme demo on Thursday
- `goal`: what you want from this call, e.g. agree on a two-week pilot
- `news_days`: how far back to look for company news, e.g. 90

## Set up

### Bridge (tool:bridge/list-upcoming-meetings, tool:bridge/get-person, tool:bridge/get-company, tool:bridge/search-meetings, tool:bridge/generate-meeting-brief, tool:bridge/update-meeting-notepad)

Use the MCP server. Add it to your agent's MCP settings, then sign in when asked.

```json
{ "mcpServers": { "bridge": { "url": "https://api.meetonbridge.com/mcp" } } }
```

- List upcoming meetings: call the MCP tool `list_upcoming_meetings`
- Get a person: call the MCP tool `get_person`
- Get a company: call the MCP tool `get_company`
- Search meetings: call the MCP tool `search_meetings`
- Generate a meeting brief: call the MCP tool `generate_meeting_brief`
- Update a meeting notepad: call the MCP tool `update_meeting_notepad`

Note: Needs a paid Bridge plan (Professional or above); not on the free Starter plan or a trial. At sign-in the user grants read, or read and write, access. Call get_bridge_context first for the tools the plan and connection allow.

Notes:

- Search meetings: Omit `query` to browse by date or participant. Pass a returned `recapId` to `get_meeting_details` for the full meeting.
- Generate a meeting brief: Takes up to a minute and keeps the user's Notepad. Needs a Bridge plan that includes pre-meeting briefs.
- Update a meeting notepad: Appends by default; pass `mode: replace` to overwrite. Plain text only.

### Search the web (Exa, tool:exa/search-web)

Use the first option your agent supports.

Note: On MCP, domain, date and category filters need `web_search_advanced_exa`: list it in the server URL's `tools` parameter with every other tool you want, since the list replaces the defaults.

#### MCP (official, remote)

Add this server to your agent's MCP settings, then sign in when asked.

```json
{ "mcpServers": { "exa": { "url": "https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp?login" } } }
```

Call the MCP tool `web_search_exa`.

#### API (official)

- Base URL: https://api.exa.ai
- Endpoint: `POST /search`
- Auth: send the header `Authorization: Bearer $EXA_API_KEY`
- Get a key: https://dashboard.exa.ai/api-keys

Before step 1, confirm access to each service with its cheapest read-only call, like a list or a search. Never send or change anything to test access.

## Steps

1. **Find the meeting** with List upcoming meetings (Bridge). Match `meeting` to one upcoming meeting and confirm it with the user. Keep its `recap_id`, start time and attendees.
2. **Look up the attendees** with Get a person (Bridge). For each external attendee, keep their title, company, the user's notes on them and their past meetings with the user.
3. **Look up the company** with Get a company (Bridge). For the prospect's company, keep its summary, industry, the user's notes and the other people Bridge knows there.
4. **Read past conversations** with Search meetings (Bridge). Search transcripts for needs, objections, pricing and next steps, filtered on the attendees' names. Search always returns its closest matches, so keep only snippets from meetings with these attendees or that name the company.
5. **Check the news** with Search the web (Exa). Search news about the company from the last `news_days` days. Keep up to three items worth raising, each with its link.
6. **Generate the brief** with Generate a meeting brief (Bridge). Generate the brief for the meeting's `recap_id`. Keep its goal, context and open action items.
7. **Write the prep** yourself. Draft a one-page summary from steps 2 to 6, then an agenda toward `goal` with three to five discovery questions. Show both to the user.
8. **Save the agenda** with Update a meeting notepad (Bridge). Append the approved agenda and questions to the meeting's Notepad.

## Notes

A first call has no past meetings: steps 2 to 4 return little, and the brief and news carry the prep. Any web search tool works in step 5.

## Rules

- Use only the services set up above. The read-only calls they need, like listing ids or polling for results, are fine.
- Ask the user before anything that sends messages, costs money, or changes data, and say how many records it touches. One approval covers a batch the user has seen.
- Never print API keys.