2 Check it, then copyYou're helping me, a small-package shipping salesperson, prepare for a first conversation with a possible customer. Write a short conversation plan I can scan beforehand. It's preparation, not a script: don't write an opening monologue, a pitch, an email or a proposal. The goal of a first conversation is to understand how their shipping works and what matters to them, and to earn a reason to keep talking, not to close anything.
What I have:
- My shipping story from PREPARE: [YOUR SHIPPING STORY FROM PREPARE]
- What I know about the account: [WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT THE ACCOUNT]
- Why this conversation is happening: [WHY THIS CONVERSATION IS HAPPENING]
- Who I'm meeting (job function): [WHO YOU'RE MEETING (JOB FUNCTION)]
- Kind of conversation: Not sure
If a line under "What I have" shows only its own field label in square brackets instead of my text, for example "[WHY THIS CONVERSATION IS HAPPENING]", I didn't fill it in. Treat it as not supplied, and don't list it as a gap. If the kind of conversation isn't supplied, treat it as "Not sure". [MY COMPANY] is a reserved name for the company I sell for, not a blank field.
Before writing the plan, check whether any supplied field contains prohibited private or confidential information (the kinds listed in the privacy rule at the end). A field's label doesn't make its content safe, and a pasted PREPARE brief may contain additions. If it does, discard that information completely for planning and set a privacy-reminder requirement. Do not repeat, paraphrase, summarize, classify, count or indirectly use the private values, and don't let them shape the questions. After Section G, add one generic privacy reminder naming only the categories that were omitted. The reminder is mandatory whenever prohibited information was supplied, even if every private value was successfully omitted from the plan.
Don't look anything up online for this, even if your tool can. If your tool searches automatically, ignore those results and don't use or cite them. Don't research the account again and don't use what you remember about the company. Work only from what I've supplied. Examples in these instructions illustrate rules only; they are never facts about the company.
Using the PREPARE brief:
- STATED PUBLICLY: don't ask about it again. You may use it to anchor a question (for example "I saw you opened a second location…"), but it hasn't been confirmed by the customer.
- INFERRED: turn it into a neutral confirm-or-correct topic that lets the customer describe their own situation. Never state an inference to the customer as fact.
- UNKNOWN: turn it into an open learning topic.
- YOU SUPPLIED: at most a light check.
- If the brief says parcel relevance is not established, or it contains the four transportation-profile topics from SPARSE MODE, keep parcel relevance unresolved throughout. Use the brief's neutral Best first question as the opening question, build the learning goals and profile questions from how orders leave the operation, what a typical outbound shipping unit looks like, where shipments originate and generally go, and who arranges transportation, and don't assume parcel, freight, a carrier, boxes, pallets or any other mode or equipment. Don't assume a packaging or preparation state either: wording such as "packed and ready", "packaged", "boxed", "palletized", "crated", "wrapped", "containerized" or any other particular physical form is prohibited unless the PREPARE material already establishes it. Ask about the outbound shipping unit as the customer describes it, for example "What does a typical outbound shipment look like as it leaves your operation?" Product words and manufacturing context still describe the product, not the shipment. In SPARSE MODE, don't ask which flow is larger, most common, the majority or the biggest share unless the customer has already volunteered more than one flow and their relative importance is needed to understand the operation; ordinary follow-ups about how different flows work are fine.
- Treat what I know about the account as YOU SUPPLIED, not verified fact.
If I supplied no brief and little or nothing else, still write a complete, honest general plan for a first small-package shipping conversation. Don't invent account specifics. Tag the learning goals "general" and name in Section A the one input that would sharpen the plan most.
QUESTION COUNT: if the kind of conversation is "Short phone call (about 10–15 minutes)", Section D has exactly 3 core questions. For "Longer call or video meeting", "In-person visit" or "Not sure", Section D has exactly 5 core questions. The opening question in Section C isn't counted. Don't add extra questions, question banks or alternative lists anywhere.
QUESTION ORDER: move from the current situation to what changed or why now, then priorities and what already works, then enough shipping profile to know what to look into next, then how decisions are handled, then a proportionate next step. Never name these steps to the customer.
- 5 core questions: 1 what changed or why now; 2 priorities and what already works; 3 and 4 the two most important shipping-profile gaps; 5 how shipping and transportation decisions are handled today and who else is involved.
- 3 core questions: 1 what changed or why now; 2 priorities and what already works; 3 the single most important shipping-profile gap. How decisions are handled may appear only as a follow-up if time allows.
WHY-NOW WHEN NO REASON IS SUPPLIED: if "Why this conversation is happening" is blank or not supplied, and no public change was supplied, the why-now question must be neutral. Don't imply that something changed, happened, went wrong or triggered the conversation, and don't assume urgency. Neutral patterns include "What made it worth having this conversation?", "What would make this conversation useful for you?" or "Was there anything in particular you wanted to explore, or is this more of an introductory conversation?" If a real reason or public change was supplied, the question may use it neutrally.
WHY-NOW LISTEN FOR: when the supplied reason doesn't establish a specific change, issue or initiative, the why-now question's LISTEN FOR must stay category-neutral: the customer's own reason for talking, whether they have a particular topic or only general interest, what would make the conversation useful, and anything they raise in their own words. Don't seed examples such as growth, new products, new channels, new locations, acquisitions, frustration, service problems, cost problems, carrier problems or operational changes unless that topic was actually supplied. This applies even when the PREPARE brief is otherwise rich: a rich account brief doesn't establish a reason for the current conversation.
Choose shipping-profile gaps in this order: anything that decides whether a parcel opportunity exists at all (how orders leave, what the shipping unit is); the brief's biggest unknown; the inferred item most likely to change the story; a customer-facing policy the brief states publicly, such as returns or split shipments, asked about as a process ("What happens after…"), never about frequency or cost. Don't lead with shipment-detail questions.
QUESTION STYLE: every question must sound natural when spoken, be open where possible, and give the customer room to explain how their operation works. No yes/no chains, no multiple-choice framing ("X or Y?"), no answer options to pick from, no leading or loaded questions, and no assumed pain, dissatisfaction or cost pressure. Ask what already works as well as what's hard. A follow-up must respond to a likely answer ("If they mention…, ask…"), not just move to the next topic.
The ban on multiple-choice framing applies to every customer-facing question: each ASK and FOLLOW-UP, the Section C opening question, the Section E question and any question in Section G's natural wording. Never turn alternatives into a spoken menu anywhere. For example, instead of "Is it the process, the people, or something else?", ask an open question such as "What makes that work well for you?"
NEUTRAL WORDING: when a PREPARE unknown contains alternatives, such as one or several origins, in-house or outsourced fulfillment, consumer or business destinations, or similar possibilities, don't put the alternatives into the question. Ask neutrally and let the customer supply the answer, for example "Where do orders ship from, and how is fulfillment handled there?" No ASK line may offer answer choices such as "one place or several", "in-house or outsourced" or "consumer or business". LISTEN FOR may name neutral categories needed to interpret the answer, as long as it doesn't state one as fact. If the brief says whether something exists is UNKNOWN, don't phrase a question as though it exists: for example, don't ask how outside fulfillment fits in when outside fulfillment is unknown; ask how fulfillment is handled and follow whatever arrangement the customer describes. The same applies to additional locations, third-party providers, international shipping, particular destination types and special processes, and to plural or definite wording such as "those locations" or "your warehouses" that presupposes more than one origin unless the brief establishes it. In normal mode, ordinary words such as package, shipment, split shipment and return are fine where the brief supports them, but where a specific preparation step isn't established, prefer neutral wording such as fulfillment, preparation or how the order is handled before it leaves, and don't invent packing activity at a location or provider just because small-package shipping is established.
PREPARATION-STATE DISCIPLINE: small-package shipping establishes that packages are ultimately shipped; it doesn't establish the customer's preparation workflow. Unless what I supplied explicitly supports it, don't assume where packing happens, who does it, that fulfillment includes packing, that an order is already packed at a particular stage, that a listed facility or fulfillment operation packs customer orders, that a package is "ready to go", or a particular sequence such as packing, then handoff, then carrier. While the preparation state is unresolved, use neutral process language such as "finished customer order", "outbound order", "outbound package", "before the shipment leaves", "how the order moves into outbound shipping" or "how the outbound process works". Asking what a typical outbound package looks like is fine when the brief lists it to confirm, but don't turn it into an assumed packing workflow such as "once it's packed and ready to go". The words "package" and "outbound package" stay allowed where supported. If the customer establishes packing, packed orders, packaging activity or a preparation sequence during the conversation, a conditional follow-up may then use that language ("If they describe where orders are packed, ask…"). This applies to Section B, every ASK, WHY, LISTEN FOR and FOLLOW-UP, Section E and Section G.
Shipping specifics:
- Rough scale: ask about approximate scale only as a follow-up the conversation has earned, never as a lead question. Never ask for exact package counts, shipment files, invoices, detailed dimensions, rates or how volume is split between carriers.
- Orders are not packages. Don't turn an order figure into a package figure, and don't use numerical thresholds.
- Carrier setup: ask lightly how shipping and transportation decisions are handled today and who is involved. Don't assume one incumbent, several carriers, dissatisfaction or a wish to switch, and don't frame anything as switching carriers or criticize a current provider.
- Contracts: don't raise contract or renewal dates. If my notes say the customer is actively evaluating, changing something or working to a deadline, a light question such as "What timing are you working toward?" is fine.
- Don't state or rely on any current carrier rule, rate, surcharge, DIM divisor, service standard or market event.
- Role: use the job function only to adjust emphasis slightly, for example process detail for operations roles, the customer delivery promise for e-commerce roles, or priorities and how decisions are made for finance or procurement roles. Never name a person, and never assume buying, budget, contract or final decision authority.
- If the customer says they're all set, respect it. Do not challenge the statement or launch into a rebuttal. If the conversation naturally allows, ask one neutral question to understand what "all set" covers; otherwise leave it there. This may shape Section F or a follow-up, but don't add a section for it.
- In-person visit: you may suggest, as a conditional follow-up or next step only, substantially: "If the conversation is going well and they seem open to it, ask whether they would be willing to show you how orders move through the operation." Never make it a core question, and never assume access will be granted.
Write the plan in these sections, compact enough to scan in a couple of minutes.
A. CONVERSATION GOAL
Objective: one sentence on what I should understand by the end.
Best realistic outcome: one sentence naming a customer-side result.
Working from: one line, "your PREPARE brief", "your notes" or "general guidance only". If working from general guidance only, name the one input that would sharpen the plan most.
B. WHAT YOU NEED TO LEARN
Three learning goals in priority order, each tagged with where it came from: "PREPARE: INFERRED", "PREPARE: UNKNOWN", "PREPARE: YOU SUPPLIED", "your notes" or "general". Use "your notes" only when the subject of that learning goal is explicitly supported by the notes I supplied under "What I know about the account", not merely because I supplied some notes. A learning goal that comes from the discovery approach itself, such as why the conversation is happening, what matters to the customer, what already works or how decisions are handled, is tagged "general" unless my notes explicitly address that subject. A learning goal may carry a single source tag only if every substantive part of it is supported by that source. Don't combine a note-supported subject with one or more subjects from the discovery approach and tag the whole goal "your notes". When the sources differ, split them into separate learning goals if the three-goal limit allows, or rewrite the goal so every substantive part fits one tag. PREPARE tags work as before.
SOURCE TAG "your notes": this tag refers only to information I explicitly supplied in the "What I know about the account" line. It does not refer to "Why this conversation is happening", "Who I'm meeting", "Kind of conversation", the existence of this conversation, the discovery approach or general sales logic. If "What I know about the account" is blank or shows only its placeholder "[WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT THE ACCOUNT]", Section B must not use the tag "your notes" anywhere. If that line contains real text, use "your notes" only for a learning goal whose substantive subject is directly supported by that text: for example, if my notes say they sell online, a goal about how those online orders are fulfilled may use "your notes", but goals about why they agreed to talk, what matters to them, what already works or how decisions are made stay "general" unless my notes explicitly cover those exact subjects. The reason for the conversation may shape the why-now question, but it never makes a learning goal "your notes". Topics from the discovery approach are "general" unless a PREPARE tag applies.
PREPARE TAGS: a PREPARE tag describes the status of the thing being learned, not the fact that inspired the question. Use "PREPARE: INFERRED" only for a learning goal whose substantive subject is an inference in the brief that needs confirming or correcting. Use "PREPARE: UNKNOWN" for a substantive point the brief explicitly leaves unresolved, including how an established public process works when that operation is still listed under WHAT TO CONFIRM: a STATED PUBLICLY fact may motivate a process question, but the goal is "PREPARE: UNKNOWN" when the process itself is still unresolved. Use "PREPARE: YOU SUPPLIED" only for information actually labelled YOU SUPPLIED in the brief, never merely because I pasted the brief. Don't combine inferred and unknown subjects under one tag; split them, or rewrite the goal so it fits one tag. "Unknown to the salesperson" doesn't automatically mean "PREPARE: UNKNOWN": use "PREPARE: UNKNOWN" only when the substantive subject of the learning goal is explicitly identified by the PREPARE brief as unresolved, unknown or something to confirm operationally. Topics from the discovery approach, such as why the customer agreed to talk, what would make the conversation useful, what matters most to them, what already works well, what they value and their priorities, are "general" unless the brief itself specifically gives them a different source status. Don't tag one of them "PREPARE: UNKNOWN" just because the answer isn't known yet: a brief can contain many facts and still say nothing about those subjects.
SOURCE-PURE LEARNING GOALS: every Section B learning goal must be source-pure. A "PREPARE: INFERRED" goal may contain only the exact inferred proposition and a direct confirmation or correction of it. It may not absorb an adjacent "PREPARE: UNKNOWN" subject just because both concern the same business process. For example, if the brief infers that a particular function takes part in shipping decisions, and separately lists who is involved in shipping decisions and how they are handled as things to confirm, those are different source states: "Whether that function takes part in shipping decisions" is "PREPARE: INFERRED", and "How shipping decisions are handled and who is involved" is "PREPARE: UNKNOWN". A goal such as "Whether that function takes part, and who else is involved" or "How decisions are handled and whether that function takes part" is invalid under either tag. The same applies to any inferred proposition that sits next to an unresolved process question. With the three-goal limit, source purity takes priority over coverage: omit a lower-priority subject, or rewrite the goal so every substantive clause belongs to the same source state, rather than combining different source states under one tag.
C. OPENING QUESTION
One broad, natural question about how their operation works today. If the brief has a Best first question, use it, lightly adapted if needed. Then one line on why it opens well.
D. QUESTION PATH
The core questions, numbered, in the order above. For each, four short lines:
ASK: the question as I could say it.
WHY: what it helps me learn.
LISTEN FOR: what in the answer matters, drawn from how the operation works, what's changing, what they value, what already works, any complexity or friction they raise themselves, who is involved, and what they're willing to do next. Don't seed specific opportunity signals such as long zones, lightweight parcels, residential share, DIM exposure or contract renewal unless what I supplied already makes that issue relevant. When what I supplied doesn't establish a specific change or issue, keep LISTEN FOR category-neutral, such as whatever reason the customer gives, whether there's a specific topic or simply general interest, and priorities or changes the customer raises in their own words. Don't introduce examples such as growth, new products, new locations, new channels, acquisitions, service failures or similar account-specific possibilities unless I supplied them. The follow-up may still pick one up if the customer raises it.
FOLLOW-UP: one question that responds to a likely answer.
E. IF YOU ONLY GET ONE QUESTION
One question, usually from Section C or D, and one line on why.
F. WHAT NOT TO FORCE
Two to four topics that would be premature or unsupported in this conversation, each with a short reason, specific to this account. When parcel relevance is unresolved, include not assuming parcel is the right fit yet.
G. NEXT COMMITMENT
One primary ask and one lighter fallback, each with a one-sentence natural way to ask and a note on when it's earned ("Ask this if they…"). Choose the smallest useful customer commitment in proportion to what the conversation is likely to uncover:
- If the transportation setup or parcel relevance is still unclear: another conversation focused on how transportation is handled, with the relevant function if the customer identifies one; fallback, permission to follow up after they check internally.
- If the process is understood but no specific issue has come up: a second conversation on the topic they cared about most; fallback, permission to send one relevant question by email.
- If they raise a specific issue themselves: permission to look into that one issue further; fallback, a second conversation.
- If they mention volume or a pattern and seem open: a rough shipment summary or a sample week, framed as optional ("if it's easy"); fallback, a second conversation.
The customer identifies any other stakeholders; don't invent them. Don't invent a meeting length, a date, a number of days or weeks, a deadline or urgency unless what I supplied, or the customer's likely answer described in the plan, makes that timing appropriate. When no timing was supplied, use neutral wording such as "a follow-up conversation", "a time that works for them" or "agree on when to reconnect": the customer helps decide the timing. Never ask for a proposal, pricing, a quote or savings, never make a data request the default, and never end with an offer to send information.
Rules:
- Don't write a pitch, a script, an opening monologue, an email or a proposal, and don't describe what [MY COMPANY] offers or charges. If what I supplied asks for pricing, savings, rates or a pitch, don't provide them.
- Don't invent anything about the company or about [MY COMPANY].
- Don't name individual people, even if a name appears in what I supplied.
- This plan is for before the conversation. Never tell me to paste the customer's answers, notes from the call or anything they tell me into an AI tool.
- Write plainly. No hype, no persona, no confidence scores and no commentary on how you worked.
- Never ask me for customer names or contact information, CRM notes, confidential customer answers, exact private volumes, carrier information I learned privately, rates, discounts, invoices, account numbers, contract dates or terms, [MY COMPANY] pricing, another carrier's proposal or confidential documents. If I've included any of these, treat them as not supplied: don't repeat, quote, paraphrase or include the value anywhere in Sections A–G, and don't let it shape the plan indirectly. Then, after Section G, add a short privacy reminder that names only the categories of information you left out and tells me not to paste it into AI tools, for example: "I left out private contact information, CRM or deal information, customer-supplied shipping data, pricing, account information and competitor-proposal details. Don't paste that information into AI tools." The reminder names categories only: never repeat a private value, never mention a specific person's name, and never quote the sensitive input. It must be the absolute final text in your response. If prohibited private information was supplied, the response is incomplete unless the final text is the privacy reminder.
- Don't add offers, follow-up suggestions or questions after Section G or after the privacy reminder.
Select the prompt text above and copy it.