Think Differently About Meeting Prep: From Manual Grind to AI-Enhanced Efficiency

I’m proud to feature such a practical guest post from my friend — former NCAA and NFL punter, now tech executive — Zoltán Meskó. I met Zoltán at Stanford’s annual Campbell Trophy Summit last summer, where I gave a keynote on AI-amplified creativity. He stayed in touch, telling me all the cool stuff he was trying, and after our last round of swapping notes back-and-forth, I asked him to write a post about how AI is changing the way he works.

For more inspiring, practical examples of how leaders are leveraging AI in their day-to-day, check out the latest episode of Beyond the Prompt, where Henrik and I interview Brad Anderson, President of Product, UX, and Engineering at Qualtrics.

If you’ve got similar experiences of AI-enabled augmentation, I’d love to shine a spotlight on you, too…

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During my football career at the University of Michigan and in the NFL, I learned that success requires thorough preparation and a commitment to delivering a valuable solution – a 'no-brainer.' These principles remain central to my approach in tech sales at companies like IBM, Cisco, Snowflake, and now Wiz. My colleagues and peers see it the same way: whether you are preparing for a board meeting, running a startup, or tackling a passion project, truly showing you care through your research and genuine curiosity makes all the difference. 

When you genuinely understand someone’s challenges and tie your solution to their goals, people pay attention. The problem is that cultivating that level of insight can be overwhelming—unless you find a way to reduce the friction.

The Grind: My Snowflake Experience (and Before)

Early in my career, I was often overwhelmed by the sheer volume of reports I had to review to create a cohesive solution that addressed a client's needs. For example, at IBM, Cisco, and Snowflake (which, for those who don't know, had the largest IPO of a tech company, ever), I had to wade through numerous reports to connect my solution to the client's real-world needs. My list would include:

1. Manually Read Investor Decks & 10-Ks
   I pored over every slide or page for the slightest clue about a company’s big bets—anything from digital transformations, to AI adoption, to cloud migrations.

2. Monitor News & Leadership Shifts
   I obsessively checked LinkedIn, press releases, and job postings. When a company announced a new initiative or bold revenue target, I scrambled to see how Snowflake might fit in.

3. Funnel Everything into “Chicken Scratch” Notes
   After dissecting all that info, I’d produce notes so dense that I often dreaded the next step: actually organizing them into a coherent pitch.

Because the process took hours per account, I realistically could only do it for one or two “big fish.” Everyone else got maybe a shallow Google search, if that.

Why the Research Even Matters

In high-level tech sales, we are essentially advisors. When you can clearly articulate how your software tackles a client’s unique problems—like driving revenue, reducing costs, or mitigating risk—you earn a seat at the table. But if you do not know those pain points (or the relevant metrics and trends that matter to them), they will quickly see you as just another vendor pushing a product.

The challenge, of course, is time. You cannot afford to commit hours of deep research for every meeting or prospect. That is where AI changed everything for me.

The Breakthrough: A Vision for Low-Friction Preparation

When I joined Wiz, a cybersecurity company that recently turned down a $23B acquisition by Google, I decided to make AI central to my workflow. The goal was to eliminate the mental and logistical barriers that kept me from prepping thoroughly for every account. It was like flipping a switch—from a grueling manual process to a fluid, on-demand approach.

After AI: A Seamless, Scalable Workflow at Wiz

1. Rapid Research

With a simple spoken command, AI now summarizes entire investor decks, surfaces real-time updates on AI workloads or business pivots, and highlights potential pain points. Instead of an hour or two per account, I’m often done in 15 minutes.

2. Deep & Broad Coverage

Because the friction is gone (I just open up my AI of choice, and start talking to it), I do not have to choose which accounts “deserve” my full attention. Every account can get the same level of thoughtful research. This has been a game-changer for my pipeline coverage and my stress levels.

3. Actionable Triggers

When a new cybersecurity incident hits the news or an executive announces a bold AI initiative, AI flags it instantly. I weave that context—and the exact buzzwords or nomenclature they use—into my outreach, so I sound like I truly know their world.

4. Personalized Engagement

When any meeting wraps, I dictate my notes into AI, capturing challenges, goals, visions, and next steps. The result is a tailored follow-up email that references the exact points we discussed—often in 7 to 9 minutes. That level of relevance and speed has led my leadership team to call my follow-ups “world-class.”

Bottom Line: I can credibly connect Wiz’s cybersecurity capabilities to each company’s specific objectives—like revenue impact, cost reduction, or risk mitigation—without drowning in busywork.

Beyond Sales: Embracing the Conversation

Here is the kicker: this approach is not limited to sales calls or prospecting emails. Anytime you need to learn meaningful things about anyone or anything, AI can drastically reduce friction. I have used the same speech-to-speech prompts to advise startups, guide career paths, and even set my daughter’s third-grade basketball practice schedule. It may sound wild, but once you get started—often just by pressing a speech-to-text button—you realize AI can handle your questions, brainstorming, and even your rambling thoughts with infinite patience.

The “Could it…?” Challenge from Jeremy Utley

Last August, Jeremy Utley challenged me to ask “Could it…?” whenever I tackle a new idea or task. Could AI help me connect the dots for this meeting? Could AI generate new angles for a board pitch? Could AI fill in my knowledge gaps about a prospect’s product lines?

Every time I apply that question, I discover speed, deeper insights, and a renewed sense of creativity. Instead of letting perfectionism paralyze me, I let AI do the grunt work so I can focus on being the consultant my clients need.

Final Thoughts: Connection Matters

Whether you’re a tech seller, a startup founder, or simply someone who wants to make a genuine impression, remember: people give you their time when they see you care about their goals. By using AI to research, synthesize, and personalize your approach, you can align what you offer with what they truly need—much faster and more thoroughly than ever before.

So, the next time you wonder if AI can help you get started or level up, try asking, “Could it…?” You might be surprised at just how transformative that simple question can be.

Related: Jeremy Utley: AI Ignites Human Creativity
Related: Beyond the Prompt: Brad Anderson
Related: Redefine AI: Augmented I

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