Talking points

Talking Points is a powerful coaching feature that helps sales reps follow structured conversation frameworks during customer meetings. By defining talking point tracks based on proven sales methodologies like MEDDIC, SPICED, or BANT, you can guide reps through key discovery questions and capture answers automatically using AI.

What are Talking Points?

Talking Points are structured templates that define what questions reps should ask during meetings. Think of them as conversation playbooks that ensure reps cover all critical topics while AI automatically fills in the answers based on what's being discussed.

Key benefits:

  • Faster onboarding: Junior reps can follow proven frameworks immediately
  • Consistent discovery: Every rep asks the right questions
  • Automatic capture: AI listens and fills in answers in real-time
  • CRM sync: Answers can automatically update your CRM fields
  • Live coaching: AI agent provides in-meeting guidance on what to ask next

How Talking Points Work

During a Meeting (in Sidekick)

When a rep joins a customer meeting using the Bigmind Sidekick Chrome extension:

  1. Talking point track loads: The configured talking points appear in the Sidekick interface
  2. Rep sees the questions: Organized by section (e.g., Metrics, Economic Buyer, Decision Criteria)
  3. AI listens to the conversation: As the meeting progresses, AI analyzes what's being said
  4. Answers fill in automatically: When relevant information is discussed, AI populates the answer fields
  5. Rep can edit: Reps can manually adjust or complete answers as needed
  6. Live coaching (optional): If enabled, the Live Coach AI agent sends real-time suggestions

After the meeting, all captured answers are available for review and can sync to your CRM.

With Live Coach AI Agent

When you enable talking points in your Live Coach AI agent configuration, reps get real-time coaching during meetings:

  • Question guidance: "You should ask about their current solution"
  • Follow-up suggestions: "Dig deeper on the budget timeline they just mentioned"
  • Navigation help: "You've covered Metrics and Economic Buyer. Move to Decision Criteria next"
  • Next meeting reminders: "Make sure to schedule a follow-up before the call ends"

This live coaching is particularly valuable for onboarding junior sales team members, helping them learn proven questioning techniques in real situations.

Talking Points Structure

Template

A talking points template is the top-level container that defines:

  • Name: E.g., "MEDDIC Qualification", "Enterprise Discovery"
  • Status: Active or inactive
  • Preconditions: When this template should be used (e.g., only for Enterprise deals)
  • Object type: What type of meeting (e.g., meeting/session)
  • Visibility: Everyone or specific users

Sections

Within each template, organize questions into logical sections:

  • MEDDIC example: Metrics, Economic Buyer, Decision Criteria, Decision Process, Identify Pain, Champion
  • SPICED example: Situation, Pain, Impact, Critical Event, Decision
  • Custom example: Company Background, Current State, Requirements, Timeline, Budget

Questions

Each section contains specific questions that reps should ask:

Question configuration:

  • Name: The question to ask (e.g., "What specific metrics matter most to your success?")
  • Type: How the answer should be captured
    • Yes/No: Simple boolean answers
    • Open-ended: Free-form text responses
    • Single select: Choose one from predefined options
    • Multi-select: Choose multiple from predefined options
    • Range: Numeric scale (e.g., 1-10)
  • Method: How the answer is filled
    • Manual: Rep types the answer
    • Agentic (AI): AI listens and fills automatically
  • Example questions: Alternative phrasings to help AI recognize answers

Setting Up Talking Points

1. Create a Template

  1. Navigate to Settings → Coaching → Talking Points
  2. Click "Create Talking Points"
  3. Provide a name (e.g., "MEDDIC Discovery")
  4. Set status to Active when ready to use
  5. Save the template

2. Define Sections

Within your template:

  1. Add sections for each major topic area
  2. Order them logically - they'll appear in this sequence during meetings
  3. Add descriptions to help reps understand the purpose of each section

3. Add Questions

For each section:

  1. Add questions that reps should ask
  2. Choose the question type (open-ended, yes/no, etc.)
  3. Select the method:
    • Agentic: For questions AI should auto-fill based on conversation
    • Manual: For questions requiring rep input
  4. Add example questions (for agentic questions) to improve AI accuracy
  5. Configure options (for select/multi-select questions)

4. Set Preconditions (Optional)

Control when talking points appear:

  • All meetings: Always available
  • Deal-based: Only show for meetings associated with deals matching certain criteria
    • Filter by deal stage, amount, close date, etc.
    • Example: "Only show for Enterprise deals over $100K"

Using Talking Points in Sidekick

Before the Meeting

  1. Install Sidekick: Ensure the Bigmind Chrome extension is installed
  2. Join the meeting: Open your Google Meet (or supported platform)
  3. Sidekick activates: The extension detects the meeting and loads
  4. Select talking points: If multiple templates are available, choose the one to use

During the Meeting

  1. View the questions: See all sections and questions in the Sidekick panel
  2. Navigate through sections: Click between sections as the conversation flows
  3. Watch AI fill answers: For agentic questions, answers populate automatically
  4. Edit as needed: Click any answer to modify or complete it
  5. Follow coaching (if enabled): Act on suggestions from the Live Coach AI agent

After the Meeting

  1. Review answers: Check all captured information for accuracy
  2. Complete missing fields: Fill in any unanswered questions
  3. Sync to CRM: Answers can automatically update CRM fields (if configured)
  4. Reference later: All talking point answers are saved with the meeting

Syncing to CRM

Talking point answers can automatically update your CRM:

Setup CRM Sync

  1. Map questions to CRM fields: Configure which talking point questions correspond to which CRM fields
  2. Set sync rules: Define when sync should happen (after meeting, manual trigger, etc.)
  3. Choose objects: Sync to Deal fields, Account fields, or custom objects

How Sync Works

  • After a meeting ends, answers are processed
  • Mapped questions update their corresponding CRM fields
  • Existing values can be preserved or overwritten (configurable)
  • Sync happens automatically based on your rules

Example: A "Budget" talking point question automatically updates the "Budget" field on the associated Deal in Salesforce.

Enabling Live Coach Integration

To get AI coaching during meetings:

  1. Navigate to Settings → AI → Agents
  2. Select your Live Coach agent (or create one)
  3. In the agent's system prompt, include instructions about talking points:
    • Reference the talking point framework
    • Instruct the agent to guide reps through the questions
    • Emphasize checking that all sections are covered
    • Remind to always secure a next meeting
  4. Add the talking point tools:
    • talkingPointQuestionAnswer - Fill in answers
    • talkingPointSuggestion - Send coaching suggestions
  5. Test the integration in a practice meeting

Best Practices

Designing Effective Talking Points

  • Start with proven frameworks: MEDDIC, SPICED, BANT, etc.
  • Keep sections focused: 3-7 questions per section is ideal
  • Use clear, specific questions: Avoid ambiguous wording
  • Order logically: Arrange sections in a natural conversation flow
  • Mix question types: Use open-ended for depth, select for structure

Configuring AI Questions

  • Provide example questions: Include 3-5 alternative phrasings
  • Be specific: "What's your annual revenue?" works better than "Tell me about your company"
  • Test and refine: Review AI-generated answers and adjust prompts
  • Use manual for sensitive topics: Budget, authority questions may need rep discretion

Training Your Team

  • Demo in onboarding: Show new reps how talking points work
  • Provide frameworks: Explain the "why" behind each section
  • Practice together: Run role-play sessions with talking points
  • Review recordings: Analyze meetings to see how well questions were covered
  • Iterate based on feedback: Refine questions based on what reps find useful

Optimizing for Junior Reps

  • More detailed questions: Include the "why" in question descriptions
  • Enable live coaching: Provide real-time guidance during calls
  • Add examples: Show sample good answers
  • Create role-specific templates: SDR vs AE vs CSM talking points
  • Pair with playbooks: Link to relevant Library playbooks for more context

Common Use Cases

Discovery Calls

MEDDIC-based talking points ensure reps:

  • Identify quantifiable business metrics
  • Find the economic buyer
  • Understand decision criteria and process
  • Uncover pain points
  • Identify champions

Demo Calls

Demo-focused talking points help reps:

  • Confirm requirements understood
  • Note features of interest
  • Capture objections or concerns
  • Gauge excitement level
  • Schedule next steps

Executive Briefings

Executive-level talking points guide reps to:

  • Understand strategic initiatives
  • Identify business outcomes desired
  • Map to executive priorities
  • Discuss competitive landscape
  • Establish executive sponsorship

Customer Success Check-ins

CSM talking points help track:

  • Product adoption metrics
  • User satisfaction
  • Expansion opportunities
  • Support needs
  • Renewal sentiment

Troubleshooting

AI not filling answers:

  • Check that the question is set to "Agentic" method
  • Ensure Sidekick has microphone permissions
  • Verify the meeting audio is being captured
  • Add more example questions to improve AI recognition
  • Make questions more specific and less ambiguous

Wrong talking points loading:

  • Check preconditions - may be filtering incorrectly
  • Verify the meeting is associated with the right deal/account
  • Ensure the template status is "Active"
  • Check that multiple templates aren't conflicting

CRM sync not working:

  • Verify CRM integration is connected
  • Check field mappings are configured correctly
  • Ensure you have permission to update the CRM fields
  • Review sync logs for specific errors

Live coaching not appearing:

  • Confirm talking point tools are added to your Live Coach agent
  • Check that the agent is enabled for meetings
  • Verify Sidekick is connected to Bigmind
  • Ensure the agent has permission to access meeting context

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