Case study · Manufacturing BD

How AI Meeting Preparation Changed a Generator Manufacturer's Customer Conversations

The buyer wanted proof that the supplier understood their problem. The BD team kept answering a different question: here's what we make.

Scattered research becomes one Buyer Cheatsheet, and the meeting opens with the buyer's question.

At a glance

A generator manufacturer's BD team spent almost five to six hours researching each prospect, then still opened meetings with company capabilities. With ekigai, that research now takes about 15 minutes. Research, decision-maker background, intent signals and AI rehearsal sit in one place, so reps spend that time with customers.

In this case study

The Challenge

This pain point came from the company's revenue head. The products are proven and plenty of organisations need reliable power. Finding the right ones, and understanding them before the first meeting, was the hard part.

An enormous amount of time spent on research

Every prospect meant starting from zero: websites, news, profiles, old CRM notes and spreadsheets, just to learn what the business does, who signs off on power equipment and whether the timing is right. Reps spent almost five to six hours researching a single prospect, time taken straight out of selling.

Meetings that started with the seller

When preparation runs thin, people fall back on what they know: the range, the certifications, the service network. First meetings became presentations, and the customer's situation came up late or not at all.

Before: research spread across five places. With ekigai: one view that answers the three questions every first meeting depends on.

Underneath sat three questions: who could benefit, who decides, and are they ready? The team needed faster answers, and to use them in the room.

How ekigai Changed the Preparation

AI in business development has moved on. The first wave wrote emails faster. The more useful shift is AI that gathers context on markets, companies and people and turns it into something a rep can act on. That's what ekigai, an AI Business Development OS, does. Instead of juggling tools (the hidden cost of multiple BD tools adds up), the team works in one flow alongside the CRM.

Research that starts with the market

Market Research and Target Companies show which sectors and businesses need reliable power, replacing the slow list-building we covered in manual prospect research in manufacturing.

People and timing, not just company names

Decision Makers maps who influences a purchase, and the Buyer Cheatsheet puts each person on one page. Buyer intent signals suggest why now. They point to likely interest, not a confirmed order.

Rehearsal before the real conversation

In Roleplay AI, a rep practises against a simulated decision-maker who pushes back on lead times, service or price, so weak questions surface before the customer hears them. See our guide to AI buyer simulation for sales teams.

What the BD Team Gets Before a Meeting

Before the meeting, the rep knows…
What the rep knows	Where it comes from in ekigai
Why this business could need the product	Market Research, Target Companies
Who is involved in the decision	Decision Makers
What each person cares about	Buyer Cheatsheet
Why the timing might be right	Buyer intent signals
How each buyer type tends to push back	Persona-based Battle Cards, Objection Handling
How the conversation might go	Roleplay AI

A four-step routine before every meeting

The same four steps, in the same order, before every first meeting.

Research the account. The business, its sites, its power needs.
Map the people. A cheatsheet for each decision-maker.
Read the signals. Why this could matter now.
Rehearse. The opening and the hardest objection.

An illustrative example. A rep is meeting a hospital group's facilities director. Prepared, the rep knows this director answers to compliance and uptime as much as budget, so the opening becomes: "When you last tested your backup power, what would you have changed?"

Results and Business Impact

The revenue head reports the biggest change in research time. Preparing a prospect used to take a rep almost five to six hours. With ekigai, it now takes about 15 minutes.

5–6 hoursResearch per prospect, before

~15 minutesResearch per prospect, with ekigai

~95% lessTime spent on research

Research time per prospect, before and after ekigai, as reported by the company's revenue head.

Time saved becomes customer time

That's roughly five and a half hours back per prospect. It goes into what research was meant to support: sharper questions, rehearsal in Roleplay AI and more time with customers.

What it saves in cost

Research hours are paid hours. As an illustration, not a client figure: a rep preparing eight new prospects a month spends 40 to 48 hours on research. At 15 minutes each, that falls to two hours, freeing 38 to 46 hours, close to a full working week every month. Multiply the hours saved by your BD team's hourly cost and headcount, or use the ROI calculator on the ekigai pricing page.

Efficiency and productivity across the team

Every rep follows the same fast routine, meetings open with the customer, and rehearsal surfaces objections early. ekigai doesn't guarantee deals, but it turns research hours into selling hours.

Why Manufacturing Teams Choose ekigai

Manufacturing sales means long cycles, technical buying groups and routes through distributors, OEMs and contractors. A contact list alone doesn't cover that.

What you learn from each
A contact database tells you	ekigai helps you work out
Who to call	Which markets and accounts are worth pursuing
A name and a job title	How each decision-maker thinks and what they care about
Little about timing	Why now, through buyer intent signals
Nothing about the meeting	What to say, rehearsed with a simulated buyer

No technical expertise required. See the ekigai platform overview.

Key Takeaways

For BD and business heads in any industry:

Research isn't selling. An AI BD OS can turn hours of research into minutes, so your team spends that time with customers.
Understanding beats presenting. Prepared teams open with the buyer's problem, not their brochure.
Connected intelligence beats more data. One view beats several disconnected tools, and a shared routine makes BD repeatable.
Signals guide questions; they don't confirm demand. Use them to decide when and how to engage.
Saved time is saved cost. Every research hour returned to selling raises team productivity.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is AI meeting preparation in business development?

Using AI to gather what a rep needs before a customer meeting: the account's situation, the people involved, timing signals and likely objections.

How much research time can an AI BD OS save?

Here, research per prospect fell from five to six hours to about 15 minutes. Results depend on how much your reps research by hand today.

Is ekigai only for manufacturers?

No. Manufacturing is the focus, but ekigai is also built for SaaS firms, agencies, consultants and financial services teams.

Which plans include the Buyer Cheatsheet and Roleplay AI?

Roleplay AI is limited on Starter and full on Standard and above; the Buyer Cheatsheet starts on Growth. The pricing page has current plan details.