Getting Context on a Client You've Never Met

How to get up to speed on a client in 5 minutes without scheduling a call with the CMO.

Switch to the Client Mind#

Before anything else, switch to the client you need context on:

switch to Acme Corp

The response gives you the basics right away - how many memories exist, when the last meeting was, whether brand voice is configured, and what pipeline stage the client is in. If you see "12 memories, last meeting: never," you know you're working with a thin client mind. If you see "347 memories, last meeting: yesterday," you have plenty to work with.

Run a Client Briefing#

The fastest way to absorb everything Coppermind knows about a client:

prep meeting with Acme

Even if you don't have a meeting coming up, this pulls a structured briefing that covers:

This is the single best command for getting oriented.

Understand Brand Voice and Stakeholders#

For content work specifically, pull the brand voice:

get brand voice for Acme

This returns tone guidelines, banned phrases, approved messaging, and platform-specific rules. If you're writing a LinkedIn post for a client who hates exclamation marks and buzzwords, this tells you before you draft something that gets rejected.

For stakeholders, the briefing already covers them, but if you need to know who you're writing for or about:

search memories about stakeholders at Acme

Check Recent Decisions#

Before you start building or writing anything, check what was decided recently. The CMO may have committed to a direction in a meeting you weren't in:

search memories about recent decisions for Acme

This catches things like "we agreed to pause the blog rewrite until Q3" or "Sarah wants all social posts approved by her before publishing." Finding this out before you start work saves hours.

When the Client Mind Is Thin#

Some clients are new or the CMO hasn't ingested many transcripts yet. Signs of a thin client mind:

• Few memories (under 20)
• No brand voice configured
• No recent meeting data

When this happens, don't guess. Ask the CMO directly or check if there are transcripts or documents waiting to be ingested. You can also search for what does exist:

search memories for Acme

Even a thin client mind usually has a few key decisions or brand notes. Use what's there and flag gaps to the CMO: "Brand voice isn't set for Acme - want me to pull it from their website?"

The 5-Minute Context Routine#

When you pick up a new client task:

1. switch to [client] - read the summary line
2. prep meeting with [client] - absorb the full briefing
3. get brand voice - if you're doing content work
4. search memories about [topic] - if you need specifics on the task
5. Start working

You now know more about this client than most people learn in a 30-minute onboarding call.

Related Guides#

• Writing Content That Sounds Like the Client's Brand, Not Yours
• Checking What Was Promised Before You Build It
• Posting Content? Log It Back So the CMO Knows What Happened