Swift ✉️ Memos

January 16, 2025 | Read Online

I recently discovered a new agent on agent.ai that I wish I had years ago.

If you're someone who regularly meets with customers, investors, or potential hires (or frankly, anyone you want to have better conversations with), this one's worth trying.

It's called the Prospect Researcher Agent, and true to my love of simplicity, it couldn't be easier to use:

Type in someone's name
Wait about 30 seconds
Get a detailed breakdown of what motivates them

You know that rushed feeling of scanning someone's LinkedIn profile five minutes before a meeting? That's exactly what got me excited about this agent — it takes that surface-level research and turns it into something actually meaningful.

In today's newsletter, I'm breaking down how this can be useful and showing you how to try it yourself for free.

—Dharmesh

A Real-World Test (On Myself)

I decided to be the guinea pig and run this agent on myself. After all, who better to verify its accuracy than someone who knows their own quirks?

But instead of walking you through my entire career history (though if you're curious, the journey starts with my SunGard days in 1992), let me share three discoveries that genuinely surprised me:

First: It Spots Career Patterns You Might Miss

The agent starts with a quick career overview.

But it doesn't just give you a laundry list of jobs. Instead, it identifies patterns and trajectories that might not be obvious at first glance.

In my case, it spotted something I hadn't really thought about: a clear evolution from software developer to entrepreneur, always with a focus on building tools that help other businesses grow.

What's interesting is that this pattern wasn't something I consciously planned. It emerged naturally over time (and the agent spotted it immediately).

Second: It Reads Between the LinkedIn Lines

The agent then creates a ranked list of the top 10 'motivators' based on recent LinkedIn activity.

Here's what it ranked my top motivators as:

AI and Technology (no surprise there — if you follow my posts, you know I'm slightly obsessed)
Building and Iteration (apparently, I talk about this more than I realized)
Simplicity (this one made me smile — it's become something of a personal crusade)

Third: The Real 'Aha' Moment

But what fascinated me the most wasn't just identifying these motivators — it was how the agent suggested engaging with each one.

For instance, it noted that when discussing AI, I tend to be "passionate and enthusiastic about AI's future and its applications" — which, I have to admit, is pretty spot-on.

Think about how valuable this kind of insight could be before a meeting. Instead of just knowing someone's job title and work history, you understand their driving forces and how they prefer to engage with different topics.

Try It Yourself

You can access the agent here: https://agent.ai/agent/prospect-researcher

Some pro tips I've discovered for getting the most value:

Run Multiple Analyses Try analyzing multiple people within the same company. You'll start to see fascinating patterns in company culture and communication styles.
Save Your Research The agent lets you save reports directly to your Google Drive. This could be helpful to reference back to before future meetings.
Cross-Reference Motivators When meeting with teams, look for overlapping motivators. It's amazing how often you'll find shared patterns that aren't obvious on the surface.
Use It Before Important Meetings Don't wait until the last minute. Run the analysis a day before so you have time to consider how to use the insights meaningfully.

Important note: While the AI is impressively accurate in spotting patterns and motivators, always use these insights as conversation starters, not absolute truths. The best research tool is still a genuine curiosity.

If you try this out, I'd love to hear what patterns you discover.

—Dharmesh (@dharmesh)

p.s. For the AI-curious folks reading this: Yes, this is just the beginning. Imagine combining this kind of analysis with AI scheduling tools and CRMs like HubSpot. The possibilities are endless (and slightly mind-bending).