How to Write Effective AI Prompts for Sales Tasks?

What is an AI prompt or so-called prompt engineering?

The idea of generative AI is not a new one. Initially, it required significant technical expertise to interact with these AI models, such as inputting data through an API.

With the advancement of AI tools accessible to consumers, most algorithms now have the ability to comprehend everyday language. This means you can request tasks from AI just like you would ask a human coworker.

The initial inquiry used to assign a task to an AI agent is typically referred to as a prompt, similar to what you might say to “Hey, Siri!”

As previously mentioned, the prompt can be a simple request communicated in a conversational style for basic tasks, like language translation or summarizing meeting notes.

However, things become more challenging when faced with more intricate requests, particularly those involving a sequence of continuous actions, such as evaluating your target customer profile and creating relevant personalized snippets or value propositions.

This is where prompt engineering, also known as prompting, comes into play – the process of refining and enhancing your queries to maximize the performance of the AI agent.

In essence, prompt engineering enables you to craft prompts that are precise, thorough, contextually-rich, and impactful. This skill is invaluable for boosting productivity and fully utilizing the capabilities of AI tools.

Best practices for writing effective AI-powered prompts

• Provide explicit and detailed instructions for the task you want AI to complete. For instance, if you need AI to rephrase a template, be specific about what aspects you want to change, such as reducing the I/you ratio, enhancing readability, restructuring, or altering the tone.
• Organize your prompts carefully to prevent confusion. While AI processes written text differently from humans, using proper spacing and punctuation can help make your instructions clearer. It is advisable to separate the instructions from the context, especially when quoting or giving examples
• Include as much context as possible to ensure AI fully comprehends your intentions and reasoning based on any relevant background information you can provide. For instance, a prompt requesting a follow-up email after a prospect call will be more effective if you include call notes or a summary.

Pro hint: Utilize AI tools or add-ons that enable you to include various files such as PDFs or images to provide additional context to your prompts.

• In addition to background information, providing an example of the desired output format and style can help AI tools like ChatGPT perform various tasks effectively. Using a prompt allows users to specify their requirements and set boundaries to ensure that the AI stays on track. By including an example, AI is given a template to follow when completing a task.
• Indicate the function you expect AI to fulfill by using expressions like “Imagine you are” or “Act as.” Just as you specify other criteria, this will assist in setting the context for the particular task and obtaining a more accurate outcome. Still skeptical? Experiment by asking AI to carry out the same task embodying various personas, and observe the variation in results. An email written from the perspective of a Sales Development Representative will vary from one composed by a CEO (let alone more unconventional personas such as Eminem or Hemingway).
• Continue to make additional requests in order to refine the results produced by the AI. Referred to as iterative questioning, this approach involves adjusting your original request or providing further details if the initial outcome is not satisfactory. Employing a sequence of concise and specific prompts may lead to a more thorough outcome..
• Continue to expand on your past interactions with AI. Platforms such as ChatGPT store the history of your previous inputs and results, allowing for improved accuracy in responses to future requests related to the same topic. This is particularly effective for tasks that require context, such as crafting templates or creating sequences for different buyer personas..

Pro hint: Train artificial intelligence to create prompts for you. While it may seem unconventional, requesting ChatGPT to provide you with the top prompt for a specific task is a savvy strategy that many overlook. This approach can serve as an efficient way to maximize your AI activities, especially for beginners.

20+ proven AI prompts for sales teams using ChatGPT

There is a wide range of possibilities when it comes to utilizing tools like ChatGPT for sales development. Sales professionals continuously discover new and innovative ways to leverage AI for sales tasks, creating unique strategies tailored to their individual requirements and preferences.

However, the majority of prompts used by SDRs will look something like this.:

• Write an email/LinkedIn message to {persona} about {purpose}
• Personalize the email below based on {data points}
• Generate {5/10/15} variants of subject lines for an email
• Suggest a P.S. text for the email below in {language}
• Translate the email below to {language}
• Improve email to follow the {style/format} of the {example}
• Rewrite the email below in {style/tone/language}
• Make the email below shorter than {number} words
• Write an email follow-up based on the call summary {notes}

And that’s completely okay! As long as you receive what you require and provide any important information, as mentioned earlier.

The prompt we would recommend to craft a specific cold email is the following one:

“Write a cold email to a prospect in the {industry} industry and with job title {job_title}. Find problems related to this industry and generate solutions based on value proposition {value_proposition}. Keep the email within 100 words. I know prospect data — use it for personalization: company is {company}, first name is {first_name}, last name is {last_name}. Act as salesperson, name – {user_name}, company – {user_company}.“

Nevertheless, there are instances where it becomes necessary to think outside the box and utilize advanced frameworks in order to achieve success with AI. Here are a few illustrations of such suggestions provided by experts in sales and AI.Thibaut Souyris, a renowned sales AI specialist, recently shared his preferred set of prompts for prospecting in a post on LinkedIn.

• Finding prospect problems: Act like [prospect name], the [job title] at [company]. List your top 3 challenges for 2023. Bullet point and concise answer only.
• Finding problem symptoms: Now list 3 symptoms for each challenge above. Bullet points and short answers only.
• Generating email subject lines: Here are 10 email subject lines that got my attention: [examples] Act like a top-performing SDR and generate 10 new outbound prospecting email subject lines based on the ones above. Be short and creative, and focus on teasing the prospect’s curiosity.
• Generating cold outbound messages: Now I’d like to build a 9-touchpoint outbound sequence in order to get [prospect name] to reply to my prospecting. I use the following framework for each message: [framework] Based on the framework I shared, build a cold outreach message for each symptom listed above. 
• Turning a marketing resource into a prospecting resource: Act like an online marketer and turn the following content into a playbook: {summary}

Heather Murray, another exceptional expert, introduces her innovative method called Chain of Thought prompting technique for ICP research.

1. Starting with a pretty straightforward prompt: “Act as a business consultant. I’m the Director at a lead generation agency, and I’m looking to launch a new high-end lead generation product for the aerospace industry. Let’s start by discussing some initial ideas that would work — ask me any relevant questions to flesh this out into a strong idea and the beginnings of a plan to launch it.”
2. Building on this with the second prompt in the same thread: “Great, now let’s explore the people that would be most interested in this new product. What job titles would they have, and why might they be interested in the product?”
3. Digging a bit deeper: “Tell me more about the pain points of people with these job titles in the aerospace industry. List pain points commonly experienced, and match my solution to their pain.”

If necessary, feel free to continue in this manner, adding to each consecutive response within the chat until you have gathered all the required information. This method is ideal for maximizing the effectiveness of your value proposition and targeting, generating new ideas, or refining your existing strategies.

Finally, Jake Dunlap, who is the CEO of Skaled Consulting and also a featured speaker at the Sales AI Summit, provided different example situations during a recent webinar on LinkedIn.

He highlights that while ChatGPT is primarily utilized for research and communicating, there are additional ways sales teams can take advantage of it. He recommends integrating ChatGPT into your SDR training program. This can be implemented in various ways.

• Handling objections: “Act as {buyer persona} and give me 5 objections which I will try to counter.” After that, you can also ask AI to tell you how you did and come up with some more objections for you to handle, effectively using it to simulate and improve your response strategy in the sales process.
• Role-playing: “I want you to impersonate {role} in {industry} and I want to role-play a sales meeting with you. A typical sales meeting looks like this {summary}. Here’s what our product does {value prop}. Let’s go!”
• Planning scenarios: “I have a call coming up with {persona} discussing {topic}. I’m trying to think of any reasons they might say no. Help me think through navigating a meeting where I’m talking about {proposal}.”

In a nutshell…

There’s nothing overly complex about AI prompting, as demonstrated. With a good grasp of the fundamentals and some experimentation with your preferred AI tool, it becomes possible to uncover the perfect formula for achieving the desired results.

If you’re not inclined towards experimentation or lack the time to master effective AI prompting techniques, you may opt for AI tools that provide a smoother user experience.

FAQs

Q: What are generative AI prompts and how can they be used in sales tasks?

A: Generative AI prompts, such as tools like ChatGPT, are prompts generated by artificial intelligence that can be used in sales tasks to assist sales reps in creating engaging and personalized interactions with prospects. These prompts can help sales reps learn AI-driven techniques to improve sales conversations and lead to more successful outcomes.

Q: What are some common use cases for AI in sales?

A: AI in sales can be used for various purposes, such as optimizing sales emails, assisting sales reps in sales calls, providing guidance on creating effective sales pitches, and enhancing sales prospecting efforts. AI can help sales teams identify the unique value propositions of their products or services and tailor their sales strategies accordingly.

Q: How can AI prompts for sales tasks help in addressing pain points in the sales process?

A: AI prompts for sales tasks can help sales reps identify and address specific pain points in the sales process by offering suggestions for improving sales scripts, sales discovery questions, and overall sales engagement strategies. By using AI-generated prompts, sales teams can boost their sales performance and achieve better results.

Q: Can you provide examples of effective AI prompts for sales tasks?

A: Effective AI prompts for sales tasks may include prompts tailored to specific sales scenarios, such as asking ChatGPT to generate sales discovery questions, marketing strategies for customer relationship management, or prompts to enhance sales engagement with prospects. These prompts can help sales reps create more personalized and impactful interactions with potential customers.

Q: How can using AI prompts like ChatGPT benefit modern sales teams?

A: Using AI prompts like ChatGPT can benefit modern sales teams by providing them with a cutting-edge tool to assist in their sales efforts. These prompts can help sales reps save time on crafting sales messages, improve the quality of their interactions with prospects, and ultimately increase their sales effectiveness. Additionally, AI prompts can also help sales teams stay up-to-date with the latest sales techniques and trends.

Q: What are some best practices for incorporating AI prompts into sales tasks?

A: When incorporating AI prompts into sales tasks, it is important to ensure that the prompts align with the desired outcomes of the sales efforts. Sales reps should focus on using phrases like “imagine” or “what if” to engage prospects and create a sense of curiosity. It is also essential to tailor the prompts to the specific needs of the sales prospect and to use AI-generated prompts in a way that complements the human touch in sales interactions.