AI Sales

12 AI Chat Prompts for Sales Teams

Arina Kharlamova
LAST UPDATED
September 2, 2024
READING TIME
7 min.

If you’re not using AI to speed up, personalize, and automate your sales outreach, you’re already behind. 

Hubspot’s Smarter Selling with AI Report 2023 found that while 74% of sales pros are currently using some form of AI, only 31% are using generative AI tools for writing sales outreach messages or creating sales content. 

This is what an opportunity looks like.

If you’re ready to take advantage—but haven’t quite mastered the chat prompt to access AI’s full power, we’re here to help.

We’re going to show you 12 simple prompts that will power your sales outreach, pitches, calls, and LinkedIn messages with AI so that you can get back to the human side of sales. 

Key to useful prompts

When working with a new technology, it’s natural to start simple and play.

But to get the most out of generative AI’s full capacity, the world’s best prompt engineers recommend that your prompts be both rich and specific.

The more vivid and clear a picture you paint with your request, including context, expectations, and personas, the better your output will be.

Prompts for building a sales campaign

#1 Personalize cold outreach

There are a few proven ways to warm up cold prospects: speaking to specific pain points, and using key tidbits about the prospect that show you’ve done your homework. This prompt helps use both. 

Write a friendly, conversational introduction to [Tal Baker Philips, Sales Leader at lempire] that is no longer than 200 words. In the body, include 3 ways [Zapier] can help with [Simon]’s exact pain points, derived from the [prospect]’s LinkedIn bio [LinkedIn profile URL].

#2 Write a sequence of outreach emails — in seconds

Giving AI context about your target audience or group of prospects can help create next-level outreach campaigns—not just single, one-off emails. 

Imagine you're a [BDR] who needs to write cold outreach emails targeting [Content Marketing Managers] in [HR SaaS companies] about your product, an [AI content editing service]. You want to offer a [custom demo] of your service to [Content Marketing Managers]. Write a [6-email outreach sequence] that explains how our solution works, the top 3 benefits of our solution for [Content Marketing pros], and offer a [custom demo] as the main CTA in all emails.

For example, using the power of Chat by Copy.ai and lemlist’s AI, you can create a 6-email outreach series using a prompt like the example above!

#3 Improve your CTAs (calls to action)

Sometimes, you already have emails done and dusted but need help with that final, crucial CTA. Remember that the more information you feed AI, the more valuable the output. 

Write 3 calls to action for the following outreach email. Ensure each CTA directs the recipient to take a specific action or next step. Use a friendly but assertive tone. Keep the writing concise and clear. Each CTA should be up to 5 words.

Outreach email: [Paste]

Prompts for making sales calls 

#4 Beat the competition

AI thrives in moments when you just can’t figure out how to say what you need in a different way. (Though double-checking all facts is still important, as the language used can influence or confuse the output.)

You are an experienced sales representative for [ClickUp]. You are looking to win over a project manager who previously used [Trello] for all their [project management] needs but hated that they couldn't integrate with Google Drive, or customize their workspaces. Write a list of 5 talking points that would be helpful to convince the customer to move to [ClickUp]. 

#5 Battle common objections 

By leveraging both personal information as well as AI’s research capabilities, salespeople will gain talking points that soften prospects and close them at the same time.

For example, you can use AI to help drive insights around competitive intelligence

You’re a detail-oriented and customer-focused [sales rep] for [Lever, an applicant tracking system]. You’re about to get on a sales call with an [HR leader] whose BIO is pasted below. Use this information to create talking points for the call that overcome [4 common objectives] prospects have about [Lever], based on reviews found on G2.com.

BIO: [paste bio]

#6 Ask insightful questions

The key to getting important answers (mainly, “yes, we will sign up this month!”) is asking good questions, and AI is perfect for crafting those. 

You’re a highly organized sales rep who’s been in the [technology] industry for 10 years. You studied customer psychology during your time at Harvard University. Using the customer data and product information shared below, create a 300-word sales script that asks insightful questions and highlights your product, [Sampler.io]. The goal of your questions should be to find out how to best sell your product.

DATA: [Paste data]
PRODUCT: [Add your product’s description]

Prompts for writing cold email subject lines 

#7 Free offer 

The best way to get something is to give something. That’s why — if you have something to offer — this prompt may increase your open rate. There’s a reason that countdown timers are popular conversion techniques, and that’s because people don’t want to miss out, especially on something free!

Imagine you’re a sales representative for [Mailchimp, an email marketing company,] that wants to win over a new customer in the [florist] category [by the end of the month]. You want to offer them [a free month to test out the premium account]. Write 5 subject lines that get the customer to open your email.

#8 Break the ice

Believe it or not, AI comes equipped with a small sense of humor. Sometimes, that’s exactly what’s needed to break through the sales emails piling up in people’s inboxes. If it fits your company’s brand voice, don’t be afraid to play with ideas that jar people from the norm. 

You are an account executive from a company that sells [bidets] called [TUSHY], and you’re trying to get the attention of the [CEO] of a [bathroom retailer] named Mike. Write 3 subject lines using the most catchy, effective copywriting techniques used by conversion copywriters that will make Mike laugh.

#9 Pain points

Sometimes, you can prompt AI with extra information about prospects, like the below quip (but also customer pain point!) about marketers not being that great with numbers.

Write 5 options for a gripping subject line that introduces [Xero, an accounting software for small businesses], to a potential client, a [small marketing agency]. Make sure they’re human-sounding and valuable. Don’t sound pushy or salesy. Include a mention of [not being good with numbers, but with words]. 

Prompts for writing LinkedIn outreach messages 

#10 Talk about them

Who doesn’t love to talk about themselves and the topics that get them excited? This prompt will get you to the top of their inbox.

Write a short, upbeat message no longer than 100 words to [John Doe, Head of Growth Marketing at Beverage Co] about his most recent POST on LinkedIn. Make sure the first 7 words catch their attention. Use this post as a talking point to plug your [eCommerce business]. Sign off cheerfully and ask to schedule a call as the final CTA.

POST: [Paste the post from LinkedIn here.]

#11 New position

If you want to easily build rapport with your prospect you can always take advantage of their strategic business move.

Write a short, 50-100 word message to [Graham, the content marketing manager] at [Benevity], congratulating them on their new position. Based on their profile summary, ask how your [Content Marketing Agency] can help in the new company, and list the top 3 ways [Content Marketing Agencies] can help in-house [content marketing managers] look great to their boss. 

PROSPECT: [Paste linkedin URL.] 

#12 Congratulate your prospect about a company win

A recent update is the perfect “in” to start a conversation with a warming prospect.

Not only can you showcase specific features that your product has that are specific to the update, but you can turn those features into benefits for the employee.

You’re an account executive at [Hubspot, a popular CRM] who is trying to win over the [Head of HR] at a big [talent agency]. Write an enthusiastic yet professional message congratulating the Head of HR on their [recent acquisition of a small group of companies], and offer the top 5 ways a CRM can help talent agencies, especially now that they’re growing their employee headcount.

Company update: [Paste here]

Your AI sales edge

These 12 prompts should give you a massive leg-up when it comes to figuring out how to prompt AI to give you exactly what you need so that you build yourself the best, automated base to start outreach with. And then, you do what you do best: close those deals.

To make your process of creating AI-powered campaigns even more efficient, you can create a fully customized outreach sequence in seconds with lemlist, and use copy.ai to boost its content!

Additionally, lemlist's AI Variables feature allows you to use a single prompt on all your leads.

With AI Variables, you can add next-level personalization to your emails without using ChatGPT for each lead individually.

The output will neatly appear in a column of your leads list, ready to be used in a campaign.

Here's another example:

You can also easily generate Icebreakers based on your leads' company information, hometown, or other available data.

Or what about CTAs (Calls to action) based on your leads' position? Example prompt:

Create a compelling CTA that appeals to this person's likely priorities and decision-making authority based on their {{position}}

AI Variables are limited only by your imagination. If you can imagine it, AI Variables can likely make it happen for you.

This next-level outreach will favor the creative types who earlier saw their personalization ideas stifled by a lack of scalability.

But even if you’re not the creative type, we have plenty of prompt templates that’ll help you set up personalization previously considered impossible.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How can sales teams benefit from using AI?

There are many ways AI can boost performance of sales teams by:

  • Sales Forecasting
  • Summarizing and providing action items from meetings and calls
  • Analyzing sales calls
  • Recommending actions for sales reps
  • Generating cold emails and subject lines automatically
  • Identifying new leads
  • Predicting likelihood to close a deal
  • Predicting readiness to buy

How to create an effective AI prompt?

  • Give clear and specific instructions
  • Structure your prompts well
  • Always give as much context as possible
  • Provide an example of what you’re looking for
  • Specify the role you want AI to perform like "act as" or "imagine you are"
  • Iterate with additional requests
  • Build on your previous conversations
  • Experiment to see what works

What is an example of effective AI prompt for sales teams?

This is an effective AI prompt for building sales campaign that personalizes your cold outreach:

There are a few proven ways to warm up cold prospects: speaking to specific pain points, and using key tidbits about the prospect that show you’ve done your homework. This prompt helps use both. Write a friendly, conversational introduction to [Tal Baker Philips, Sales Leader at lempire] that is no longer than 200 words. In the body, include 3 ways [Zapier] can help with [Simon]’s exact pain points, derived from the [prospect]’s LinkedIn bio [LinkedIn profile URL].

How to integrate AI in sales?

1. Identify your goals and challenges. Consider things that you want to achieve with AI: do you want to improve lead generation, automate tasks, personalize outreach, or gain better sales forecasting abilities? Next step is to identify the specific challenges your sales team faces. Is it slow lead qualification or maybe difficulty with personalization at scale? AI implementation isn’t one-size-fits-all for every B2B company. The AI tools, prompts and strategies you use depends on your goals.

2. Research AI tools. There are many different AI tools available. For example, AI can analyze vast amounts of data to identify high-potential leads and automate qualification processes, saving time for your sales reps. In this case, you'd need lead generation and qualification tool like lemlist. Another example is sales automation tool that automate tasks like data entry, appointment scheduling, or email-follow-ups. Sales forecasting, conversational intelligence and sales content personalization are also great AI tools to implement in your sales teams. Make sure you determine which one your sales team actually needs.

3. Choose the right tools for your needs. It's important to consider factors like budget, ease of use, and integrations with your existing CRM and sales tools when choosing AI solutions. Don't try to automate everything at once.

4. Integrate AI tools into your sales strategy. Developing a clear workflow for integrating AI into your sales process is very important step.

5. Monitor and optimize your results. Track the impact of AI on your sales performance. Continuously monitor and analyze data to identify areas for improvement and fine-tune your AI strategy over time.

7. Start Small, scale gradually. Methodical scaling ensures a sustainable path to achieving better enhancements in your sales operations.

Will AI replace sales teams?

In recent years we have seen countless examples of AI enhancing the work of salespeople. But AI is not likely to replace sales teams. The best salespeople is something no AI can replace.

Arina Kharlamova
Writer @ Copy.ai | Writer, marketer, and all-around creative who's passionate about finding out how tech can make the world a better, easier, and more equitable place.
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G2 Rating
Price
Best for
Standout feature
Con
4.9
star
star
star
star
star
$30/mo
$75/mo
$2,999/mo
Large, distributed sales teams
AI evaluation precision, gamified KPIs
Lack of tracking system
4.6
star
star
star
star
star-half
Not publicly available
Sales operations and finance teams
Powerful configurability
Limited training resources and complex to navigate
4.4
star
star
star
star
star-half
Not publicly available
Mid-market and enterprise businesses
Comprehensive incentive management
Potentially high cost and steep learning curve
4.7
star
star
star
star
star-half
$15/user/mo
$40/user/mo
Enterprise: custom price
Complex sales structures and businesses of all sizes
Complex sales structures and businesses of all sizes
Steep learning curve
4.6
star
star
star
star
star-half
Not publicly available
Collaborative teams
Connected planning
Complexity and steep learning curve
4.6
star
star
star
star
star-half
Not publicly available
Companies with complex sales structures
Complex incentive compensation management (ICM) with high efficiency and accuracy
Complexity for smaller teams and potentially high costs
4.7
star
star
star
star
star-half
Not publicly available
Companies who want to automate commission calculations and payouts
Simplicity and ease of use
Lack of features like redirection
4.7
star
star
star
star
star-half
$30/user/mo
$35/user/mo
Custom: upon request
Businesses that need a comprehensive and user-friendly sales compensation management software
Ease of use and adoption
Lack of ability to configure the product based on user needs
4.8
star
star
star
star
star-half
Not publicly available
Companies with modern sales culture and businesses who want real-time insights
A built-in dispute management and real-time visibility
Users say it works slowly, customer support is slow
4.9
star
star
star
star
star
$30/user/mo
$50/user/mo
Smaller sales teams
Powerful automation
Lesser user base and average user interface
4.7
star
star
star
star
star-half
Not publicly available
Companies with scalable needs
Automated Commission Calculations
Lack of filtering by date, no mobile app
ERP vs. CRM
ERP
CRM
Summary
Backbone of a business's internal operations.
Backbone of customer-centric interactions and operations.
Goal
To centralize and streamline core business processes in a company.
To increase customer experience, satisfaction and loyalty, and boost sales.
Focus
Internal operations and processes across departments (finance, accounting, inventory, supply chain, HR, and sales).
All interactions with leads and customers.
Manages
Internal business data like financial data, inventory levels, production details, supply chain, HR info.
All customer data like contact info, purchase history, communication history, customer preferences and more.
Users
Finance, accounting, operations, supply chain, and HR departments.
Customer-facing teams like sales, marketing, and customer service.
Benefits
Streamlines operations, improves data accuracy, enhances decision-making, boosts collaboration, increases productivity.
Improves customer relationships, increases sales, strengthens customer service, personalizes marketing campaigns, provides insights.
Price
$150 per user per year on average.
$10 to $30 per user per month on average.
PRM Tool
Rating
Feature
Pro
Con
Mobile App
Integrations
Free Plan
Pricing
4.65
star
star
star
star
star-half
Org-wide alignment
User-friendly layout and database
Suboptimal as a personal CRM
square-check
Lack of tracking system
square-check
Team: $20/month
Business: $45/month
4.7
star
star
star
star
star-half
Social Media Integration
Easy contact data collection
No marketing/sales features
square-check
Lack of tracking system
square-xmark
7-day trial
$12/month
4.75
star
star
star
star
star-half
Block Functions
High customization capability
Not a dedicated CRM
square-check
Limited
square-check
Plus: €7.50/month
Business: €14/month
N/A
Open-source
Open-source flexibility
Requires extensive manual input
square-xmark
Limited
square-check
Self-hosted
$9/month or
$90/year
3.1
star
star
star
Simple iOS app
Ideal for non-tech-savvy users
iPhone only
square-check
iOS only
Limited
square-xmark
1-month trial
$1.49/month or
$14.99/month
3.6
star
star
star
star-half
Smart Contact Management
Feature-rich and flexible
Reported bugs
square-check
Rich
square-xmark
7-day trial
Premium: $13.99/month
Teams: $17.99/month
4.4
star
star
star
star
star-half
Customizable Interface
Customizable for teamwork
Pricey for personal use
square-check
Rich
square-xmark
Standard: $24/member
Premium: $39/member
4.7
star
star
star
star
star-half
Integrated Calling
Integrated Calling
Too sales-oriented & pricey
square-check
Rich
square-xmark
14-day trial
Startup: $59/user/month
Professional: $329/user/month
4.8
star
star
star
star
star
Business Card Scanning
Business Card Scanning
Mobile only
square-check
Limited
square-check
$9.99/month
4.45
star
star
star
star
star-half
160+ app integrations
Comprehensive integrations
No free app version
square-check
Rich
square-xmark
14-day trial
$29.90/month or
$24.90/month (billed annually)
Capterra Rating
Free Trial
Free Plan
Starting Price (excluding the free plan)
Maximum Price (for the most expensive plan)
Best for
4.5
star
star
star
star
star-half
square-check
14-day
square-check
€15/month/seat billed annually
€792/month/3 seats billed annually + €45/month for each extra seat
Versatility and free plan
4.2
star
star
star
star
square-check
30-day
square-xmark
But it offers reduced price to authorised nonprofit organisations
€25/user/month
€500/user/month billed annually (includes Einstein AI)
Best overall operational CRM
4.3
star
star
star
star
star-half
square-xmark
square-check
Limited to 3 users
Comprehensive incentive management
€52/user/month billed annually
Small-medium businesses and automation
4.5
star
star
star
star
star-half
square-check
14-day
square-xmark
€14/seat/month billed annually
€99/seat/month billed annually
Sales teams and ease of use
4.1
star
star
star
star
square-xmark
square-check
Limited 10 users
$9.99/user/month billed annually
$64.99/user/month billed annually
Free plan for very small teams up to 10
CRM goal
Increase the sales conversion rate for qualified leads from marketing automation campaigns by 10% in the next 6 months.
SMART Breakdown
1. Specific: It targets a specific area (conversion rate) for a defined segment (qualified leads from marketing automation).
2. Measurable: The desired increase (10%) is a clear metric, and the timeframe (6 months) allows for progress tracking.
3. Achievable: A 10% increase is possible based on historical data and potential improvements.
4. Relevant: Boosting sales from marketing efforts aligns with overall business objectives.
5. Time-bound: The 6-month timeframe creates urgency and a clear target date.
Actions
Step 1: Refine lead qualification criteria to ensure high-quality leads are nurtured through marketing automation.
Step 2: Personalize marketing automation campaigns based on lead demographics, interests, and behavior.
Step 3: Develop targeted landing pages with clear calls to action for qualified leads.
Step 4: Implement lead scoring to prioritize high-potential leads for sales follow-up.
Step 5: Track and analyze campaign performance to identify areas for optimization.
Outcomes
Increased sales and revenue
Improved marketing automation ROI
Marketing and sales alignment
Data-driven marketing optimization
Table
CDP Software
CRM Software
Approach
Data-centric
Customer-centric
Focus
Interactions across various channels and touchpoints, both online and offline.
Sales, marketing, and customer service interactions.
Functionality
Automatically collects, organizes, tags, and makes data available in real-time.
Helps businesses track customer interactions, sales pipelines, prospects, and service requests.
Goals
Personalized customer experiences across all channels.
Better customer relationships, streamlined processes, and improved profitability.
Benefits
Data integration, management, and accessibility, allowing for detailed analysis and segmentation.
Better communication within teams and with customers by organizing information about customer interactions and history.
Data Handling
Handles both identified and anonymous data, stitches together various data points.
Deals primarily with identified customer data.
Use Cases
Personalized marketing campaigns, targeted advertising, content customization across multiple channels.
Managing campaigns and leads, enhancing customer service, providing better customer support, increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Examples
Insider, Bloomreach, Salesforce Marketing Cloud CDP
HubSpot, Salesforce Sales Cloud Lightning Professional, and Zoho CRM
CRM
Free plan
Best feature
Best for
Con
1. HubSpot CRM
square-check
Sales automation
Sales teams
Up to 1,000 contacts
2. Insightly
square-check
Custom fields
Basic needs
Not enough info about the free plan
3. Agile CRM
square-check
Deal and sales pipeline tracking
Small teams
Up to 10 users
4. Zoho CRM
square-check
Lead and contact management
Businesses of all sizes
Limited to 3 users
5. ClickUp
square-check
Unlimited tasks and unlimited members
Personal use
Up to 100MB storage
6. EngageBay
square-check
Live chat
Small and midsize enterprises
Up to 1,000 branded emails per month
7. Bitrix24
square-check
Unlimited users and 5 scrum teams
Big teams
Up to 5GB of cloud storage
8. FreshSales
square-check
Easy to use and simple setup
Beginners
Up to 3 users
9. Mailchimp
square-check
Very beginner friendly
Marketing teams
Send up to 500 branded emails per month
Type of Affiliate Marketing
Unattached
Related
Involved
Format
Paid advertising
Social media or YouTube channels
Dedicated website or blog
Focus
Quick income
Your niche
Your audience
Engagement with your audience
square-xmark
square-check
square-check
square-check
square-check
Very close connection with your audience
Pro
Little effort
Higher credibility thanks to your niche
Long-lasting and scalable
Con
Paid ads cost a lot
Potential for bias since you don’t use the thing you promote
Require time, effort, and dedication

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