Simple AIShort answer
I've sold for 20 years. Which AI prompts should I learn first?
If you have sold for 20 years, learn the 5 prompts that take the typing off your plate: turning call notes into a clean recap, writing the follow up email, prepping for a call, answering a tough email, and planning your week. You already know what to say to customers. AI just writes it down faster, so you spend more time on the phone and less time at the keyboard. Learn these five, use them every day for two weeks, and you will be faster than most people on your team.
Steps
- 1
Pick one AI app and stick with it.
ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Copilot. If your company uses Microsoft, Copilot may already be on your computer. Put the app on your phone too.
- 2
Save the 5 prompts below in a note.
On your phone or computer. Then it is copy, paste, fill in the brackets.
- 3
Talk instead of type.
Most AI apps let you tap a microphone and speak. After a call, just talk your notes into it like you would tell your boss in the truck.
- 4
Read before you send.
The AI writes fast but can get facts wrong. You know your customers. Fix anything that is off.
- 5
Use it every day for two weeks.
The first few times feel slow. By the end of week two it should feel normal.
Prompts you can copy
Prompt 1: Call notes into a clean recap
Here are my rough notes from a call, I typed or said them fast: [paste or speak your notes] Turn them into a clean recap for my CRM with: who I talked to, what they need, what they said about price or timing, next step and date. Short lines. Do not add anything I did not say.
Prompt 2: The follow up email
Write a follow up email to [name] at [company] after our call. What we talked about: [notes or the recap from above] Next step: [what and when] Under 80 words. Sound like me, a straight talking rep who has known customers for years. Start with what matters to them. End with one clear question. No "just checking in", no fancy words.
Prompt 3: Prep for a call
I am calling [name], [title] at [company] in a few minutes. What I know: [notes, last order, last talk] What I want out of the call: [goal] Give me 3 things to bring up, 3 questions to ask, and the one objection they will probably raise with a short honest answer. Keep it to what I can read in one minute.
Prompt 4: Answer a tough email
A customer sent me this: [paste their email] Help me write a reply. I want to [fix the problem / hold the price / say no politely / buy time to check]. Keep it calm and short, under 100 words. Own what we got wrong if we did. End with a clear next step. Here is what I can offer: [what you can do].
Prompt 5: Plan my week
Here is my list for this week: accounts to call, quotes out, follow ups owed, and meetings. [paste or speak your list] Sort it into a plan for Monday to Friday. Put calls to customers who are ready to buy first each day, then follow ups on open quotes, then everything else. Flag anything that looks overdue. Keep it to a simple list per day.
Example
This is a made-up example.
You say into your phone after a call: "Talked to Gary at Northside Builders, he's short on 2x6s for the Elm Street job, needs 400 by next Thursday, price from the other yard was a little lower but they can't deliver in time. Send him a quote today and call Monday."
Prompt 1 gives you a clean recap with Gary's need, the deadline, the price note and the next step. Prompt 2 turns that into an email:
"Gary, here's the quote for the 400 2x6s for Elm Street, delivered by next Thursday. I know the other yard was a little lower, but we can get it there on time. I'll call you Monday morning to lock it in, does 8 work?"
That took about two minutes, and you never typed a full sentence.
Tips
- You do not need to learn "prompt engineering". Give it what you know, tell it what you want, say how long. That is it. See what is a prompt.
- Your experience is the edge. AI does not know Gary hates long emails. You do. Tell it.
- Talking your notes is faster than typing for most people. Try it in the parking lot after a visit.
- When a prompt works great, save your version. Your list will get better each week.
What not to do
- Do not paste account numbers, credit info or anything your company says to keep private.
- Do not send anything you have not read. Your name is on it.
- Do not try 20 prompts. Five, used every day, beats twenty you forget.
FAQ
I'm not good with computers. Can I really do this?
Yes. If you can send a text, you can use AI. Open the app, paste or say what you want, and read the answer. That is the whole skill.
Which of the 5 should I learn first?
Call notes into a recap. You do it after every call, it saves time right away, and the recap feeds the other four.
Will customers know AI wrote my emails?
Not if you give it your notes and fix anything that does not sound like you. Short, plain emails sound like a real person. Long, fancy ones sound like a robot.
Where can I find more prompts like these?
The prompt library has more, sorted by task, and AI for sales work has more on using AI in a sales job.
Rather have it done for you? We build the system that handles your outreach, one time, and you own it. See how it works.