# How to use Claude for sales work

> Use Claude to prep accounts, write follow ups and read long documents like RFPs. Plain steps and prompts for sales reps.

By Corey Leon. First posted 2026-10-28. Updated 2026-10-28. Source: https://www.simpleai.community/blog/how-to-use-claude-for-sales/
License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Credit Simple AI with a link.

Question: How do I use Claude for sales work?

Use Claude like a sharp assistant who reads fast: paste in an email thread, a long RFP or your call notes and ask it for one clear thing, like a follow up, a summary or a list of questions. Claude is good at reading long documents and writing in a plain, human tone when you ask for it. Set it up with a Project so it remembers your business, check every fact it gives you, and send everything from your own email.

## Steps

1. **Sign up at claude.ai or get the phone app.** There is a free version. Paid plans give you more use and some extra features.
2. **Make a Project for your sales work.** Projects let you save instructions and files that Claude reads every time you chat inside that Project. Put in what you sell, who you sell to and a couple of your own emails so it learns your tone. We cover this in [how to set up a Claude Project](/blog/how-to-use-claude-projects-for-your-sales-playbook/).
3. **Upload the long stuff.** Claude handles long files well. Drop in a PDF of an RFP, a contract or a 20 email thread and ask it questions about it.
4. **Ask for one thing at a time.** "Summarize this RFP in 10 bullets" is one job. "Now list every deadline in it" is the next job. Short asks get clean answers.
5. **Tell it the length and tone.** Claude can run long if you let it. Say "under 80 words" or "5 bullets max".
6. **Ask it to flag what it is unsure about.** Add "If you are not sure, say so" to your prompts. It will tell you when the document does not answer the question.
7. **Read it, fix it, send it yourself.** You are the one with the relationship. Claude drafts, you decide.

## Prompts you can copy

### Read an RFP or long document

```prompt
I sell [what you sell]. Attached is an RFP from [company].
Give me:
1. A 5 bullet summary of what they want.
2. Every deadline and date, in a list.
3. Anything that would stop us from bidding, like a license, insurance level or minimum size.
4. Three questions I should ask their buyer before we write a response.
Only use what is in the document. If something is not in it, say "not stated".
```

### Account prep before a call

```prompt
I have a call with [name], [job title] at [company]. Here is what I know: [paste their website text, notes, past emails].
Write me a one page brief: what they do in plain words, what probably matters to someone in their role, what we have talked about before, and 5 questions to ask. Keep it short enough to read in 2 minutes. Do not invent facts about the company.
```

### Follow up that sounds like me

```prompt
Here are two emails I wrote myself so you can match my style: [paste email 1] [paste email 2].
Now write a follow up to [name] after our call. Notes: [paste notes].
Under 80 words. One next step at the end as a question. No fancy words. Sign it [first name].
```

### Find what I missed in a thread

```prompt
Here is an email thread with a prospect: [paste thread].
Tell me: what did they ask for that we have not answered yet, what did they say about timing or budget, and who else from their side is involved. Then write a short reply that answers the open questions.
```

## Example

This is a made-up example. You upload a 30 page bid package from a school district for janitorial supplies and ask for deadlines. A good answer looks like: "Questions due October 30. Bids due November 14 at 2 pm, sealed, delivered to the district office. Pricing must be held for 12 months. Not stated: whether partial bids on single product lines are allowed." That last line is the useful part. It tells you what to ask the buyer.

## Tips

- Use the Project for repeat work, a plain chat for one offs.
- Paste in your best past email as a sample. Claude copies tone well when it has a real example.
- If an answer is too wordy, reply "half as long" and it will cut it.
- Pair it with good questions. Our [discovery call guide](/calls/discovery/) and [objection prompts](/prompts/objections/) both work in Claude.

## What not to do

- Don't upload customer data or contracts your company has not cleared for AI tools. Ask your boss or IT first.
- Don't trust numbers it pulls without checking the page they came from.
- Don't send a long, polished email to a busy buyer. Shorter wins.

## FAQ

### Is Claude better than ChatGPT for sales?

Neither is better for everyone. Many people like Claude for reading long documents and for a more natural writing tone. Try the same task in both and keep the one you edit less.

### Can Claude look things up on the web?

On some plans and settings Claude can search the web. If you need current news about a prospect, ask it to show where each fact came from, then click and check.

### Does Claude remember my past chats?

Inside a Project it reads the instructions and files you saved there every time. Other memory features depend on your plan and settings, so don't count on it remembering a chat from last week unless you set that up.

### Can I use Claude on my phone?

Yes. The Claude app works on iPhone and Android, and you can type or talk to it.