Prompt templates for a salesperson
Sales reps waste valuable selling hours inventing ad-hoc prompts every single morning. Staring at an empty chat window, they draft unstructured instructions from memory, yielding erratic, unreliable answers. Lacking codified, parameterized templates makes AI adoption an inconsistent gamble rather than a reliable operating system.
Institutionalize the 'Core Five' standardized B2B revenue templates. Pin them in text expanders or dedicated notes with rigid placeholder syntax [ ]:
1. Template 1: Fast Account Dossier (3-minute pre-call intelligence). Extracts business model, strategic board bets, and structural friction from public company domains.
2. Template 2: Post-Discovery Call Blueprint. Converts unorganized call notes into a high-conviction client recap (Agreed Findings -> Mutual Milestones -> Task Ownership).
3. Template 3: Commercial Objection Deconstructor. Deconstructs prospect hesitation into 3 layers: surface symptom, hidden personal career risk, and an open discovery probe.
4. Template 4: Executive Value Follow-Up (No-Reply Breaker). Re-engages unresponsive accounts after 5 days of silence using proprietary industry benchmarks rather than needy 'touching base' inquiries.
5. Template 5: Provocative Demo Scripting. Formulates 3 challenging diagnostic questions for product demonstrations that shatter customer complacency.
BAD (no template): 'Write an email to a prospect who ignored my quote.' Output: 'Hi John, just following up to see if you had a chance to review our proposal? Best regards.' (The definitive way to ensure continued ghosting).
GOOD (via Value Follow-Up Template): 'Act as enterprise strategy consultant. Target is an e-commerce brand ($20M GMV) silent for 6 days post-proposal. Draft a follow-up (max 65 words) that: (1) Does not mention the proposal, (2) Cites 1 conversion latency stat from our quarterly e-commerce benchmark report, (3) Offers an un-gated self-audit spreadsheet with zero commercial obligations. Tone: detached, high-conviction peer.'
CORE TEMPLATE #3: COMMERCIAL OBJECTION DECONSTRUCTOR Role: Master B2B Sales Negotiation Coach (Sandler / MEDDICC accredited). Deal Parameters: - Our Offering & Core Outcome: [WHAT YOU SELL AND BUSINESS OUTCOME] - Prospect Persona: [EXECUTIVE TITLE, INDUSTRY, ORG HEADCOUNT] - Stated Objection: [EXACT WORDS SPOKEN BY BUYER, E.G. "WE HAVE A SPENDING FREEZE ON NEW SOFTWARE UNTIL Q4"] Task: 1. Uncover the underlying commercial driver: Why is the executive asserting this? (Uncertainty around payback velocity / Higher competing board priorities / Implementation bandwidth fear). 2. Construct 3 tactical verbal responses: - Option A: Agree & Pivot (Validating perspective before reframing) - Option B: Cost of Inaction (Highlighting ongoing losses caused by delay) - Option C: Scope Reframe (Downsizing initial milestone to eliminate risk) 3. Conclude each option with a calibrated open-ended discovery question that cannot be answered with 'yes' or 'no'.
Variations & alternative scenarios
Multi-Threading Template: Outbound messaging to an alternative committee stakeholder when the primary champion stalls.
Dignified Break-Up Email: Final deal closure notification restoring status while leaving future re-engagement frictionless.
Practical exercise
Save Core Template #3 into your local notes or text expander. Run your single hardest recurring objection through it and pin the top probing question next to your dialing monitor.