In today’s rapid sales landscape, Generative AI emerges as a game changer for sales professionals when used correctly, paving the way for in-depth prospect research and personalized outreach. The ability of a salesperson to bring new thinking to the table based on research and then offer a strong point of view, distinguishes, and differentiates the best from the average.
In this article, we’ll explore the pathway from mastering AI research prompts to utilizing its insights for impactful outreach, empowering salespeople to provide thought leadership and a unique POV, establishing a foundation of credibility and trust.
The Anatomy of an Effective AI Research Prompt
What is a prompt?
The cornerstone of using Generative AI for deep sales insights lies in crafting the perfect research prompt. For those of you who are new to AI or just getting started, a “Prompt” is a question or statement you give to AI to start a task. Below are the four main components that make up a well-structured prompt:
- Context: Setting the scene – explaining what you need help with.
- Task: What you want the AI to do for you.
- Data: Providing or referencing specific information you have that might help the AI accomplish the task successfully.
- Instruction: Simple step-by-step directions on how you want the AI to tackle the task and visualize the data.
Tips for Crafting an Effective Prompt
Mastering the art of crafting an effective prompt sets the stage for meaningful engagement with prospects. Here are some topics to sharpen your prompt-crafting skills.
- Specify the Specifics: Be explicit in your request to get precise information.
- Use Examples to Guide Style or Output: Examples can help in guiding AI towards the desired output style.
- Use ALL CAPS to Designate Labels: Labeling parts of your prompt helps in separating instructions and/or sections of data for clearer understanding by the AI.
- The Last Words Matter! The last words provided in the prompt significantly influence the AI’s response.
Leveraging A Real-World Prompt for Research
With a well-crafted prompt, Generative AI provides invaluable insights about your prospects. Let’s walk through a real-world research prompt utilizing the structure discussed.
- Context: As a sales executive targeting [Company], I need to understand their [Year] strategic outlook.
- Task: Research [Company’s] [Year] goals, objectives, fiscal summary, and known challenges.
- Data: (Optional: Specific sources if any, or leave blank for general web research)
- Instruction: Summarize the findings in a clear, bullet-point outline.
In this prompt, you have set a clear scenario, defined the task, identified the target persona, and provided a step-by-step directive to the AI. This structured approach empowers the AI to generate insightful details that could be used to guide your outreach strategy.
For higher-quality research data, you may want to use the paid version of ChatGPT (ChatGPT Plus with the Bing plugin) or the free Bing Chat directly. However, it’s important to validate the information by requesting source links, as these versions only provide data that is accessible which includes web search results, news articles, and other sources, some of which may not be up-to-date or accurate.
Note: The prompts highlighted in this article serve as examples to illustrate the structure and components. They can be tailored, expanded, or condensed based on your specific needs and the level of detail required for your research and outreach endeavors.
Translating Insights into Action: Creating Outreach Messaging
The next piece is translating these insights into compelling outreach messages. The insights provided are used to initiate the remaining steps:
1. Understanding the Prospect Landscape
a. Utilize the insights garnered from Generative AI to understand your prospect’s goals, challenges, and industry standing. This knowledge forms the foundation of your outreach strategy.
2. Tailoring Your Message
a. Craft messages that resonate with the prospect by using specific information garnered about the prospect’s goals, objectives, challenges, and fiscal standings to tailor your message. You may also include personal touches by mentioning recent achievements or initiatives undertaken by the company. All of which reflects your genuine interest and understanding of their business.
3. Follow-Up Messaging
a. Leverage additional insights obtained from prior conversations, CRM (Customer Relationship Management) data, further AI research, and your personal experience to craft follow-up messages that are relevant to the individual, their role, company, and industry. Including case studies, white papers, and other relevant content can bolster your message and further demonstrate value.
b. Remember, AI is there to help you with your research and message development. It’s crucial to create a human connection within your messaging by incorporating your own insights and thought leadership into the final response. Since prospects often form an opinion about you before they form an opinion about your company, aligning your own POV with what you know about the prospect can significantly enhance your credibility and trust.
4. Utilizing AI for Continuous Learning
a. Learn from the engagement metrics and feedback to refine your AI prompts and outreach strategies.
b. Utilize AI to analyze and adapt your messaging for better engagement in future outreach.
Having explored the process of translating research insights into action, let’s dive into a practical example that demonstrates how a well-structured prompt can guide the creation of a data-driven outreach message.
Leveraging a Real-World Prompt for Data-Driven Outreach
The below prompt leverages the research summary from the first prompt to create the initial outreach message:
- Context: As a sales executive within a [Current Company Type – i.e., Large Data Warehouse Software Company] pursuing [Company], my goal is to get the prospect interested enough to schedule an initial call.
- Task: Craft a compelling outreach message that shows our understanding of their company using the provided research summary to secure an initial call.
- Data: The message is intended for the [Role at Company]
- Instruction: Ensure the message resonates with the needs of the [Role]
Note: The initial response will be longer than you like so either reference “Short Message” in the task, ask the AI to condense it to x sentences, OR take out the pieces you feel will resonate the most with your contact. Additionally, make sure to proofread your message before sending to ensure grammatical accuracy and appropriate tone.
Once you have received your desired output, adjust the message by integrating your unique insights and experiences, showing your understanding and alignment with the company’s scenario.
Integrating AI in Your Sales Outreach Strategy: A Future-Forward Approach
Combining the power of Generative AI for both research and messaging crafts a well-rounded, data-driven sales strategy. It not only amplifies the efficiency of your outreach but also fosters a deeper connection with prospects by displaying a thorough understanding of their business.
The journey from insightful AI-driven research and personalized outreach sets a new standard in sales engagement. The examples of research and outreach prompts provided in this article serve as a springboard, highlighting the structure and components essential for effective interaction with Generative AI.
The true power, however, lies in the ability to interpret the research, and convert it into real thought leadership and powerful insights that create new conversations and open new opportunities for collaboration.
Personal Challenge:
Upon reading, try using the prompt structure to research not only the prospect company but also your key contacts and their roles within the organization to validate and expand your knowledge. Share the AI findings with your team and discuss how these insights could tailor your next outreach and improve overall alignment with the company you are prospecting. Post-outreach, assess the level of prospect engagement and reflect on the effectiveness of integrating AI insights, pinpointing areas for refinement in future engagements.
