AI Prompts for Sales Reps

Looking to save time while making your sales outreach more effective? AI prompts might be the tool you've been missing. Sales success hinges on good timing, personalized communication, and consistent follow-up - all areas where AI can now lend a hand.

AI tools can help you craft better emails, handle tough customer objections, and move deals forward with less effort on your part. In this article, we'll walk through specific AI prompts you can start using today at each stage of your sales process to get better results without working longer hours.

We've done the heavy lifting for you by using Portkey's Prompt Optimizer and Prompt Playground to find prompts that actually work. We spent time iterating, testing, and fine-tuning each one to make sure they deliver the best possible results in real sales situations.

Prospecting and Lead Qualification Prompt

Let's start at the beginning of your sales process. When you're looking for new leads, AI can sort through your CRM data, social media interactions, and customer behavior patterns to help you target the right people. Even if this data is scattered around in different tools, you can get it merged and analyzed.

You are a sales representative at [Company], specializing in [Product/Service], which helps [describe core value proposition, e.g., enterprises streamline workflows, startups scale AI models, etc.].
Using data from multiple sources—including CRM, website analytics, email engagement, LinkedIn, and third-party intent signals—identify high-value leads that meet all of the following criteria:

• Industry: [Specify]
• Company Size: [Specify: SMB, Mid-market, Enterprise]
• Decision-Maker Title: [Specify: CTO, Head of AI, Director of Engineering, etc.]
• Engagement: Has interacted with our website, downloaded content, or engaged with previous campaigns in the last [X days]
  Instructions for Data Processing:

1. Aggregate Data from Multiple Sources

• CRM (HubSpot, Salesforce) → Lead firmographics, past interactions
• Website Analytics (Google Analytics, Clearbit) → Page views, visit recency
• Email Marketing (HubSpot, Marketo) → Open rates, click-throughs, responses
• LinkedIn (Sales Navigator) → Job changes, hiring signals
• Funding & News (Crunchbase, Apollo.io) → Funding rounds, press releases

2. Clean & Normalize the Data

• Merge records from different sheets and remove duplicates
• Handle missing data (e.g., infer missing decision-maker titles from LinkedIn)
• Standardize job titles across sources (e.g., VP of AI = Head of AI)

3. Lead Scoring & Prioritization

• Assign weights to different engagement signals:
• Website visit = 5 points
• High-intent page view (pricing, demo request) = 20 points
• Email response or booked meeting = 30 points
• Rank leads based on cumulative scores and historical conversion trends

Deliverables: Provide a ranked list of the top [x] leads, including:

• Lead Name & Company
• Decision-Maker Title & Department
• Engagement Insights (e.g., last touchpoint, content viewed, email open rate)
• Company Fit (why they align with our ICP)
• Likelihood of Conversion (based on past data trends, similar closed deals, etc.)
  Use advanced lead scoring techniques (e.g., recency, frequency, and depth of engagement) to justify rankings. If data gaps exist, highlight missing information and suggest next steps (e.g., LinkedIn research, direct outreach).

Here you need to provide the data from the tools you use to capture customer data and engagement.

Personalized Cold Outreach Prompt

Imagine you are an experienced sales representative at [Company]. Your task is to draft a highly personalized cold outreach message for [Prospect's Name] at [Prospect's Company].
Your message should include the following elements:

• Reference to Recent Announcement: Start by mentioning a recent announcement or development from [Prospect's Company] that is relevant to their business.
• Role-Specific Challenges: Address specific challenges that [Prospect's Name] may be facing in their role, demonstrating your understanding of their needs.
• Relevant Case Study: Try to include a brief mention of a relevant case study from our portfolio that showcases how we have successfully addressed similar challenges for other clients.
• Conversational Tone: Maintain a friendly and approachable tone throughout the message.
• Call to Action: Conclude with a clear call to action, inviting [Prospect's Name] to schedule a meeting to discuss further.
  Output Format:
  Keep the message concise, under 150 words, ensuring it feels personal and engaging rather than automated.

Here you can also add an example of an email that has worked for you in the past.

Follow-Ups and Nurturing

I want to summarize the key points from my last conversation with [Prospect’s Name], who showed interest in [Product/Service] and generate a follow up email. Ensure the message feels authentic and tailored to the recipient, avoiding overly formal or robotic language.
Follow these steps -

• Analyze past emails, call transcripts, or meeting notes to extract key topics, pain points, objections, and level of interest.
• Identify any objections raised and how they were addressed.
• Retrieve prior commitments (e.g., “I’ll review this with my team and get back to you”).
• Select a customer success story that closely matches the prospect’s use case or suggest a relevant content asset based on their concerns (e.g., compliance concerns → security whitepaper).
• End with an open-ended question that encourages dialogue: “How does this align with your team’s current priorities?” “Would it help to explore a live demo with your engineering lead?”

Here you can specify the word count and again add examples for some that have been really successful for you in the past.

Re-engagement for Inactive Leads

Write a check-in email for leads that haven’t responded in [X days]. Avoid high-pressure language. Follow these steps -

• Retrieve details from the last conversation, including topics discussed, expressed interest, and any pending next steps.
• Identify possible reasons for disengagement (e.g., timing, internal priorities, lack of urgency).
• Find recent industry developments (regulatory changes, competitor moves, AI advancements) that may impact the prospect’s business.
• Mention new product features or updates that align with their previously stated challenges.
• Shift the focus by offering a fresh perspective (e.g., cost savings, efficiency gains, security enhancements).
• Address a possible pain point they hadn’t considered.
• Use open-ended prompts like:
  • “Would love to hear your thoughts on how this fits into your current priorities.”
  • “Does this align with any upcoming initiatives on your roadmap?”

Sales objection handling prompt

A prospect says: "[objection]".
Break down the objection step by step to uncover the core concern behind it. Consider:
* Is it a misunderstanding about [product]?
* Is it based on a competitor’s perceived advantage?
* Is it a pricing, performance, or integration concern?

Craft a persuasive response that:
* Acknowledges the concern to build rapport.
* Provides a clear, fact-based counterpoint addressing the objection.
* Reinforces [product]’s unique value with a compelling benefit or customer proof.
* Ends with a leading question to keep the conversation moving forward.

Example Output Format:
❌ Objection: "[Objection]"
🔍 Breakdown: "[Step-by-step reasoning]"
✅ Response: "[Persuasive counter + key benefits]"
🔄 Follow-up Question: "[Open-ended question to re-engage]"

This is effective as it first analyzes what's really behind the objection before crafting a response, helping you understand the underlying concerns and address them directly rather than just delivering a generic counter-argument.

Deal closing Prompt

Write a concise final decision-stage email to [Prospect’s Name]. Summarize the agreed benefits, reinforce the ROI, and provide a direct line for any last-minute questions. Keep it under 100 words and action-oriented.
Retrieve key points from previous discussions:

• Top benefits agreed upon
• Specific ROI metrics (cost savings, efficiency gains, revenue impact)
• Any remaining blockers
• Keep the tone reassuring and positive, reducing hesitation.
• Remove any friction by making the next step clear and easy.
• Offer a final touchpoint to address any concerns.

Upsell and Expansion Opportunity

A customer, [Customer Name], has been using [Product] for [X months] and primarily leverages it for [specific use case, e.g., automating customer support responses].

• Draft an upsell email introducing [Advanced Feature], which enhances their workflow.
• Connect the advanced feature to their current usage to highlight added value.
• Reference a case study from a similar company to demonstrate the impact.
• Use a clear but soft CTA to encourage further engagement (e.g., demo, quick call).

The prompts shared are ready for you to customize with your specific company details, product information, and customer profiles. The more you use them, the more you'll discover which ones save you the most time and deliver the best results.

Give them a try in your next prospecting session, when preparing for a call, or when you need to follow up with a prospect who's gone quiet. You might be surprised at how much more you can accomplish in the same amount of time.