A rep I coach asked me: “Be honest — how long ‘til AI replaces us?”
Prospecting? Auto-researched.
Emails? Auto-written.
Social content? Auto-posted.
AI isn’t replacing sales — it’s replacing lazy
sellers.
I’ve watched reps go from sending 20 custom emails/day… to 80+ better
ones with AI.
Not spam. Not copy-paste.
Contextual. Punchy. Personalized.
The difference?
They didn’t just use AI — they coached it.
Here’s how top reps are adapting across 3 skills — and the exact
prompts they’re using to move faster without losing quality:
Disclaimer: These are not “copy-paste and close deals”
prompts. They’re starting points.
Great reps tweak them, stack them, and refine them. Treat AI like your junior
SDR — you still have to manage it.
1. Prospecting → Become a Curator (not a researcher)
Use these to find angles, not just info:
1. "Here’s a link to [company website/LinkedIn profile]. Based on this, what
are 3 signs they’re expanding into mid-market? Keep it short and actionable.
Speak like a sales rep, not a consultant."
2. "Review this Crunchbase profile + job board. What hiring trends suggest a
GTM or sales team shift?"
3. "Act like a SaaS AE. Find 3 hooks to message a VP of RevOps at [company]
based on this LinkedIn post."
4. "What recent events, signals, or news about [company] would give me a strong
reason to reach out this week?"
5. "Scan this LinkedIn profile and give me 2 reasons they might care about SDR
productivity or onboarding."
6. "Based on this product page, what kind of sales motion do they likely run?
What gaps or inefficiencies might exist?"
Pro tip: Add tone guidance — “Make it punchy, confident,
and useful for outreach.”
2. Cold Emailing → Become an Editor (not an author)
Let AI rough draft, you refine:
1. "Write a cold email for a VP of Sales at a 200-person SaaS company who just
hired a CRO. Frame around ‘rebuilding GTM.’ Under 80 words. End with a sharp
question."
2. "Write 3 subject lines that feel human, not salesy. Assume the reader is
drowning in vendor emails."
3. "Turn this bullet list into a short cold email that sounds like a sharp SDR,
not a robot. Keep the tone casual but confident."
4. "Write a 3-email sequence for a Director of CS who just lost 2 team leads.
Focus on burnout and bandwidth. 75 words max each."
5. "Rewrite this cold email to fit a VP of Marketing persona. Keep the same
tone and structure as the original."
6. "Draft a cold email that starts with a trigger like ‘New head of sales
hired’ and frames the message around pipeline rebuild."
Bonus move: Feed it a real email you sent that worked, and
prompt:
“Adapt this for a different persona, keep the tone tight and direct.”
3. Social Selling → Become a Signal Hunter (not just a
poster)
It’s not about content — it’s about timing.
1. "Summarize the last 5 LinkedIn posts by [prospect name]. What themes are
they focused on?"
2. "Draft a DM for someone who just liked our CEO’s post about GTM pain.
Casual, non-pitchy, invites a convo."
3. "Give me 3 comment ideas I can post under this LinkedIn thread to start
conversations — not just agree."
4. "What’s a soft LinkedIn message I could send to a VP who posted about
headcount cuts last week?"
5. "I want to post something on LinkedIn that shows how reps can use AI to
improve outreach. Draft 2 post options that sound personal and story-driven,
not preachy."
6. "Based on this LinkedIn comment by [prospect], how can I engage in a way
that opens the door to a sales convo?"
AI doesn’t replace your work. It replaces the version of
you that does it manually, slowly, or generically.
If you’re curious, coachable, and fast, AI becomes a cheat code.
If you’re stuck in your ways, it’ll leave you behind.
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