I think prompt-based assisted workflows could be the new competitive edge in B2B sales. Especially if you have field-based sales teams. I know, it sounds like a lot of AI jargon, but in plain English, it just means using AI like ChatGPT to help sales reps do their daily tasks faster and better, by feeding it clear instructions (“prompts”) to get back useful, customized outputs they can use immediately.
Think of it like having a really smart digital assistant like I have with Alex. I communicate to her exactly what I want in writing, with clear instructions, and context, and then, Alex delivers me a polished draft, a suggested email, a call script, market research write-up, or even a product research summary (or whatever your task is). You don’t have to start from scratch or guess what to say, your AI has got you 95% there.
AI Real-World Scenario
Somewhere out there, a sales rep is closing a deal you could have had because their AI assistant helped them using a prompt-based assisted workflow get there first. And guess what? I guarantee this is happening to you right now.
Sales teams that do not understand how to work with AI are already behind. Not because AI is better at building relationships or closing deals, but because it outperforms in everything that leads up to the close: strategy, research, timing, personalization, fills knowledge gaps, analysis, and follow-up. And we’re just getting started. When those tasks are supported by AI, your team is finally free to do what they were hired to do: sell.
The real threat is not AI, or even your competitors, it is your team clinging to yesterday’s sales habits in today’s AI-focused business environment. So, if you weren’t thinking about AI up to this point, now you’re on notice. Get to it, before your competitors run over you.
AI Is the Assistant You Should Have Hired Last Year
Sales reps lose time every day to tasks that AI can now help complete faster: searching LinkedIn, writing cold emails, meeting preparation, meeting follow-up, competitive analysis, market updates, updating CRMs, remembering to follow up. And these are just AI-101 tasks. Imagine when you really dive in, there are literally thousands of ways to use prompt-based assisted workflows. It is not a rep time management issue. It is an adoption problem.
AI gives your sales team back their edge, so they can spend less time guessing and more time doing what’s more valuable.
Take Sarah, an SDR on a mid-market enterprise team. She starts Monday with an AI-curated prospect list, runs it through a prompt-based assisted workflow that writes 20 personalized sequences, and has two dozen follow-ups scheduled before her second coffee. Multiply that across 12 SDRs, and that is not future-state, that is a typical Wednesday for sales teams using assisted workflows.
Before AI vs. After AI
Before AI:
- Twelve tabs open
- Tons of hours researching
- Guesswork prospecting and preparation
- Follow-ups that miss the mark
- Only your best when at your desk, and fully briefed (with 2 cups of high-test coffee)
After AI:
- Prospect research is conducted in minutes not hours
- One spot-on prompt creates multiple custom outreach messages
- Knowledge of in-pipeline opportunities is Aces
- Follow-up communication tone and relevance is stronger and more effective
- On-the-go assistance is real and active
Most Sales Leaders Are Still Behind
The technology is available, but the mindset shift to AI is not. If your sales leader still sees ChatGPT as a writing tool, your competitors are already winning deals with assisted workflows that support every step of the sales cycle (Maybe you’re the sales leader).
AI is now embedded in so many things. Smart teams are not resisting it, they are planning around it, creating a unique sales usage strategy, refining it and making it work within their framework. Folks, sales reps are even using it on-the-go on their smartphones. It’s so simple. Basically, help your team start getting small wins first, then the lightbulb will turn on.
More Than Speed. It Changes Thinking
The real power of AI is not just in speed. It’s in reduction. It reduces thinking on repetitive tasks so your teams can invest their brainpower where it matters: building trust, deepening relationships, solving problems, and getting closer to signing the deal. I know, it sounds very simple. — IT IS!
There is no more guessing the best time to follow up. Reduced time building manual decks. No more digging through CRM threads from last quarter. How many times have you searched for a long time looking for that “market research report” only to find that it was outdated. If you had just used your favorite AI, it would have been done in minutes.
AI supports the heavy lifting, and your team shows in the most important places — ready.
Precision Is the Advantage
In the past, being fast was enough to win deals. Today, sales success depends on speed and timing. AI helps sales teams choose the right moment to act by spotting patterns that humans might miss, such as how buyers engage, which content interests them most, when they are ready to move forward and how their industry behaves.
It doesn’t just give you more data. It gives you a clearer perspective and guides you on what to do next. Step by step if you need it. And if you firm gives you a massive data dump on industry, product and customer insights… don’t read through it all and spend your entire weekend. Upload it to ChatGPT; ask it to provide the key highlights, and most important factors that you want to know, and then watch the magic happen. It’s so cool.
I have literally had people look at my laptop computer screen while I was sitting in a Starbucks. After I gave it a specific prompt, it was off to the races working for me. The screen was providing in real time, data and information that I needed, source links, and variations I never thought of before. If you haven’t sat back and done this yet, try it, it’s more than cool, it’s awesome to watch it work!
Want the Playbook? Start Here
If you are ready to put AI to work for your sales team, begin with a few simple steps. First, train your team on how to write really good prompts. The quality of their input directly affects the quality of the output they get. Context is key. If you don’t add context to your prompts, you will most likely get “meh” responses.
Next, introduce assisted workflows for follow-ups. Let AI help draft and personalize messages so your reps can review and schedule them quickly.
Finally, create a live sales battlecard assistant so reps have ChatGPT ready to support them before every call, giving them quick answers and fresh ideas instead of relying on outdated notes or Slack threads. I suggest doing this in ChatGPT Projects. Here’s a blog article that will help you.
Gartner reports that by 2027, 95% of seller research workflows will begin with AI, up from less than 20% in 2024.
How to Get Started
Getting started with prompt-based assisted workflows doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does require a clear plan. Start by evaluating a few AI platforms that match your team’s needs, budget, and comfort level. I use ChatGPT as my primary platform because of its flexibility, but I also test Claude, Gemini, Co-Pilot, Perplexity, and others to compare strengths and weaknesses.
Once you choose your primary tool, define one simple, high-impact use case that addresses a real sales pain point. For example, you might help your team generate personalized cold outreach emails, summarize meeting notes, or create quick competitor comparison sheets. Keep it focused so your team isn’t overwhelmed.
Next, hold a short training session, no more than 30 minutes, where you demonstrate how to write effective prompts and review real-world sales examples. Make sure reps can follow along and test it live. Encourage questions and record the session so they can revisit it anytime.
Finally, set a clear goal: have every rep use the AI tool for that one use case daily or weekly for the next month. Reinforce it in your sales huddles, share wins, and discuss challenges so everyone improves together. The goal isn’t to replace your reps’ skills, but to amplify them with practical, repeatable AI support they can rely on.
Final Thought
AI is the rep who never sleeps, never forgets, never takes a vacation, or skips a CRM note. But it will never build trust, smile during a meeting, or deliver a pitch with conviction. That is still your team’s job, and it is the one job worth protecting. So do not fight the future. Get on board with AI, Use it. Train it. Train with it. Learn from it. Succeed with it!
Scott MacFarland is a strategic marketing and channel sales veteran with modern AI sales enablement expertise. He is the creator of YourBrandExposed.com, where he helps organizations use AI tools like ChatGPT to unlock faster growth.
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YourBrandExposed articles to help you get up and running faster:
- How Your AI Assistant Helps You Run a Smarter Business
- 5 Ways to Maximize Deep Research Queries + Bonus Tips You Need to Know
- AI-Enhanced Objection Handling: Turning ‘No’ into ‘Yes’ with ChatGPT
Sources:
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- https://yourbrandexposed.com/chatgpt-projects-vs-custom-gpts-which-one-is-right-for-you/
- https://www.gartner.com/en/experts
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