AI Kickstart
The Prompt Guide
Search terms get search results. Give Claude the same brief you would give a sharp new hire.
The Four-Part Framework
Every strong prompt has these four. Skip one and the output drifts.
01Role
Tell it who to be. "You're my SDR manager" beats a blank slate every time.
02Context
Hand it the deal, the account, the thread. It can only work with what it knows.
03Constraints
Set the rules. Length, tone, what to avoid, what good looks like.
04Output
Name the format you want back. A table, three bullets, a ready-to-send email.
What Good Looks Like
One real prompt, part by part. Researching a prospect before a discovery call.
RoleYou're my sales research analyst.
ContextI have a discovery call tomorrow with Marcus Reyes, VP of Sales at Cascade Packaging, a 250-person packaging manufacturer. Attached are the account details and my notes from our last call.
ConstraintsUse the attached notes, fill any gaps from public sources only, and flag what you can't verify.
OutputGive me a one-page brief: their role and priorities, the company's three most recent moves, four discovery questions to ask, and one risk to watch.
Five Tips to a Great Prompt
01
Be specific. Vague in, vague out. Name the exact thing you want.
02
Assign a role. "You're a VP of Sales who closes $75K deals." It shapes the whole answer.
03
Have a conversation. Don't one-shot it. Push back, refine, ask for another pass.
04
Get interviewed. Tell it to ask you questions before it answers, so it fills its own gaps.
05
Supplement AI with human intelligence. Your industry, your judgment, the way you know it should sound. You're the operator.
Sell Smarter · AI Kickstart · Foundation
sellsmarter.ai/kickstart/prompt-guide