Grow Your Sales by Impersonating Customers—A How-To Guide for AI Sales Strategies

Last week, I impersonated several buyers. They included an HR manager, a venture capitalist, the marketing director at a private school, a shipping manager, and an architect.

I didn’t break any laws. No fake IDs or disguises were required, and I assumed each of these identities without leaving my office.

I pretended to be these buyers for a singular purpose: to help clients increase sales.

This masquerade was made possible by the AI engine ChatGPT.

With the right prompt, you can step outside your head and enter your customer’s buying brain. You gain insight into a buyer’s pain points, problems, mindset, fears, and goals. By incorporating AI into selling strategies, you exponentially expand the bandwidth of information available at your fingertips.

ChatGPT is powered by prompts, which are inquiries structured to gather information. You can take on a buyer’s role, responsibilities, and even a persona in your prompts. Assuming a buyer’s identity makes it easier to accomplish sales tasks such as:

• Creating lists of questions buyers could ask.
• Identifying reasons why buyers would be open to switching vendors.
• Defining a buyer’s fears and the barriers to change.

To gather information, construct a prompt that includes the following details:

• Identify the buyer’s role.
• Provide relevant context about the type of company and the product or service to be purchased.
• State what you want to know from the buyer’s perspective.

Here are some examples.

• I am the Vice President of Procurement at a regional bank. I am purchasing new cybersecurity software for all banks. What questions should I ask potential software vendors about their solutions?
• I am the marketing director at a pet food company. I am considering changing printers. Why would it make sense to consider switching vendors?
• I am the Chief Technology Officer at a manufacturing company. I need to hire a specialized group of developers for a short-term project. What could go wrong if I hire an executive recruiter to find these developers?
• I am in charge of managing a hospital facility. I need to update all the signage. What should I consider when interviewing vendors?
• I am the head of landscaping at a large five-star hotel. During our busy season, we need a firm that can supply temporary help. What questions should I ask the salesperson from the temporary agency who wants my business?

Give it a try. Pretend you are a buyer, create a prompt, and plug it into ChatGPT.

Using AI to step into your customer’s shoes lets you see the world from their perspective and get ahead of your competition. Good selling!