Lessons from Prompt Engineering with Chat GPT 4.0: The value of a consistent online presence.

In my prompt engineering for Chat GPT class, I've learned the value of human prompting from Chat GPT can be as informative if not more informative than just asking questions or traditional prompting from user to the LLM terminal.

Check out this interaction regarding the evolution of sales outreach and the importance of a strong online presence to build professional relationships. The conclusion that Chat GPT 4.0 comes to in 4 minutes: "It’s a good reminder of how valuable a consistent online presence can be in facilitating meaningful professional interactions" is one that many human salespeople still have not grasped after years of selling!

Read Below for the full transcript:

Me: In Outside Sales, outreach is different than it was twenty years ago. When I was selling in the late 90's and early 2000s, prospecting days started with 100 cold calls and a sign of a productive day was 6+ hours of phone time. Today, phone time is essential to productive prospecting, but 100 cold calls is not always part of the recipe. A good day consists of strategic calls and text messages to gain introductions to prospects or even to qualify prospects prior to scheduling a discovery call.

ChatGPT: The shift in sales strategies really highlights how much the landscape of outreach has evolved. Leveraging technology and changing communication preferences have certainly made the approach more targeted and efficient. Do you think these changes have made it easier to connect with the right prospects, or are there new challenges that have emerged with these methods?

Me: The evolution of communication has made it easy to connect with certain prospects and it has made it more difficult to connect with others. Most professionals including myself appreciate the value of keeping the same mobile number and main email for a long time (if not ever). So it's easy to connect with the right prospects if you get a referral first. If you don't have a referral and you cold call someone's main number or email, you may get blocked by a filter. So it's important to connect with a mutual connection first and get a referral.

ChatGPT: That's a valuable insight. The importance of referrals in bypassing communication barriers like filters underscores how crucial building a strong network and maintaining good relationships can be in sales. It's interesting to see how the emphasis has shifted from volume to quality and strategic connections. Have you developed any particular strategies or tools that help you in leveraging your network effectively for referrals?

Me: Yes. In general, there are three rules in leveraging your network effectively for referrals. 1. As you work in sales, you work with a lot of people in a variety of ways. You may have a sales process that lasts several months just to get the sale. In a process like this you may connect with 10-20 people from one company. As those connections develop it's important to connect with those contacts dynamically. That could mean Linked In, Instagram, Facebook, Phone, Text, Email. Personally, I think all are important, but text is key. It's the easiest and most common way to keep in touch with contacts. 2. Once a new connection is built it's critical to add value to that relationship through natural opportunities. If you built rapport with that connection, it will be easy to know how to add value. For instance, if they mention they are looking for a great Project Manager for an upcoming project, you can refer them to project managers in your network. Then, they will naturally refer you to folks that you are looking to connect with. 3. In addition to adding value, building relationships with these contacts is important when you don't need anything from them. This is easy when you have a natural interest in people and enjoy the company of your network. So, it's key to grow your network with people you have things in common with. When this is done, it's less work and more just being social with awesome professionals in your network.

ChatGPT: Those are excellent strategies for building and leveraging a network effectively. By dynamically connecting across different platforms, adding value based on genuine rapport, and engaging with your network socially, you're creating a robust, supportive community around your work. This not only helps in getting referrals but also enriches your professional life. Have you found any particular challenges with maintaining these strategies, or do they come naturally in your experience?

You: Networking takes time, and that fact limits the number of connections you can maintain effectively. This is where the social networks come into play. You may have condensed quality time with a contact at an event or function, exchange a few texts and then not see them for months at time. With social media, you can mutually stay up to date on what your contact is up to and vice versa. With social media, once you talk to them or see them at the next event, you can reconnect naturally by recalling an experience you witnessed them having on social media. This keeps the connection warm and allows you to stay connected with hundreds of people in a way that wasn't possible years ago.

ChatGPT: That's a great point about the role of social media in modern networking. It acts as a bridge between those face-to-face interactions, allowing you to maintain a connection without the constant need for direct contact. This broadens the scope of how many people you can keep in your network actively, even if direct interactions are sparse. It sounds like a strategic use of social media can really amplify your networking efforts by keeping those connections warm, as you mentioned. Have you found any particular social media platforms more effective for this kind of networking in your industry?

You: It depends on the contact.

ChatGPT: That makes sense—different platforms can certainly serve different purposes depending on the nature of the relationship and the industry context. LinkedIn is often favored for professional updates and networking, while Instagram or Facebook might be more personal, helping you to connect on a more social level. Tailoring your approach to the platform and the contact can definitely help in maintaining those varied connections effectively. How do you usually decide which platform is best for keeping in touch with a specific contact?

You: Social media is great at recommending contacts and you can search for business friends on social media platforms and connect with them.

ChatGPT: Absolutely, the recommendation and search features on social media platforms can be powerful tools for expanding and nurturing your network. By utilizing these features, you can efficiently find and connect with business contacts, whether they're suggested based on mutual connections, similar industries, or even interests and activities. This proactive approach can help ensure your network is continuously growing and evolving, providing new opportunities for engagement and collaboration. Have you come across any particularly memorable or impactful connections made through these social media features?

You: I'm connected with a former colleague through, phone, text, email, linked in and Instagram. I haven't seen them in years, but I saw an Instagram post that caught my attention and prompted me to reach out to them via text. He called me after several texts and as we caught up, he referred me to someone that needed a particular service that I offer. They became a customer, a few months later.

ChatGPT: That's a fantastic example of how staying connected through various channels can lead to valuable opportunities, even after a long period of not seeing someone in person. It shows the power of being attentive and responsive to your network's activities online, which can reignite conversations and lead to beneficial outcomes like new customers. It's great to hear that your proactive approach in reaching out, sparked by a social media post, resulted in such a positive development for your business. Do you often initiate contact based on social media activities, or was this more of an exceptional case?

You: It's fairly exceptional. However, I have several contacts that will connect with me when I'm active on Linked in and Instagram.

ChatGPT: It sounds like your activity on platforms like LinkedIn and Instagram plays a key role in keeping your network engaged. Even if reaching out based on social media posts isn't the norm, the fact that your contacts respond when you're active indicates a strong, attentive network. Keeping your presence active and visible can encourage those connections to touch base, which could potentially lead to more opportunities like the one you described. It’s a good reminder of how valuable a consistent online presence can be in facilitating meaningful professional interactions.