Best practices for writing sales-focused prompts

I ran into the same problem at the beginning. Writing prompts for sales is different from writing them for support. Here’s what I learned after testing my own agents in Callin.io:

1. Start with a short, energetic greeting.
   Something like “Hi, this is Laura from [company], thanks for taking the call” works better than a long intro. It builds trust and gets to the point.

2. Be explicit about the agent’s goal.
   Don’t just say “answer questions.” Write: “Your goal is to book a sales meeting.” That way, the agent always nudges the conversation in that direction.

3. Mix direct and indirect instructions.

• Direct: for must-say lines like “This call may be recorded.”

• Indirect: for discovery questions like “Ask what their main needs are right now.”

4. Use natural confirmations.
   Instead of repeating “Perfect,” guide the agent to say “Great, thanks for clarifying” or “Got it, that makes sense.”

5. Add explicit pauses.
   Always include [wait for user response] after key questions, so the agent doesn’t rush the prospect.

6. Close with a clear call-to-action.
   End the prompt leading to the booking: “How about we schedule a meeting this week?” If the lead declines, prepare a fallback: “Would you like me to send the info by email?”

Once I restructured my sales prompts with these practices, I saw a noticeable increase in booked meetings. It’s not magic—it’s just about giving the AI a clear sales playbook.