Welcome to Lesson 3 of Learn AI with Arti! In the last lesson, we explored the art of crafting effective prompts. Now it’s time to address the pitfalls that can undermine your efforts. Even the most experienced sales professionals can fall into common prompting traps, leading to irrelevant or confusing AI outputs.
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to identify and avoid these mistakes, so you consistently get actionable, high-quality responses.
Why Prompting Mistakes Matter
A poorly constructed prompt wastes your time and creates frustration. Vague, overly complex, or context-free instructions can confuse the AI, resulting in unhelpful outputs. The key to success is recognizing and addressing these issues before they derail your workflow.
Common Causes of Prompting Mistakes:
- Lack of Clarity: Leaving out critical details.
- Overloading the Prompt: Asking for too much at once.
- Ignoring Context: Failing to provide background information.
- Unclear Outcomes: Not specifying the desired result.
Top Prompting Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)
Mistake 1: Vague Instructions
Help me with this customer.
Why It Fails:
This gives the AI no direction on the customer’s problem or what kind of help you need.
How to Fix It: Be specific about the customer, their situation, and what you’re asking the AI to do.
Better Prompt:
Suggest ways to address a pricing objection from [Customer], a mid-sized SaaS company, while emphasizing ROI and competitive differentiation.
Mistake 2: Forgetting Context
Write an email.
Why It Fails:
Without knowing the audience, purpose, or tone, the AI can only generate a generic response.
How to Fix It: Provide the necessary background for the AI to tailor the response.
Better Prompt:
Draft a follow-up email to [Prospect] after our demo. Highlight how [Product] can reduce their [specific challenge] and include a call to action to schedule a meeting.
Mistake 3: Overloading the Prompt
Analyze this company’s priorities, list objections, write a follow-up email, and create a pitch.
Why It Fails:
AI tools can become overwhelmed by overly complex or multifaceted prompts.
How to Fix It: Break the task into smaller, focused steps.
Better Prompt:
First, summarize the top priorities and challenges of [Company] based on their recent press releases.
Next, list three common objections to adopting [Solution] in [Industry].
Mistake 4: Unclear Outcomes
Summarize this deal.
Why It Fails:
What does “summarize” mean? Should the AI focus on challenges, stakeholders, opportunities, or next steps?
How to Fix It: Define the scope and format of the response.
Better Prompt:
Summarize the key details of [Deal] in a one-paragraph overview. Include the customer’s main challenge, our proposed solution, and the next step.
Mistake 5: Failing to Iterate
This output isn’t what I wanted.
Why It Fails:
Stopping at the first response means you miss the opportunity to refine and improve.
How to Fix It: Use follow-up prompts to clarify and adjust the AI’s direction.
Follow-Up Prompt:
Focus more on [specific aspect], and include relevant metrics or examples.
Pro Tip: The 3 C’s of Prompting
To avoid common mistakes, remember the 3 C’s of effective prompts:
- Clear: State exactly what you need, without ambiguity.
- Concise: Avoid overwhelming the AI with unnecessary details.
- Contextual: Provide relevant background to guide the AI’s response.
Exercise: Identify and Fix a Prompting Mistake
Take a prompt you’ve used before and assess it for clarity, context, and outcome. Rewrite it using the structure below:
- Original Prompt:
Write an email to a prospect. - What’s Missing?
- No details about the audience or purpose.
- No context for tailoring the message.
- No specified outcome.
- Improved Prompt:
Draft a follow-up email for [Prospect] after attending our webinar. Emphasize how [Product/Service] addresses their [specific challenge] and include a call to action for scheduling a consultation.
Key Takeaways
- Poor prompts lead to wasted time and unhelpful responses.
- Avoid common mistakes like vagueness, lack of context, or overloading the prompt.
- Iterating on your prompts ensures you get the best possible output.
Next Lesson: Scaling Your Workflow with Advanced Prompts
In Lesson 4, we’ll explore advanced prompting techniques to streamline your workflow, create detailed account plans, and handle complex sales scenarios with ease. Let’s take your AI skills to the next level! Stay tuned.