Auto-draft sales follow-ups from CRM notes

My follow-ups used to sit in drafts for days. Now the first version is ready before I leave the call.

The workflow

1. Copy the call notes from your CRM
2. Ask ChatGPT for a follow-up that references 2 specifics
3. Add the next step and a soft deadline
4. Review, personalise the opener, send

Result: A warm, specific follow-up in under a minute.

The prompt

Write a short follow-up email based on these call notes. Reference two concrete details, propose a clear next step, keep it under 120 words. Notes:
[PASTE]

A note on what follows. The workflow, the prompt and the result above come from the member. The notes below (why the prompt works, what to watch for, how to adapt it) were written with AI help.

Why this prompt works

The line that earns its place is "reference two concrete details". Without it I got a follow-up that could have gone to anyone on my list, and prospects smell that in about four seconds. Two details drags it back into my actual notes. The word count matters for a different reason. My unprompted drafts ran to 300 words and read like a proposal, so nobody replied. Under 120 words and it has to pick one ask. I also learned to write my call notes badly on purpose, meaning fast and specific, half sentences, numbers where I have them. Tidy notes produce vague emails. Messy notes with a real number in them give me something I can send after two edits.

What to watch for

• It invents warmth. "It was great connecting about your expansion plans" when we discussed nothing of the sort. I cut those every time.
• Commitments I never made. If my notes mention SSO, it will happily promise SSO by Q3.
• Names and titles get shuffled when two people were on the call. Check who you are actually writing to.
• The next step comes back softer than what we agreed. I asked for a call with the COO and got "let me know if you would like to chat".

How to adapt it

• For a deal that has gone quiet, add This is a third follow-up after no reply. Do not apologise for following up.
• If your buyer is technical, add No adjectives. Lead with the specific limitation they described.
• To keep your own voice, paste two emails you actually sent and add Match the tone of these two examples. That did more for me than any other tweak.

What good output looks like

I should recognise the call in it. If I can swap the company name for another prospect and the email still works, it is useless, and the fix is usually my notes rather than the prompt. One ask, not three. A subject line that names the next step instead of "following up". It should also end a little abruptly, because that is how people write when they are busy.