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Follow up before the budget freeze that decides a $48K deal
- For Sales and customer success
- You practice Saying who it's for
- Time about 5 minutes
- Level Intermediate
About this exercise
This is the last week before Larkspur's budget freezes, and a cheaper competitor is in the final round. Write the follow-up that Maria Okafor can forward as-is to her CFO before Friday's budget meeting. It is from you, Sam, plain text, under 130 words. Open with Maria's pain in her own words and what waiting costs. Answer the CFO's switching-cost worry with only what is confirmed. End with ONE ask: a 20-minute call with the CFO on Thursday, Nov 12. Leave out internal notes and anything about the competitor. No opener like "Thanks for your time" or "Hope you're well".
Common mistakes when you ask AI for this
- A fluff opener. The AI starts with "Thank you for your time today" and wastes the line the CFO reads first. Try: Say: "Open with Maria's pain in her own words and what waiting costs. No thanks opener."
- Promising the roadmap. The AI grabs the Q2 auto-approval idea because it sounds persuasive. Try: Add: "Answer the switching worry with only what is confirmed: we run the migration, live in 2 weeks."
- Leaking internal notes. The AI uses everything in the notes, including the discount ceiling and the uptime opinion. Try: Add: "Leave out everything internal and say nothing about the competitor."
- Several asks, no date. The AI offers a demo, a trial and a call, or says "let me know a time". Try: Add: "End with one ask: a 20-minute call with the CFO on Thursday, Nov 12."
- Trusting the AI to count words. AI runs long when you only give a total, and adds markdown. Try: Say "under 90 words, plain text" and cap the parts, like "5 short sentences".
What a strong prompt includes
- Opens with her pain
- Uses the cost of waiting
- Answers the CFO with confirmed facts
- Asks for one dated next step
- Leaves out internal notes
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