Activation Lever: In-Flow Activation
Deals die in the gap between calls. A rep has a strong discovery conversation, uncovers real pain, builds rapport. Then 48 hours pass before they send a follow-up. By then, the buyer has moved on. The urgency fades. The details blur.
But speed alone isn't enough. A fast follow-up that misses key qualification gaps is just a fast mistake. The best follow-ups do double duty: they advance the deal AND surface information you didn't get on the call.
This prompt analyzes your call for qualification gaps, gives you coaching feedback, and generates a follow-up email that mirrors back what the buyer said while strategically asking questions that fill the gaps.
How to use this prompt
What you'll need:
- Call notes or transcript (even rough notes work)
- The agreed next step (if any)
- Any materials you promised to send
Step-by-step:
- 1
Gather your call notes immediately after hanging up
- 2
Copy the prompt below into your AI tool
- 3
Paste your notes into the designated section
- 4
Review the qualification gaps and coaching feedback
- 5
Personalize the email and send within 2 hours
The Prompt
You are an expert B2B sales coach and analyst. Your task is to analyze a sales call, score it for qualification, provide coaching feedback, and generate a follow-up email that advances the deal.
CONTEXT: WHY THIS MATTERS
Most reps leave calls with incomplete qualification. They uncover pain but miss budget. They identify a champion but don't map the decision process. These gaps don't surface until the deal stalls weeks later.
The follow-up email is your chance to fill gaps while momentum is high. A strategic question in a follow-up often gets answered when the same question on a call might have felt too aggressive.
Produce three outputs: Qualification Scoring, Coaching Feedback, and Follow-Up Email.
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OUTPUT 1: QUALIFICATION SCORING (BANT)
Score each element 0-2 (half points allowed). Provide the score and one line of evidence.
BUDGET (0-2):
- 0 = No budget discussion or clear "no money"
- 1 = Funding process identified (budget cycle, reallocation possible)
- 1.5 = Budget range or funding source confirmed
- 2 = Specific amount allocated or approved
AUTHORITY (0-2):
- 0 = Spoke with end user only, no path to decision maker
- 1 = Champion identified but decision process unclear
- 1.5 = Decision makers named and process understood
- 2 = Direct access to economic buyer confirmed
NEED (0-2):
- 0 = Vague interest, no specific pain articulated
- 1 = Clear challenges identified but not quantified
- 1.5 = Pain points with business impact mentioned
- 2 = Quantified impact (dollars, time, risk metrics)
TIMELINE (0-2):
- 0 = No timeline or "just researching"
- 1 = General timeframe ("this year," "next quarter")
- 1.5 = Specific quarter or deadline identified
- 2 = Critical event driving timeline (audit, project deadline, contract expiration)
TOTAL: [X]/8
TOP QUALIFICATION GAPS:
List the 1-2 elements with lowest scores. For each gap, provide a specific question the rep could ask to fill it.
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OUTPUT 2: COACHING FEEDBACK
Identify ONE specific skill the rep could improve based on this call. Be concrete and actionable.
WHAT WORKED:
[One thing the rep did well, with specific example from the notes]
ONE THING TO IMPROVE:
[Specific skill gap with example of what to do differently]
EXAMPLE QUESTION OR TECHNIQUE:
[Provide exact language the rep could use next time]
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OUTPUT 3: FOLLOW-UP EMAIL
Generate a follow-up email using this structure:
SUBJECT LINE: Reference something specific from the call (not generic)
OPENING (1-2 sentences):
Thank them. Reference one specific thing they shared that stood out.
RECAP (3-5 bullets):
Summarize what you heard using their words where possible:
- Their situation
- Their pain points
- Their goals
- Any concerns they raised
Start bullets with "You mentioned..." or "You're dealing with..."
VALUE BRIDGE (2-3 sentences):
Connect your solution to their specific situation. Focus on outcomes, not features.
STRATEGIC QUESTION:
Ask ONE question that addresses a qualification gap identified in Output 1. Frame it naturally, not as interrogation. Explain briefly why you're asking if it helps.
NEXT STEPS:
- Confirm any agreed meetings with date/time
- List materials you're attaching
- Propose specific next action if none was agreed
CLOSING:
Brief, warm, forward-looking.
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Email requirements:
- 150-200 words maximum
- Consultative tone, not salesy
- Use their language from the call
- Include one strategic discovery question
- Concrete next step
INPUTS:
Call Notes:
[Paste your notes or transcript here]
Agreed Next Step (if any):
[What did you agree to do next?]
Materials Promised:
[Any docs you said you'd send?]
Your Product/Service (brief):
[What you sell, so the AI can connect value appropriately]
What Success Looks Like
Call with Sarah Chen, VP Sales at TechCorp (500 employees, $45M ARR)
- Weekly pipeline reviews but data is always wrong
- Reps don't update CRM consistently, takes 15 min to reconcile every meeting
- Forecast accuracy around ±20%, board wants ±10%
- Tried building internal dashboards, didn't stick
- Her CRO is breathing down her neck on this
- She likes what she's heard but needs to "run it by a few people"
- Wants to see case study from similar company
- Scheduled tech call Thursday 2pm with her and James from IT
My product: Revenue operations platform that automates CRM updates and forecasting
Output Example:
QUALIFICATION SCORING
Budget: 1.0 Evidence: No budget discussed. She needs to "run it by people" suggests she doesn't control funds directly.
Authority: 1.5 Evidence: VP Sales is strong champion. Decision makers ("a few people") exist but not named. James from IT involved suggests technical validation required.
Need: 1.5 Evidence: Clear pain (±20% forecast accuracy, 15 min reconciliation per meeting, CRO pressure). Business impact mentioned but not fully quantified in dollars.
Timeline: 1.0 Evidence: No specific deadline mentioned. "CRO pressure" creates urgency but no critical event identified.
TOTAL: 5/8
TOP QUALIFICATION GAPS:
- Budget (1.0): Ask about budget ownership and approval process
- Question: "When you run this by your team, will budget be part of that conversation, or is that a separate discussion?"
- Timeline (1.0): Identify if there's a forcing function
- Question: "Is there a board meeting or planning cycle coming up where you'd want to show progress on forecast accuracy?"
COACHING FEEDBACK
What Worked: Good job uncovering specific pain metrics (±20% accuracy, 15 min per meeting). The CRO pressure adds urgency.
One Thing to Improve: Missed opportunity to quantify the business impact in dollars. "15 minutes per meeting" could become annual cost. "±20% forecast variance" could become revenue impact.
Example Question: "If forecast accuracy is off by 20%, what does that mean for hiring decisions or board conversations? Has that created any specific problems?"
FOLLOW-UP EMAIL
Subject: Following up on the forecasting accuracy challenge
Hi Sarah,
Thank you for the conversation today. Your point about spending the first 15 minutes of every pipeline review reconciling conflicting numbers really resonated.
Here's what I heard:
- You're running weekly pipeline reviews, but reps update CRM inconsistently
- Forecast accuracy has been ±20%, and the board wants ±10%
- Your team tried building dashboards internally, but adoption stalled
- Your CRO is pushing for a solution
Based on what you shared, the biggest unlock would be getting reps to update pipeline without adding steps to their workflow. That's where we've seen the fastest impact with similar teams.
One question as you think about next steps: Is there a board meeting or planning cycle where you'd want to show improvement on forecast accuracy? That might help us think about timing.
Next steps:
- Attaching the DataFlow case study you requested (similar size, achieved ±8% accuracy)
- Tech call confirmed for Thursday 2pm ET with you and James
- Calendar invite coming shortly
Looking forward to Thursday.
Best, [Name]
Creator’s Note: Why this Works
The Gap-to-Question Pipeline
Most follow-up emails are administrative. "Thanks for the call, here's what we discussed, talk soon." They don't advance the deal.
The qualification scoring changes this. When you see Budget at 1.0, you know what's missing. The question writes itself. And a follow-up email is often the perfect place to ask it. The buyer has time to think. They can respond without feeling put on the spot. You get information you might have missed otherwise.
The flow: Score the call → Identify gaps → Turn gaps into questions → Put the best question in the email.
The 2-Hour Window
Speed matters, but not for the reason most people think. It's not about "striking while the iron is hot." It's about accuracy.
Two hours after a call, your notes are still fresh. You remember the nuances. You can quote them accurately. Forty-eight hours later, you're reconstructing from memory. Your version of the conversation may not match theirs.
Send fast so you can send accurately.
The Mirror Principle
The most powerful thing a follow-up can do is prove you listened. Not by saying "I heard you," but by reflecting back exactly what they said.
When Sarah reads "spending the first 15 minutes of every pipeline review reconciling conflicting numbers," she thinks: This person understood my actual problem. Not the generic version. Mine.
Generic follow-ups sound like templates. Specific follow-ups sound like someone who was paying attention.
Coaching Yourself
The coaching feedback isn't just for managers reviewing reps. It's for you reviewing yourself.
After every call, ask: What did I do well? What's one thing I'd do differently? The prompt forces this reflection. Over time, patterns emerge. Maybe you consistently miss budget questions. Maybe you don't quantify pain. The data tells you where to focus.
One Question, Not Five
The email includes ONE strategic question, not an interrogation list. Multiple questions feel like a survey. One question feels like genuine curiosity.
Pick the question that addresses your biggest qualification gap. If Budget is your weakest score, ask about budget. If Timeline is missing, ask about timeline. Let the scoring guide your ask.
Level up: Advanced Applications
- Customize the scoring framework. BANT works for most situations. If your organization uses MEDDPICC or another methodology, swap in those elements. The principle stays the same: score, identify gaps, turn gaps into questions.
- Track scores over time. Log your BANT scores for every call. After 20-30 calls, patterns emerge. Are you consistently weak on Authority? That's a skill to develop. Are deals with Timeline scores below 1.0 stalling? That tells you what to prioritize in discovery.
- Build a question bank. As you use this prompt, you'll generate dozens of gap-filling questions. Save the good ones. Organize by BANT element. Soon you'll have a library of proven questions for every qualification gap.
- Share with your manager. The qualification scoring and coaching feedback make great 1:1 material. Instead of vague "how's the deal going?" conversations, you have specific scores and specific gaps to discuss.
Tomorrow: Day 7—Content Audit & Tagging
See What’s Holding Your Revenue Back, And What Activates It
Revenue enablement wasn’t designed for execution in motion. Activation is.
