No matter what you’re hearing, whatever the self-appointed “AI expert du jour” says, the large language model (LLM) doesn’t replace you or your voice. It tunes, sharpens and removes the junk. It helps fill in the blanks. It is a writing partner that doesn’t interrupt, doesn’t forget what you said yesterday, and never asks you to deliver toner on a Saturday.
This is part two in our AI Native series. If you missed the first one, we talked about what LLMs are, how to prompt them, and why copier reps are using them to build proposals, write emails, and close faster. Not someday. Now.
Today, we go deeper. Past prompting and into collaboration. Oh yeah, it’s just starting to get good, my friend.
Here’s a mental shift, one of the most important. When typing on the QWERTY, you’re not just typing to a machine. You’re working with the machine. I’m not being poetic; you’re having a conversation with a thing that learned language from billions of words and knows how to suggest a better one without making it sound like ChatGPT wrote it.
Let’s start with a familiar use case: email.
We all go through the “ick” of writing a follow-up. Say you just got back from a prospect visit. They asked for something custom. They mentioned a competitor and said, “Maybe next quarter.” You light up the email, swig some bourbon — er, I mean — snap open Liquid Death, crack your knuckles, and … nothing. The cursor mocks and whispers, “Just cut and paste the company boilerplate.” Don’t. Do. It.
Try this: drop your meeting notes into the LLM. Doesn’t need to be fancy. Could be voice notes, bullet points, a transcript, or a simple two sentences.
“Client interested in 2-color units, replacing 5-year-old Savins. Wants scan-to-email, lower lease rate, hates service calls. Talked about bad toner delivery, loves college football.”
Then ask: “Write me a professional email follow-up summarizing this, suggesting a next step, and keeping my tone friendly but direct.”
In three seconds, you’ve got a draft. Don’t expect it to be perfect; it won’t be. You’ll need to change a word here or there. Add your style. Maybe take out the weird phrase about “optimized workflow outcomes.” But you won’t be starting from scratch. You’ve got an editable platform to make your own in less time it takes to spell check your company’s 25-page proposal.
And this is the point.
You’re not outsourcing your pitch. You’re refining it. You’re working with the LLM as your editor, your cube-buddy, dare I say, your virtual sales manager.
Oh. Do I have your attention, now? (hat tip to Glengarry Glen Ross).
Let’s talk about a touchy subject: pricing.
You’ve got a deal in play and of course, your prospect wants three versions. One with color, one B&W, one with a finisher. You’ve got gross profit targets. Installation, software, training, service rates and delivery charges. Typical and messy. This is the part where reps get bogged down with spreadsheets, configurators, calculators and scratches on the back of a napkin.
Now you’ve got help.
Feed the LLM your pricing matrix, lease rate sheet and general hardware lineup. This info can be used safely, especially if you’re working in a private chat session with history turned off or using a sandboxed company version. Think of it like handing your assistant a folder they can read, but not copy. The response might be a little rougher in a locked-down environment, but for quoting tasks, it’ll do the job.
Then ask:
“Build me a comparison table for these three options: one color model, one black-and-white model, and one with a finisher. Include monthly lease based on our standard rate table, total cost of ownership over 60 months including service and delivery charges. Highlight one key advantage for each configuration. Write a one-page proposal. Make sure to keep margin at 55% above cost” (or whatever your margin goal is, but you get the point).
What you’ll get isn’t perfect, but it’s 60% there. It’s like having a junior rep draft the bones while you fine-tune the message and prep for your next call.
“But I want it to sound like me.” Yeah. We get it.
The biggest fear I hear from sales reps and managers is, “What if it sounds like a robot wrote it?” You’ve seen it. Those bloated emails with “synergy,” “outcome alignment,” and other zombie language. That’s not you.
But that’s fixable. Here’s how.
After you get the draft, talk to it. Literally. Say:
“Rewrite this in my voice. I’m casual but professional. I don’t use buzzwords. Keep it short. Make it sound like something I’d say to a client.”
And if it still misses? Copy your old email, the one you sent, and say:
“Match this style. Use it as a tone reference.”
Now you’re teaching the LLM. Giving it samples. Training it to get closer. You’re not a “prompt engineer”. Now you’re training it. You’re not a “prompt engineer.” That phrase is seminar bait. You’re having a conversation with your assistant. That’s all.
And it works.
“This is cool and all, but I hate cold calls.”
I know you do. Guess what? You can work with the same junior teammate you did cultivating emails and proposals. The same principles apply to your cold calls and voicemails.
Let’s say you’ve got a list of 20 targets. (Sound familiar?) All these leads are in different industries, contacts have different roles: office managers, IT directors, purchasing agents – it’s a mixed bag. And you want to warm them up before dialing and build a bit of confidence for yourself. Am I right? Of course, I am.
Here’s what you can ask, command or prompt in a new conversation.
“Write a three-line intro email to the owner of a small auto parts distributor who’s dealing with an aging printer that jams often and delays invoicing. Keep it short, relevant, and helpful.”
Then:
“Now rewrite it for a legal office manager who prints 10,000 pages a month and is concerned about toner quality.”
Suddenly, you’re not sending the same email to everyone. You’re sending one that sounds like you did your homework. Because you did. With help.
And once you see how easy it is to sound sharp before the first call, you start thinking “I don’t like getting called out by my manager. Can I use this thing to catch and clean up mistakes before they do?”
Okay. Here’s your final trick.
Ask the LLM what’s wrong.
Take your actual email. Or a voicemail script. Or a LinkedIn message. Paste or upload into the LLM and say:
“If you were a buyer, what would make you ignore this? What’s unclear, boring, or too generic?”
It’ll tell you. Then it’ll rewrite it.
Here’s the bottom line.
The best training? It’s not a video. Not a bootcamp. Not a webinar with breakout rooms and icebreakers. Sometimes it’s just feedback and friction, from something that’s read more prospecting messages than every trainer combined.
Remember: You’re still the closer. You shake the hand, earn the signature, build the trust. You cut the tie and ring the bell, and you go to the President’s Club in the Caribbean.
The LLM doesn’t want your commission. Doesn’t worry if you ignore it. It doesn’t sip bourbon with you in the Bahamas. It just shows up. Every time.
This is the tool of our era. Possibly, the most significant tool ever. When you commit to using it every day, something will click:
Your writing tightens. Your talk tracks hit. You attract more qualified prospects.
Remember, it’s not writing for you.
It’s working with you.
Sell On.
Greg Walters
is an entrepreneur and founder of the notorious destination site TheDeathOfTheCopier, where he comments on all things imaging, the rise of managed services and the advance of business technology. A prolific writer and frequent speaker, Greg shares his passionate, unique – and often provocative – view of technology and people, addressing the impact of digital on 21st century business. His 2014 book, Death Of The Copier, offers a controversial summary of the early days of Managed Print Services and the not-so-distant future of the hard copy industry. Reach out to Greg at greg@grwalters.com.