AI Agents vs. Standard Prompting GPTs: Understanding AI

Standard prompting tools like ChatGPT entered the market years ago and since then, the use cases for AI in sales have only grown. Understanding generative AI has now become a non-negotiable for any sales team looking to outpace the competition. 

2024 was a year filled with talks of sales tech and AI integration. These new tools have revolutionized how teams approach tasks like prospecting, training, and customer interactions. Looking ahead to the next two to three years, 61% of sales professionals believe that it’s the administrative tasks that will be most impacted but others are more focused on what this means for their place in the market. 

Fearing these technological changes will only keep you two steps behind. Where some let this fear become a hindrance, others see it as an opportunity to work smarter, not harder.

What Are AI Agents vs. Standard Prompting GPTs?

As artificial intelligence (AI) advances, sales professionals face an expanding range of options. Tools like ChatGPT continue evolving to serve a wider variety of needs while tools like AI agents are gaining traction for their specialized capabilities. You’re likely familiar with ChatGPTs functionalities, which primarily focus on generating responses based on your prompts. AI agents on the other hand, take this a step further by proactively automating tasks and managing workflows.

While both are powered by AI, they serve distinctly different purposes. In their own ways, they each help you to better connect with prospects, streamline your processes, and optimize performance. Knowing when and how to leverage these tools within you sales team is the key to seeing these outcomes. 

If you’re exploring your options and wondering “what are AI agents?” and “how they differ from standard GPTs?” keep reading. This article will help you understand each tool’s capabilities, how they fit into sales workflows, and which might best suit your needs.

Standard Prompting GPTs and Their Role in Sales

Most salespeople seeking out AI tools for the first time to assist them in their roles as an AE or an SDR find themselves experimenting with ChatGPT. However, even the most experienced AI users still use ChatGPT for content generation purposes. The most savvy are incorporating it into their day-to-day as a thinking partner. Its uses seem endless and it’s always there to provide on-demand support. This is standard prompting. 

These standard prompting GPTs are versatile tools for generating quick responses but are limited to responding to specific prompts. They shine in tasks like summarizing information or writing proposals which has quickly made them indispensable for sales reps needing quick, adaptable assistance.

Key advantages of standard prompting GPTs for all sales roles:

• • Top-of-funnel support: Build ICPs using ChatGPT to create your buyer personas including job titles, communication preferences, and industry details. This will help you create hyper-targeted messaging with value propositions tailored to specific personas, increasing outreach effectiveness.
  • Quick content generation: Ideal for creating first drafts, meeting notes, summaries, or even conducting competitor analysis in seconds.
  • Research efficiency: Summarize press releases, blogs, and reports to identify trends and opportunities for account growth and retention.
  • Minimal learning curve: User-friendly tools that require no significant setup, allowing teams to integrate them seamlessly into their daily workflows.
  • Rep development and training: Develop your team’s skills by roleplaying real-world scenarios that simulate customer conversations or building training plans.

Why Use Standard Prompting GPTs

Standard prompting GPTs are ideal for sales teams needing fast, adaptable assistance with minimal setup. A prompting tool like ChatGPT could help not only support personal development but also enhance account growth and retention. It quickly provides you valuable insights to better understand your buyers. This way you can spend your time focusing on building connections. The biggest advantage of prompting GPTs is that they are user-friendly. This allows sales reps of varying skill levels to quickly access the insights or content they need without needing extensive configurations.

If your team prioritizes speed and creativity over automation, standard prompting GPTs are a perfect fit.

Related Content: 5 Ways ChatGPT Can Actually Move the Needle For Your Sales Team

What Are AI Agents?

AI agents operate differently. These are specialized tools that go beyond simple question-answer interactions. AI agents proactively execute predefined tasks like preparing for discovery calls or analyzing customer data. They function autonomously pulling real-time data and following workflows without constant user input. This makes them ideal for repetitive tasks. By offloading those tasks, you save time and boost productivity without taking away from the needed human-to-human feel.

Imagine having an AI buddy who does all your research and prep for you in under a minute. You could walk into every meeting confident that you’re equipped with the knowledge and insight to close deals with even the most skeptical of buyers. This is the impact that AI agents have. 

Key advantages of AI agents:

• • Proactive task automation: AI agents don’t wait for prompts. They autonomously handle processes like meeting prep, lead qualification, and data analysis.
  • Real-time updates and personalization: They pull and analyze relevant data continuously, adapting to the latest trends and buyer behaviors.
  • Enhanced efficiency and productivity: By automating repetitive tasks, AI agents free up time for sales teams to focus on high-impact activities like relationship-building.

Microsoft has taken a major step in this space, introducing ten new AI agents for not just sales but finance, supply chain, and customer service tasks as well. These agents are aimed at automating tasks like qualifying leads, managing supplier communications, and optimizing scheduling processes. Microsoft estimates that these agents could save companies millions of dollars a year, providing the value of almost 200 full-time employees.

Why Use AI Agents

For sales teams handling large volumes of repetitive, routine tasks, AI agents provide a scalable solution that automates workflows without requiring constant user input. They’re ideal when you need continuous, real-time updates, whether for tracking buyer engagement or prepping discovery calls. 

AI agents’ proactive design makes them invaluable in today’s fast-evolving sales environments. When processes are complex and repetitive, AI agents allow teams to work more effectively, reducing repetitive manual tasks and enabling them to dedicate more time to selling.

Related Content: 14 Best AI Sales Tools

Custom GPTs at Skaled 

At Skaled, we’ve developed Custom GPTs designed to help sales teams address their unique sales challenges with AI-driven solutions. These advanced tools go beyond standard prompting to streamline workflows and drive the results your looking for.

Skaled Custom GPTs include:

Discovery Call Prep GPT: Automatically researches and analyzes available information about your prospect and provides a concise briefing that will help you better personalize your communication and boost confidence in your approach.

Annual Report Analyzer GPT: Scans annual reports or decks to summarize key information, extract relevant insights, and uncover opportunities aligned with your offerings that will help to enhance your value proposition.

Choosing Between AI Agents and Standard Prompting GPTs

Both AI agents and standard prompting GPTs offer powerful ways to enhance sales efficiency, and each has unique strengths. AI agents are great for automating repetitive tasks. They can manage complex workflows, freeing up time for high-impact activities that help sales teams sell with confidence. These are proactive and task-specific tools that provide continuous support without needing regular input. On the other hand, standard prompting GPTs are incredibly versatile. They excel at on-demand content generation, research, and single-use tasks that require creativity and adaptability.

For sales leaders, integrating both tools strategically can optimize processes while empowering reps to focus on what they do best: building relationships and closing deals. 

As advanced as AI tools have become, they are not replacing the human element in sales. Instead, they enhance it by automating mundane tasks and allowing reps to focus on building authentic connections. With this synergy, sales teams can drive more meaningful engagement. To see how AI agents can empower your team to close deals confidently, check out the latest Innovative Seller episode on Closing More Deals with Confidence by Adding a Little AI Buddy.

Whether your team needs customized, proactive support from AI agents or adaptable, prompt-based insights, embracing these tools will transform the way you approach your processes. Start small, experiment, and strategically integrate these technologies to build stronger relationships, close more deals, and stay ahead in the ever-evolving world of sales. For ongoing insights and strategies tailored to sales professionals like you, subscribe to The Innovative Seller newsletter and join a community of top performers dedicated to mastering the art of balancing AI + human intuition to stay ahead of the competition.