Sales and customer contact
Practising a sales conversation with AI as the customer
Rehearse a difficult conversation first with an AI playing the customer. Safe, without an audience and as often as you like.
5 min read
Practice is the fastest way to get better at conversations, but colleagues don't always have time to play the customer. An AI tool can take on that role: a demanding buyer, a hesitant private customer or a customer already tied to another supplier.
Setting it up
Give the AI a clear role:
- Who is the customer? Sector, role, situation.
- What's their attitude? Hesitant, critical, rushed, focused on price.
- Which objections must they raise?
- When does the conversation end? For example after ten exchanges or when you propose a meeting.
Ask the AI to stay in character and keep its replies short, like a real customer.
Speak instead of typing
Many AI apps have a voice mode. Then you really practise out loud, which is far closer to a real conversation than typing. Ideal in the car, hands-free and only when it's safe.
Ask for feedback
After the role play, ask for feedback:
- Which questions worked well?
- Where did I talk too much?
- Which objection didn't I handle well?
- What would I do differently next time?
Treat that feedback as an opinion, not a verdict. Then run the conversation again and see whether it goes better.
Watch out for
- An AI customer is more predictable than a real one. Use it to practise, not as a prediction.
- Don't use real names or confidential customer information in the scenario.
Pause and reflect
Your answers stay only in this browser.
Prompt to copy
Play a customer in a role play. Role: [job title] at a [type of company], attitude: [hesitant / critical / price-focused]. Make sure you raise these objections: [list]. Reply briefly like a real customer and stay in character. Stop after ten exchanges or if I propose a meeting. Then give feedback: what worked, where I talked too much, which objection I didn't handle well.
