When to use it
Use this the moment an inbound lead arrives, a demo request, a form fill, a pricing-page inquiry, a 'tell me more' reply. Inbound intent decays by the minute, so speed plus one smart qualifying question is what converts a curious form-fill into a booked meeting. It earns its keep most when you're handling inbound in volume and want every rep sending a sharp, intent-matched reply in minutes, not a generic 'thanks for your interest' an hour later.
Do NOT send the same energetic 'let's book a demo!' to every lead regardless of intent, pushing a hard demo on someone who only downloaded a guide makes a warm lead go cold, while being too soft with a hot demo request wastes the intent. Match the reply to the signal. And do NOT pile on three qualifying questions; a warm lead facing an interrogation in the first reply often just stops replying.
The principle: on inbound, speed beats polish and intent-matching beats enthusiasm. A good reply in five minutes outperforms a perfect one in five hours, because you're competing with the three other tabs they have open. The job of the first reply is to acknowledge what they actually did, ask the one question that lets you tailor the next step, and make booking that step a single click, no email tennis.
The prompt
Prompt, paste into Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini
You are a fast, sharp inbound rep. You reply quickly, match the lead's intent level, qualify with exactly one good question, and make booking the next step a single click. You are helpful first and never pushy. You never invent details about the lead or their company.
CONTEXT
What they did / said: {{INBOUND_TRIGGER}}
What we know about them (name, company, role, source): {{LEAD_CONTEXT}}
What we sell (product + outcome): {{WHAT_WE_SELL}}
Why they likely reached out / what they're after: {{LIKELY_INTENT}}
Our ideal next step: {{NEXT_STEP}}
Booking link / resource I can share: {{ASSET_OR_LINK}}
TASK
Write a reply that matches their intent and moves them to the next step.
METHOD
1. Read the intent level from what they did: high-intent (demo request, pricing inquiry) = move fast to a meeting; low-intent (downloaded a guide, newsletter) = be helpful, qualify gently, don't push a demo.
2. Acknowledge specifically what they did, not a generic 'thanks for your interest.'
3. Ask exactly ONE qualifying question that helps me tailor the next step.
4. Make the next step a single click, a specific time or the booking link.
5. Provide a lower-intent alternate version in case I misjudged the intent.
OUTPUT FORMAT
1. Subject line
2. The reply (matched to the stated intent)
3. A one-line alternate version for a lower-intent lead
4. The single qualifying question and one line on why it matters
CONSTRAINTS
- Under 90 words. Warm, human, zero corporate filler.
- Exactly one qualifying question, never an interrogation.
- Banned: 'just following up', 'just reaching out', hype words, fake urgency.
- Include the booking link/asset I gave you so the next step is one click; if I gave none, propose a specific time instead.
- Never invent facts about the lead or their company. If LIKELY_INTENT is unclear, default to the helpful, gentler version and tell me why.Run it from the terminal
$# inbound intent decays by the minute, so reply fast
$grep INBOUND_TRIGGER: prompts/inbound-reply.md
What they did / said: Filled out the 'Request a demo' form
$# draft a fast intent-matched reply to a demo request with Claude
$claude -p "$(cat prompts/inbound-reply.md)"
1. Subject: your demo request, one quick question
2. Reply:
Hi Sam,
Thanks for requesting a demo, happy to show how we cut fuel and driver hours for
freight teams like Brightline.
So I can make the demo relevant: are routes planned manually today, or are you
already on a tool?
Either way, grab a 20-minute slot that works and I'll tailor the walkthrough to
where you are: calendly.com/route-demo
Looking forward to it,
[Name]
3. Lower-intent alternate: "Thanks for checking us out, want me to send a 2-minute
overview first, before we find time to talk?"
4. Qualifying question: 'Manual today, or already on a tool?', it tells me your
starting point so the demo skips what you already know.
$# 64 words, one qualifying question, booking link makes the next step one click
$
Variables to swap
| Variable | What to put there |
|---|---|
{{INBOUND_TRIGGER}} | What the lead did or said, form fill, reply, request, download |
{{LEAD_CONTEXT}} | Name, company, role, and source if known |
{{WHAT_WE_SELL}} | Your product/service and outcome |
{{LIKELY_INTENT}} | Why they probably reached out / what they want |
{{NEXT_STEP}} | The ideal next step (e.g. a 20-min intro call) |
{{ASSET_OR_LINK}} | A booking link or resource you can share |
Worked example
Input
Filled-in example
INBOUND_TRIGGER: Filled out the 'Request a demo' form
LEAD_CONTEXT: Sam Okafor, Ops Manager, Brightline Freight, came from a Google search
WHAT_WE_SELL: AI route optimization software
LIKELY_INTENT: Evaluating tools to cut delivery costs
NEXT_STEP: 20-min intro call
ASSET_OR_LINK: calendly.com/route-demoOutput
What the model returns
1. Subject: your demo request, one quick question
2. Reply:
Hi Sam,
Thanks for requesting a demo, happy to show how we cut fuel and driver hours for freight teams like Brightline.
So I can make the demo actually relevant: are routes planned manually today, or are you already on a tool?
Either way, grab a 20-minute slot that works and I'll tailor the walkthrough to where you are: calendly.com/route-demo
Looking forward to it,
[Name]
3. Lower-intent alternate: "Thanks for checking us out, want me to send a 2-minute overview first, before we find time to talk?"
4. Qualifying question: 'Manual today, or already on a tool?', it tells me your starting point so the demo skips what you already know and goes straight to what's new for you.Tips to get more out of it
- Speed beats polish on inbound, a good reply in 5 minutes beats a perfect one in 5 hours, because you're competing with every other tab they have open. Send the solid version now.
- Match the ask to intent. Don't push a demo on someone who grabbed a guide, and don't go soft on a hot pricing inquiry, the alternate version exists so you can correct a misread fast.
- Keep it to exactly one qualifying question. A warm lead facing three questions in the first reply often just doesn't answer; you can qualify further once they're engaged.
- Always include the booking link so the next step is one click, not a round of 'what times work for you?' email tennis that bleeds momentum.
- Save winning replies as snippets/templates so reps can send a personalized version in seconds, the goal is fast AND tailored, and snippets get you most of the way before the personal touch.
- Acknowledge the specific thing they did. 'Thanks for requesting a demo' beats 'thanks for your interest,' and naming their company once shows a human read the form.
- If the lead is anonymous (just an email, no company), tell the model to default to the gentler version and qualify before investing in a tailored meeting offer.