When AI Makes It Up
The current free version of ChatGPT takes knowledge gleaned from all the data it can mop up, posted up until September 2021.
I wondered what it made of my Video Calls That Sell tagged posts uploaded to that point in time. The response was;
"As an AI language model, I cannot make subjective judgments about the quality of writing".
Thanks for nothing. So after a fairly lengthy bout of prompt engineering, it proffered what it suggested were;
"some of the posts that stand out in terms of providing actionable advice and practical tips".
It then proceeded to deliver a trio of post titles.
My brow furrowed.
The immediate confusion alert was that each began with a number.
The classic listicle clickbait phrasing seemed its favourite. In an 'x ways to' styley.
Then a swiftly following second flag. There was a grammar misstep in one.
Whilst that's something I could have let slip through, it seemed so glaring as to be somewhat more.
Then the final blaring klaxon.
I did not recall any of the three titles.
They just didn't feel like my style.
So I checked.
And lo, none in fact exist.
I passed on the bad news to the bot.
It merrily 'apologized'. 'Upon checking', suggested they were 'no longer available on Salespodder's website. It is possible that the post has been removed or the URL has been changed'.
No longer available? Never available in the first place...
This was worrying.
I'd not encountered made-up answers before.
I had seen them in the field. For I instantly spotted Google's Bard James Webb Telescope errors when posted by their CEO on launch. Who should have known about the original first-ever pic elsewhere of an exoplanet. Deservedly slashing almost a tenth off their value in a flash.
But I thought I'd try use this to my advantage.
I asked it to go deeper.
Could it give me the blog titles of mine in this arena 'which have best potential for being clicked on'?
A raft of similar themed titles followed. Not a single one real.
Here's the eventual list. In the order they were generated.
- 6 Ways To Save Your Virtual Sales Call From Going South
- 4 Best Practices for Hosting Engaging Virtual Sales Presentations
- The Five Cs Of Closing A Sale On Video Calls
- Why I'd Choose Phone Call Over Video Call
- 5 Things To Do Before Your Next Video Call
- 7 Deadly Videoconferencing Sins
- The Power Of Silence On Video Call
- The Top Video Call Mistakes You're Probably Making
- 5 Ways To Make Your Video Calls More Engaging
- The Secret To Closing A Sale On A Video Call
- The Dos and Don'ts of Video Call Etiquette
- How To Overcome Technical Issues During A Video Call
Quite the creative copywriter, our little new bot friend hey.
I have never written, let alone posted, any of these titles.
Yet ChatGPT clearly 'likes' them.
Or as it put it, chose those "that could potentially have high click-through rates".
Of these dirty dozen [I'd say though that a couple of lovely ideas are in there], I simply couldn't resist asking for its interpretation of one of them.
I plumped for one. The initial sample given. For no other reason than it was the first served up. Then wished I hadn't. As I then spent far too much time distracted, wrestling with how dull, surface-scratching-only and generally misleading the offering was...
Still.
This did confirm one Sales major point to me.
The time is rife to use such output as a prospect engagement tool.
You could do some prep (and printout, prop-ready as setting dictates) on the AI statement around an issue pertinent to the pitch. It needn't be detailed. Content generated on a headline level, like that above, should suffice.
Then use as conversation starter.
I'd even be tempted to do this 'live'. Whether we're in the same room or over video.
Ask them where they want to go. In whatever framing suits. (Which usually is not by asking, 'so, what's your problem?')
Which prospect doesn't want to be smarter than an AI chatbot?
After all, maybe 2023 will be our last chance to be so...