You’ve heard the buzz about artificial intelligence (AI) more times than you care to count. You’ve also repeatedly heard pundits scream about digital transformation, the death of the copier, and the ‘adapt or die’ mantra.

But this time, it’s true. This shift surpasses the transition from monochrome to color, the leap from analog to digital, the rise of managed print services, and even the expansion into managed IT. This time, everything, everywhere, all at once is changing.

Artificial intelligence via Large Language Models (LLMs) will either help you convert qualified prospects and keep your customers happy or help your competition find qualified prospects and keep your ex-customers happy. Artificial intelligence is moving faster than anything we’ve witnessed before, compressing years of transformation into months. More than that, it is fundamentally altering how prospects make purchasing decisions.

The good news? We’ve been here before. After all, you are part of a resilient demographic—copier salespeople.

Understanding LLMs: More Than a Search Engine

To make sense of artificial intelligence in copier and office technology sales, think of it as a machine learning to think and solve problems like a subject-matter expert. LLMs take this a step further, generating text that doesn’t just mimic human conversation but actively helps you problem solve and create.

If artificial intelligence is the brain, LLMs are the mouth, articulating insights with uncanny precision. Unlike search engines that merely retrieve information, LLMs analyze, interpret, and interact with data, offering responses in a multidimensional way. This isn’t like reading a static map, it’s like stepping into an interactive, fully immersive world of knowledge.

The Art of Prompting

Working with LLMs is like working with customers minus the objections and rejections. Success comes down to asking the LLM the right questions or prompts.

Just as you use probing questions to uncover a client’s copier, document management, or technology needs and wants, prompting artificial intelligence involves strategically crafted queries to elicit precise responses, mirroring the Socratic method’s exploration of underlying truths.

For instance, if you ask, “How do I improve sales?” you’ll get a vague, generic answer. But if you query, “What strategies work for increasing copier sales in small businesses?” you’ll get something actionable.

The more precise the query, the better your results.

Putting LLMs to Work in Copier Sales

The ways LLMs transform your business and sales acumen are endless. But let’s focus on some things you can use right now.

Finding Leads with AI:  Lead generation and qualification have evolved from basic internet searches to simple-to-use prompts that identify high-value prospects. Today’s LLM assistants craft personalized sales pitches, but they do more. They can help you find prospects.

Meeting Prep with AI:  Picture this: You’re in the parking lot outside SpaceX, about to meet the owner. You pull out your phone and ask, “Give me three business challenges every rocket manufacturer faces daily and how I, a copier sales professional, can help solve them.” In seconds, you have tailored talking points that turn a cold meeting into a warm conversation.

Hitting Quota with AI:  I know a salesperson who, eight months into the year, was falling short of quota. She had changed from selling A3 copiers to selling wide-format plotters and wasn’t expecting a strong finish. Then she turned to AI. She started prompting:

• What types of companies use wide-format printers?
• What business challenges do these companies face?
• How do wide-format devices help solve those challenges?

She refined her questions, dug deeper, and used the insights to restructure her sales strategy. Six months later, she finished over quota and made the President’s Club, crediting LLMs for the turnaround.

The difference? She didn’t just learn about AI; she used it to win.

The Common Mistakes

Many salespeople stumble when they start using artificial intelligence. Here’s what to avoid.

Avoid vague prompts that produce generic results. For instance, asking, “How do I fix sales?” in a meeting would get you blank stares or worse, a pointless debate. AI is the same. Instead of “Write me an email,” try, “Write an email pitching a copier upgrade to a small business owner concerned about cost.”

Overestimating artificial intelligence’s capabilities is another pitfall. It doesn’t know your customers unless you provide context. If you want a sales email, feed it details about your prospect’s industry, pain points, and objections.

Blindly relying on artificial intelligence is a mistake, too. AI speeds up the heavy lifting but is not a substitute for good judgment. Would you hand a proposal to a customer without reviewing it first? Didn’t think so. Artificial intelligence is a tool, not a crutch.

Three Tips to Get Started with Artificial Intelligence

1. Spend the big money, currently $20 monthly, for an LLM like ChatGPT or Perplexity. I use ChatGPT.

2. Don’t ask for anyone’s advice, don’t look at YouTube, buy an AI for Dummies book, or download a list of somebody else’s prompts.

3. Ask the LLM. Sit down in front of a blank screen and try these:

From the new copier rep: “I’m a new copier rep in Culver City, California. I have a quota of selling five devices a month. How can you help me?”

A more seasoned professional might ask: “What are some innovative ways to demonstrate the value proposition of our copiers to potential customers?”

Or

“How can I effectively showcase the integration capabilities of modern scanning devices with cloud-based document management solutions to appeal to businesses adopting hybrid work models?”

Just ask. And keep asking.

The Kicker

Let’s go back to the salesperson who cracked the code on selling wide-format devices. After gathering insights, her next prompt was, “Based on this content, create a detailed prospect profile.”

Then, she leveled up. “Give me a list of ten real businesses with 50+ employees that match this profile in Newport Beach, Detroit, Oconomowoc, Costa Mesa, Davidson, Westland, and Fort Myers. Include links to their websites.”

Pause here and think. You can ask the same for your area, right now. I just handed you the keys to the universe.

1. Tell the LLM who you are.
2. Tell the LLM what you are charged with doing.
3. Ask the LLM for suggestions on how to accomplish what you’ve been asked to do.
4. Keep going.

AI in Sales and Life

A decade ago, the tasks we just walked through required teams of researchers, marketing experts, database analysts, CRMs, and, at one point, something called the Yellow Pages. Now, a single salesperson with an LLM can accomplish all of it in minutes.

But this is bigger than selling copiers. Artificial intelligence is changing the game for sales professionals in every industry and beyond. Whether you work for someone else or build something of your own, artificial intelligence is your ultimate partner in the greatest sales gig ever: Life.

Also, it isn’t just a tool; it’s a competitive advantage. Learn to use it, and you won’t just survive this transformation. You’ll own it.

Answers from Our SpaceX Scenario

You’re in the parking lot outside SpaceX, about to meet the owner. You pull out your phone and ask, “Give me three business challenges every rocket manufacturer faces daily and how I, a copier sales professional, can help solve them.”

This is the actual response from ChatGPT 4.0: “Here are three daily business challenges rocket manufacturers face and how you, as an office technology professional, can help”:

1. Managing supply chains and documentation

Rocket manufacturing relies on vast supply chains with countless parts and vendors. Tracking specs, compliance documents, and procurement details is critical. Mistakes can delay production or compromise safety.

How you can help

• Provide document management systems for seamless storage and tracking.
• Use workflow automation to route and archive documents efficiently.
• Offer secure printing solutions for sensitive blueprints while meeting ITAR standards.

2. Enabling team collaboration

Departments like design, engineering, and testing must work in sync. Miscommunication can cause delays, rework, and extra costs.

How you can help

• Set up collaborative platforms for quick document sharing and annotation.
• Enable cloud-based workflows for secure, real-time access to files.
• Use AI tools to automate meeting summaries and improve alignment.

3. Ensuring compliance and quality

Strict regulations require precise record keeping and quality control. Manufacturers need audit trails for decisions and results.

How you can help

• Offer compliance-ready printing systems with built-in audit trails.
• Provide digitization tools for easy access to archived records.
• Use workflow analytics to track efficiency and eliminate bottlenecks.