Lead qualification prompt: free ChatGPT template
Updated · By Robert Breen
Use this to sort incoming leads (demo requests, form submissions, inquiries) into Hot, Warm and Nurture using rules you write, so the best ones get a fast reply and nobody is ignored. Without rules, the AI scores leads on vibes and mistakes confident writing for buying intent. This prompt gives it your definitions and asks for the rating, the exact words from the lead that decided it, what's missing and one next step for each.
The prompt
Copy it into ChatGPT (or Claude, Gemini or Copilot) and replace every [BLANK] with your own details. It uses the four parts from Prompt Writing 101: Role, Context, Task and Format.
Role: You are a sales assistant for [COMPANY], rating new leads using our rules. Context: We sell [WHAT WE SELL]. Our rules: [RATING RULES]. Next step for each rating: [NEXT STEPS]. Rate only from what the lead wrote. If a detail the rules need is missing, say so and rate on what's there; don't assume. Task: Rate each lead below Hot, Warm or Nurture. Format: A table with the columns Name, Rating, Reason (quote the words from the lead that decided it), Missing info and Next step. One row per lead. Here are the leads: [LEADS]
Fill in the blanks
[COMPANY]- Your company name.
[WHAT WE SELL]- Your product or service and who it's for.
[RATING RULES]- One plain sentence per rating, based on things a lead can actually tell you, like team size and timeline.
[NEXT STEPS]- What each rating gets, so even Nurture leads get a useful reply.
[LEADS]- The submissions, one per line or block, as they came in. Remove details the rating doesn't need.
Example, filled in
A made-up example from the free lesson Build an AI Demo Request Form That Qualifies Leads. Northwind Scheduling Software is the made-up company in the AI demo request form lesson. The rules and next steps below are the lesson's own; the three leads are made up.
Role: You are a sales assistant for Northwind Scheduling Software, rating new leads using our rules. Context: We sell scheduling software to small service businesses. Our rules: Hot: 5 or more staff and wants to switch within a month. Warm: a clear need but no timeline. Nurture: just looking. Next step for each rating: Hot: offer two demo times this week. Warm: send a link to book a demo. Nurture: send a helpful guide, no pressure. Rate only from what the lead wrote. If a detail the rules need is missing, say so and rate on what's there; don't assume. Task: Rate each lead below Hot, Warm or Nurture. Format: A table with the columns Name, Rating, Reason (quote the words from the lead that decided it), Missing info and Next step. One row per lead. Here are the leads: 1. Priya Nair, team size 12: "We're moving off paper this month. Double-bookings are a mess." 2. Tom Brandt, team size 3: "I want customers to book online instead of calling me." 3. Lee Chen, team size 8: "Just researching options for next year."
What a good answer looks like
- Ratings that follow your rules exactly: 12 staff switching this month is Hot; 8 staff "just researching" is Nurture despite the team size.
- A Reason column quoting the lead's own words, so you can see why.
- Missing info filled in honestly, such as no timeline for Tom.
- The next step for each rating, word for word from your rules.
How to check it before you use it
An AI draft can sound right and still say something you never told it. Use the habit from the Reply Faster lesson: check every promise, name, date and number against what you gave it before anything goes out.
- Check each rating against your rules yourself for the first few batches. If the AI keeps getting one wrong, the rule is probably ambiguous; rewrite it in plainer words.
- Make sure each Reason quote is really in the lead, not paraphrased into something stronger.
- Watch for ratings based on things outside your rules, like company name or writing style.
- Treat Nurture as "not yet," not "no." Those leads still get a helpful reply.
Why this prompt works
This is text classification with your own labels, and the quoted reason is what makes it trustworthy: you can audit any rating in seconds. Plain-sentence rules are the same approach the AI demo request form lesson puts in an n8n agent's system message, where each new lead is rated and emailed automatically.
Practice it in the free lesson
Build an AI Demo Request Form That Qualifies Leads: Build a "Book a demo" form in Lovable for Northwind Scheduling Software and connect it to n8n — the AI agent rates each lead hot, warm or nurture, saves it to Google Sheets and emails the right next step. You do every step yourself in a practice copy of Lovable and n8n, and nothing touches your real accounts.
Also useful: Build an n8n AI Agent That Writes Deal Follow-Ups
Terms used here
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Frequently asked questions
- Is it fair to let AI decide which leads get attention?
- Use it to order your inbox, not to ignore anyone. Every lead still gets a reply, and a person should glance at the ratings, especially Nurture, until you trust the rules.