Negative constraints are instructions that tell the AI what not to do. They're one of the most effective techniques for eliminating the most common AI output failure modes in sales contexts.
Without negative constraints, AI tends to produce outputs that are:
- Too long
- Overly formal or corporate-sounding
- Full of clichés and AI tells ("I hope this email finds you well")
- Generic enough to apply to any company, not the specific prospect
- Starting with "Great question!" or similar sycophantic openers
Negative constraints to add to your sales prompts:
- "Do not start with 'I hope this email finds you well' or any similar greeting."
- "Do not use the word 'leverage' or 'synergy'."
- "Do not include a company introduction or background on my company."
- "Do not add caveats or disclaimers."
- "Do not make the output longer than [X] words."
- "Do not use bullet points — write in flowing prose."
Add 2-3 negative constraints that address your most common frustrations with AI output and you'll see immediate improvement in the first draft quality.
