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7 minutes

ChatGPT vs. Scribe: a complete comparison

Learn how LeadIQ’s Scribe is uniquely designed to help sales teams with their cold outbound prospecting over ChatGPT’s broad AI features in this showdown piece of LeadIQ Scribe vs. ChatGPT.
PUBLISHED:
February 6, 2023
Last updated:
Zach Franzen

Key Takeaways

ChatGPT can provide a strong starting point for crafting sales emails but may include unverifiable details and lack personalization. Scribe AI by LeadIQ is tailored for sales emails as the technology integrates prospecting data for more targeted and relevant messages.

Scribe AI offers multiple messaging options and the ability to tailor content closely to a prospect's specific data, enhancing personalization and relevance in sales communications.

Scribe AI’s integration with sales platforms and its ability to generate sales-oriented communications quickly gives it an advantage in terms of operational efficiency and effectiveness over ChatGPT and other AI sales tools on the market today.

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We addressed why sellers are frustrated with ChatGPT in another post. But we shouldn’t take away from ChatGPT’s mind-blowing versatility; after all, I spent an evening asking it to write mashup treatments for movies. My favorite was the cross-over between Indiana Jones and Emma titled "The Archeologist and the Governess" (coming soon).

Yet, ChatGPT, for all its treasures, is tailored for something other than selling, whereas Scribe is born and bred for sales messages. Let's see how each performs. I started with ChatGPT.

ChatGPT Sales Email Sample

First, I imagined an absurd company that distributes chicken fat to restaurants. (Heavenly Fat also features in this post about great value propositions.)

Next, I fed ChatGPT this prompt:

Write a cold outbound email to a prospective customer. I help chefs make the tastiest chicken fat dishes in the world by selling premium quality chicken fat harvested from obese chickens and delivered in canvas sacks to the world's finest restaurants. My ideal customers are food purchasers in the restaurant industry. My comapny's name is Heavenly Fat.

I received this impressive email from ChatGPT:

Subject: Introducing Premium Quality Chicken Fat for the World's Finest Restaurants; Dear [Prospective Customer], I hope this email finds you well. My name is [Your Name] and I am writing to introduce you to a unique and high-quality product that I belive would be of interest to your restaurant. As a food purchaser in the restaurant industry, I know you are always looking for ways to elevate your menu and provide your customers with the best possible dining experience. Our premium quality chicken fat is sourced from specifically-bred obese chickens, providing a rich and flavorful ingredient that will take your dishes to the next level. Our chicken fat is carefully harvested and packaged in canvas sacks for easy handling and storage. We have a wide range of delivery options to ensure that the fat reaches your kitchen in perfect condition. We have a long list of satisfied customers, including some of the world's finest restaurants, that have seen a marked improvement in the taste and texture of their dishes by using our chicken fat. I would be delighted to arrange a sample delivery for you to try in your kitchen, and discuss how we can work together to enhance your menu. Please let me know if this is something that interests you and we can schedule a call to discuss further. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Best Regards, [Your Name]

Pros and Cons of ChatGPT for Writing Sales Emails

It's a good email, really. But a few things jump out. 

The opening is generic and impersonal. "I hope this email finds you well." Personalization could help it grab the reader. 

Second, it's too long. No hard and fast rules, but most say the ideal word count for emails is 50 to 125 words. This email comes in at 225, so it could be more concise. 

Third, it embroiders the truth a little. These are ChatGPT assertions that fall outside the prompt.

  1. "We have a wide range of delivery options to ensure that the fat reaches your kitchen in perfect condition." (But what if Heavenly Fat doesn't have a wide range of delivery options? This sentence is a pure invention.)

  2. "We have a long list of satisfied customers." (Gulp. While the prompt says we serve the world's finest restaurants, it's unclear how many restaurants there are. Still, appreciate the go-get-'em attitude.)

  3. "I would be delighted to arrange a sample delivery for you to try in your kitchen." (Not a bad initiative, but not one outlined in the prompt.)

  4. "and discuss how we can work together to enhance your menu." (Maybe an SDR can help enhance a menu if it merely means supplying chicken fat, otherwise they’re in over their head.)

ChatGPT is very good at syntax and exceptional at mimicking the form of certain types of communication. Unfortunately, to mimic the form, it sometimes gets the bit in its mouth and takes off on its own.

So, some adjustments are in order. I can fine-tune the prompts to reduce the word count or I can revise the email to match the company's policies. After some minutes of manual editing, the email is more concise. I also included a bit of personalization in the opening to grab the reader's attention. This part is easy for the test because the recipient is imaginary, but it would be significantly harder if it was a real person.

Email wtih Subject: Introducing Premium Quality Chicken Fat for the World's Finest Restaurants Body: Congrats on your pilot's license! Did you know it only takes 25,575 planes to handle all of the world's travel compared to 3 million city buses? Nothing improves a view like low traffic. In addition to aerial views, I know you're also looking for ways to elevate your menu as a food purchaser for the restaurant collective. Look no further! Heavenly Fat supplies premium-quality chicken fat to the world's finest restaurants. Our fat is sourced from specially-bred obese chickens, providing a rich and flavorful ingredient that will take your dishes to new heights. Also, Heavely Fat carefully packages our chicken fat in canvas sacks for easy handling and delivery. Would love to work together to enhance your menu. Please let me know if that interests you, and we can schedule a call to discuss it further.

How does Scribe AI work in comparison to ChatGPT?

Although this requires some substantial nips and tucks, it took less time than starting from scratch.

How does Scribe compare?

Well, the first thing I notice is I need a recipient, and it’s impossible to find a random email address. I googled "email address chef" and "restaurateur email" and a bunch of other variations, trying to get ONE email address. And….no luck.

Thankfully, because Scribe is part of a prospecting platform, I used LeadIQ's Identify capability and found contact data in seconds. I also received a bunch of other inputs to personalize the message then inserted the same value prop as before:

"Heavenly Fat helps chefs make the tastiest chicken fat dishes in the world by selling premium quality chicken fat harvested from obese chickens and delivered in canvas bags to the world's finest restaurants."

Next, I select the insights I want the AI to sort through to personalize the email. These are insights specific to the prospect that Scribe conveniently consolidates. I select:

  1. "Name"
  2. "LinkedIn information"
  3. "Financials—10K report"
Product screenshot of LeadIQ's Scribe tool showing the page where you can select insights about your prospect to personalize a cold email
Scribe finds insights for each prospect that can be used to generate personalized messages.

Scribe AI Sales Email Sample

Scribe gave me these three subject lines for the first message:

  1.  In Case of Food Shortages…
  2. Risk factors associated with COVID-19 pandemic…
  3. [Company Redacted]’s 10k report
Product screenshot of LeadIQ Scribe throwing 3 subject line suggestions with ability to add to email or give the AI feedback on each one
Scribe generates three subject lines you can use with every outbound message


Here's the first email:

Here's an example of a Scribe message based on a recent 10-K report published by the prospect's company. It reads,"I noticed that [prospect name redacted] published a 10-K report on sales. I found it interesting that the company mentioned an instance where government restrictions could affect the supply of food items or other supplies at the restaurant. We are the only chicken fat distributor that delivers canvas sacks of chicken fat for the world's finest restaurants. This way, we ensure that your restaurants don't go out of business due to supply interruptions. We help chef's make the tastiest chicken fat dishes in the world by selling premium quality chicken fat harvested from obese chickens and delivered in canvas sacks to the world's finest restaurants. Do you want to learn more about our services?

It's brief and to the point, personalized, and I get multiple subject lines to choose from. But there is some fat to trim (😉), and some of the syntaxes are awkward, so I spend one minute editing and arrive at: 

Product screenshot of LeadIQ Scribe email from previous image highlighting a couple of areas that were editing in-line to fit the writer's personality
Scribe keeps sellers in control and allows every generated message to be edited. The AI will learn your preferences and writing style over time.

But that's not all Scribe provided

I still have two more email options and six more subject lines.

  1. The tastiest fat dishes in the world 
  2. Chefs, what are you waiting for? 
  3. Heavenly Fat: Helping [Redacted]s Restaurants Succeed
  4. Chicken Fat for the Chefs
  5.  [COMPANY REDACTED] HOLDINGS INC. 10-K report
  6. The best chicken fat in the world

Here's the next one:

The second email Scribe suggested reads: "Hi Randy - Noticed the meaning of your name. I think it's cool that your name means wolf's rim or rim of a shield. As a restaurateur, I'm sure you know that a shield is important in protecting your customers from harm. We help chefs make the tastiest chicken fat dishes in the world by selling premium quality chicken fat harvested from obese chickens and delivered in canvas sacks to the world's finest restaurants. Would you be interested in learning more about how we help chefs make the tastiest chicken fat dishes in the world?"


Okay, a little weird, but I know what the AI is striving for, and after a few seconds, I have an edit:


One more:


This one needs a few tweaks. It takes me 20 seconds.

If I want, I can ask Scribe to generate more versions, change the inputs, and use LeadIQ's other capabilities to capture many more leads in a streamlined process.

The results? We send the right message, to the right person, at the right time. What's more, the AI learns from your feedback and edits over time, producing messages aligned to your style. This means less time spent tailoring messages and more time to focus on your prospects.

ChatGPT vs. Scribe AI: who is the winner?

In summary, ChatGPT can write a pretty good first draft, but it doesn’t quite understand the requirements of a sales message. It doesn’t include relevant insights, which means you have to personalize from first hand knowledge or send a generic templated email. Worse, sometimes ChatGPT goes off script, which could create an embarrassing situation for an SDR in a hurry. Last, ChatGPT has no way of capturing contact data, and switching between a contact data provider and ChatGPT is time consuming.

Scribe, on the other hand, is not good at loglines for screenplays or generating new fairy tales, but it’s great at serving its singular audience: sellers. Multiple messages and subject lines keeps the seller’s hand on the wheel, and seller involvement keeps selling a relational enterprise. Insights personalize each message in record time, and Scribe’s connection to the larger platform makes operations quick and easy.

AI is finally living up to its promise, and LeadIQ can help your sales department take advantage.

Try the AI designed for sales: LeadIQ Scribe. Start free today by clicking here