I use Character.ai – Simulate Your Customer’s Search Intent to get rid of the fear of talking to potential customers. This tool is free, easy to sign up for, and it lets you chat, talk, and even call AI characters that behave like real people.
I’ll show how I use it to practice sales conversations, brainstorm, and create custom customer personas so I feel confident when I actually speak with prospects.
Table of Contents
- How do I set up Character.ai and find the right characters to practice with?
- How can I use Character.ai to get rid of the fear when talking to customers?
- How do I create my own AI character that matches my target customer?
- How do different personas change the conversation and help me prepare?
- What practical exercises should I run to build confidence and improve your pitch?
- How do I use Character.ai to simulate search intent and improve messaging?
- Can I use Character.ai for free?
- Can I create private characters that only I can access?
- How do I build realistic customer personalities?
- Will practicing with AI characters really reduce my fear of real conversations?
How do I set up Character.ai and find the right characters to practice with?
Setting up is simple. Create a free account on the web or install the mobile app from the Play Store or App Store. Once you’re in, the homepage shows a gallery of characters created by other users. You can search or explore categories to find personas that match your audience.
For example, I searched for business owner personas to practice selling software to small business owners. The explore page surfaces dozens of chatbots with different roles and backstories, which makes it easy to pick a character that matches the customer type I want to rehearse with.
How can I use Character.ai to get rid of the fear when talking to customers?
I start by typing a simple sales pitch or question and then treat the character like a real person. You get realistic responses because each chatbot comes with a personality, current activity, and even audio playback. That combination makes practice feel natural.
The tool also has a call feature that simulates a phone conversation. When I press the call button, the chatbot speaks back in real time, and you can respond aloud. Hearing pushback like “That’s expensive” or “You must be joking” helps me anticipate objections and refine my responses so I don’t freeze up in real conversations.
One useful exercise I run is a staged rejection. I’ll pitch a $50 Google Maps setup and the persona will react like a stubborn small-town owner. That raw, realistic rejection forces me to practice follow-ups: offering proof, explaining ROI, or pivoting the offer. Over time those rehearsals reduce the fear of live calls.
How do I create my own AI character that matches my target customer?
Creating a custom character is where this gets powerful. Click create character, give it a name and a concise definition that describes the target audience and their personality. I often generate a definition with a ChatGPT prompt, then paste it into Character.ai and fine tune the description.
Key things to include in the definition are:
- Demographics and role — for example, “small business owner in a rural town.”
- Pain points and vocabulary — what words they use and which terms confuse them.
- Personality traits — skeptical, budget-conscious, tech-phobic, curious, etc.
- Response style — short and blunt, verbose, skeptical, or enthusiastic.
You can also upload or create custom voices, and choose whether the character is public or private. I create multiple versions of the same customer with small tweaks in personality to practice different reactions.
How do different personas change the conversation and help me prepare?
I test two near-identical characters to see how small definition changes alter replies. For instance, I made one persona slightly skeptical about scams and another more open. The same sales line produced very different reactions: one immediately enthusiastic, the other suspicious and asking for proof.
That contrast teaches me how to tailor language. If a character raises an eyebrow and asks for specifics, I know to respond with evidence and examples. If they’re open, I can focus on benefits and next steps. Practicing both builds fluency and helps me recover from real-world objections.
What practical exercises should I run to build confidence and improve your pitch?
- Start by typing — get comfortable with the character’s vocabulary and persona.
- Move to a call — use the phone simulation to practice tone and cadence.
- Run price-pushback scenarios — simulate objections like “too expensive” or “I want it free.”
- Practice proof-based responses — rehearse delivering case studies, testimonials, or local examples.
- Create multiple personas — build versions of your target customer with different trust levels and tech familiarity.
- Use brainstorming sessions — ask characters for content ideas, niche suggestions, or marketing angles.
How do I use Character.ai to simulate search intent and improve messaging?
When I train characters with the language customers actually use, I learn what terms they search for and how they describe problems. That insight helps me craft headlines, landing pages, and ad copy that match real search intent. Repeated practice with different personas reveals the words and questions my audience uses, which directly informs SEO and messaging.
Character.ai – Simulate Your Customer’s Search Intent is not just a practice tool. It becomes a research method for discovering how different customers think, speak, and search online.
Can I use Character.ai for free?
Yes. Character.ai offers a free tier that includes chat, audio replies, and the ability to create characters. There is a plus option but it is not required for the basic workflows described here.
Can I create private characters that only I can access?
Yes. When you create a character you can choose to keep it private or make it public. Private characters are useful for building sensitive customer profiles or practice scripts you do not want to share.
How do I build realistic customer personalities?
Start with a clear definition: role, pain points, common phrases, trust level, and response style. Use a prompt to generate a detailed definition, paste it into the character creation form, and iterate based on how the character responds in practice conversations.
Will practicing with AI characters really reduce my fear of real conversations?
Yes. Rehearsing with realistic pushback, hearing objections aloud, and practicing multiple reply strategies trains your reflexes. Over time you become more fluent with responses and less fearful of real interactions.
I use these techniques every time I need to prepare for sales calls, CEO meetings, or small business pitches. If you try creating your own characters, focus on realistic definitions and run the same pitch against different personas. The amount of confidence you gain from this kind of practice is surprising and practical.
