Most people type two sentences at an AI and get back text that sounds like an insurance brochure. Not because the tool can't do better — but because nobody told it who it is, who it's writing for and what you actually want. Below are twelve prompts I use in my work with clients. Paste one in, replace the square brackets with your own details, and you get a usable result.
A prompt isn't a command — it's a brief for a colleague who doesn't know you. If you tell a new colleague nothing more than "write a quote", you get a quote as poor as the AI's. If you tell them who you're writing to, what the client said, what it costs and what the document should look like, you get something usable — in both cases.
For tradespeople who put quotes together in the evening after two hours of driving.
You are my assistant for writing quotes. I am a [trade, e.g. joiner] and I work for [type of clients]. Here are my raw notes from the site: [paste your notes: measurements, materials, remarks, whatever you typed into your phone] Write a quote for the client. Requirements: - Introduction: two sentences summarising in your own words what the client wants. - Line items: a table with item, quantity, unit price and total. - Delivery time and what I need from the client before starting. - What the quote does NOT include (list at least three things). - The quote is valid for 14 days. Tone: professional, no marketing phrases, formal address. Do not invent prices or deadlines — whatever is missing, ask me at the end as a list.
When the client is angry and you want to reply calmly — and not in three days' time.
I received this email: [paste the whole message] My side of the story: [what actually happened, in bullet points] Write me three versions of a reply: 1. Completely calm — takes responsibility for what really is my mistake. 2. Politely firm — draws the line where my responsibility ends. 3. Short and practical — just the next step, no explanation. Each reply max 150 words. No apologising in every sentence, no phrases like "we sincerely apologise for any inconvenience". Formal address.
Prevents the thing that eats profit most often: a misunderstood scope of work.
I am a [trade]. A client sent me this enquiry: [paste the enquiry] Before I prepare a quote: put together a list of questions I need to ask to avoid any misunderstanding about the scope of work and the price. Sort them into three groups: - Essential (without an answer I cannot estimate the price) - Important (they affect the deadline or the execution) - Good to know (they affect satisfaction, not the price) For each question, add in brackets why I am asking it.
For a website where every competitor writes "quality, reliability, years of experience".
I am a [trade], working for [type of clients] in [area]. My service: [describe it in three sentences, in plain words] What sets me apart from the competition: [two concrete things] Price: [range or starting point] Write a service description for my website, up to 180 words long. Forbidden words: quality, reliability, years of experience, innovative, comprehensive solutions, customer satisfaction, individual approach. Instead: concrete scenes, numbers and verbs. The last sentence should be a call to action. Informal address.
Instead of guessing every day what to post.
I am a [trade]. My clients are [description]. The questions they ask me most often: [list 5–8 questions you actually hear] Put together a plan of 12 posts for one month. For each one, write: - The opening line (max 12 words) - What the post is about (two sentences) - What the reader should do after it Distribution: 6 posts answer the questions above, 3 show behind-the-scenes work, 2 are personal, 1 is an offer. No post should start with the question "Did you know...".
The client isn't buying "heat recovery" — they're buying a warm house without mould.
I will list the technical terms I use in my work: [list 8–10 terms from your trade] For each one, write: 1. What it means in one sentence, as if explaining it to a neighbour. 2. What benefit it brings the client (concrete, not "better performance"). 3. What worries the client most about it. Format: a table. No introduction, no conclusion.
For the end of the month, when you don't know where the time went.
Here are my notes from the past month (invoices, tasks, remarks): [paste everything, even if it's messy] Give me a review: - How many projects were finished and how many are still open - Where things got stuck (what keeps repeating in the notes) - The three tasks that took most of my time - One thing I would do differently next month No praise and no generic advice. Only what follows from my data. Where there is not enough data, say so.
Before you buy anything or pay anyone.
I will list the tasks I repeat every week: [list the tasks and estimate how much time each one takes per week] For each task, assess: - How often it repeats and how many hours a month that adds up to - Whether the procedure is always the same or changes - What happens if it is done wrong (small or large damage) Then rank them by which is most worth automating, and for each one explain why you placed it there. For the ones not worth automating, explain why not.
Three steps that don't destroy the relationship.
The client [name/company] has not paid an invoice. It was due on [date], amount [amount]. Our working relationship so far: [describe it]. Write three reminders: 1. Friendly (7 days overdue) — assume they simply forgot. 2. Firm (21 days) — a clear deadline and consequence. 3. Final before debt collection (45 days) — short, formal, no emotion. Each one max 120 words. Formal address. No threats and no apologising for writing at all.
For the moments when you're not sure what's in the small print.
Here is a quote I received: [paste the whole text] Review it from my point of view as the buyer: - What exactly I am getting and what remains unclear - Where the hidden costs or open items are - Which deadlines are binding and which are only indicative - Five questions I need to ask before signing Do not explain to me what a quote is. Be concrete and brief.
The foundation for your website — and later for an AI assistant.
I am a [trade]. Here are the questions clients most often ask over the phone: [list 10 questions, word for word as you hear them] Write an answer for each one: - The first sentence is a direct answer (yes, no, price, timeframe). - The second and third sentences explain. - If the answer is "it depends", say exactly what it depends on. No openers like "Great question". Formal address. Where my details are missing, leave a square bracket for me to fill in.
Ten minutes before a meeting you haven't had a moment to think about.
In half an hour I have a call with a potential client. What I know about them: [trade, size, how they found me, what they wrote] What I am offering them: [service and price range] Prepare for me: - Five questions to find out whether this is even the right client for me - The three objections they are most likely to raise, and how I respond - One question they will probably ask, where I will make an impression if I have the answer ready - The signal at which the call should end politely, without a quote Short, in bullet points. No sales tricks.
A prompt solves a single case. If you do the same thing every week — writing similar quotes, answering the same questions, compiling the same report — repeating the prompt isn't worth it. That's when it pays to set the process up so it runs on its own: the data gets captured, the document gets created, and you only review and approve it.
I know where the line is by one rule: anything you do more than three times a month that takes more than half an hour is a candidate for automation. Leave everything else to prompts — because building a system for something you do twice a year costs more than it saves.
Twelve prompts save you the blank page. What they don't save you from is having to sit down and paste every single time.
Who's writing this: Maruša Vrečar. I've written sales copy for more than twenty markets. Today I build AI systems that take over the work small businesses never have time for: writing quotes and service descriptions, replying to customers even at 10pm, taking bookings, organising and filing documents, competitor and price analysis, finding potential clients, and monthly reports from data scattered across five tools.
And those are just a few examples — the list is open-ended. Book a free call, tell me what eats your time, and I'll prepare a solution for you. The quote is non-binding and the call costs you nothing. Your problem = my challenge. 🙂
If you want to go deep straight away: in the process review for €290, within three days I show you what a system can take over — and what isn't worth it. I deduct the review fee from the project if you decide to go ahead.
Book a free 15-min callFifteen minutes on a call. You tell me where your time is leaking — you get one concrete idea for your case, even if you decide not to work with me.
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