Level 1/ 3Beginner

AI Prompts for Business · Book 1 of 3

First Steps

Start using AI this week.

40 copy-and-paste prompts for the jobs that eat your evenings: posts, replies, quotes, follow-ups. Fill the brackets, paste into any AI chat, get a usable draft.

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40 promptsAny AI chat

Cover of First Steps by Elena Brightwater
Cover of First Steps by Elena Brightwater

What you get done

Six jobs off your list.
This week.

You have barely tried AI, or opened a chat once and closed it again. Each answer below is one prompt in the book: copy it, fill the brackets, paste it into any AI chat.

Maria · bakery
Plan next week's posts for my bakery.
AI · prompt #3
A week of posts from one theme. Five posts Monday to Friday: the idea, a caption under 50 words and the photo to take.
Maria · bakery
Help me answer this 2-star review. Calm, please.
AI · prompt #14
Reply to a negative online review. Calm, specific and public-ready, without arguing or grovelling.
Maria · bakery
My counter staff need allergen answers they can give every time.
AI · prompt #11
Allergen answers your staff can give. Short, safe answers your counter team can give the same way every time.
Dev · plumber
Turn my scribbled line items into a proper quote.
AI · prompt #23
The clear one-page quote. Your line items in plain language, with what is and is not included.
Dev · plumber
The customer says my quote is too expensive.
AI · prompt #26
"It's too expensive". Two honest alternatives that lower the cost without cutting your rate.
Dev · plumber
This invoice is 14 days late. Chase it, politely.
AI · prompt #33
Late-payment reminders, step by step. A reminder sequence that gets paid and keeps the customer.

A sample card from the book

#26

“It’s too expensive”

Use it when: A customer replies to your quote by email and says it is over budget.

Show the email thread, quote and calculations

These details are fictional. They are all the inputs used in this exercise.

  1. Customer email thread
    1. You → Customer
    Installation with your selected fixture costs $1,200. That includes removing the old fixture, fitting the new one and checking for leaks. I can do it Tuesday.
    
    2. Customer → You
    Tuesday works. A standard finish is fine if the fixture fits. Please keep Tuesday and the same scope of work.
    
    3. Customer → You · latest email
    That’s too expensive for me. My budget is $1,050. Can you work within that?
  2. Quote and options
    Original quote: $1,200. All amounts include tax.
    Parts: $520. Supplies: $60. Travel: $80. Labor: 3 hours × $100.
    Option A: compatible standard fixture for $370, on Tuesday.
    Option B: selected fixture, $30 for a shared trip available Wednesday. All other costs and the scope stay the same.
  3. Amount I need to keep
    $200

Fill in the yellow fields. Then copy the full prompt and paste it into your AI chat.

Paste only the relevant email excerpts. Label them “You” and “Customer” and remove names, addresses and signatures. Mark missing details “unknown”.

Your details
Customer email thread: [LATEST EMAIL AND EARLIER AGREEMENTS]
Quote and options: [PRICE, COSTS AND ALLOWED CHANGES]
Amount I need to keep: [AMOUNT IN DOLLARS]

Task for AI
The customer says the quote is too high. Check whether I can change it.
List parts, supplies, travel, hours and hourly rate in the costs. For each option give only changes and the confirmed date. Use dollars and the same tax basis throughout. My minimum covers other overhead and profit.
Read the job, budget and customer limits from the thread. If messages conflict or the budget, a cost or my minimum is missing, ask before quoting.
Cost = parts + supplies + travel + hours × rate.
Assess options separately; other costs and scope stay unchanged. Use only listed options and keep the hourly rate unchanged.
Table: option, cost, amount left at the customer's budget, minimum price (cost + minimum), whether it meets the limits. Compare with the original amount left and explain the choice.
If none qualifies, say so. Otherwise draft a short reply in the same email thread: what changes, the price and why. Give the confirmed date. Do not reveal my costs or minimum.

Example result

Reply to the customer

Hello,

As discussed, a standard finish works for this job. I can install a compatible fixture in that finish for $1,050 on Tuesday, as agreed. The scope of work stays the same.

Would you like me to send an updated quote?

Why this option works

The customer pays $150 less. Dev still has $240 left after costs. New quote: $1,050 − $810 = $240. Original quote: $1,200 − $960 = $240.

The standard fixture meets the customer’s requirements. The original option exceeds the budget once the minimum is included. The shared trip requires Wednesday and also falls short of the minimum.

Calculations at the $1,050 budget
OptionCostLeft overMin. price
Unchanged$960$90$1,160
Shared trip$910$140$1,110

Make it better

Check the part price and availability. Double-check the math on a calculator.

Who you follow through the book

Two real kinds of business.
Start to finish.

Every prompt is shown working for one of them, with the result they got and what they checked before using it.

Maria, Crumb & Co. · neighborhood bakery and café
Maria · bakery
Barely tried AI. Her first post sounded like every bakery on Earth, until she gave the AI three of her own old captions.
5 of Maria's 20 prompts · greyed: Dev's
Dev, Patel Plumbing & Heating · owner and two vans
Dev · plumber
Uses AI a little every week. Loses jobs in the silence after a quote, and drops his price too fast when someone says "too expensive".
5 of Dev's 20 prompts · greyed: Maria's

Inside: one prompt card per page

A whole shelf of
finished work.

Every page is a job you no longer start from a blank screen.

Before you buy

Is this the right book?

You
What exactly is in the book?
AI Prompts for Business
  • 40ready-to-use prompts, each with an example result and a tip
  • 5parts of the prompt formula: Role, Task, Context, Format, Check
  • 5 mincheck for accuracy, tone and legal red flags
  • 30days to a habit, 15 minutes a day
You
Is it the right book for me?
AI Prompts for Business

Yes, if:

  • You have barely used AI, or not at all
  • You want something useful this week, not theory
  • You run a shop, café, trade or any small service business
  • You can copy and paste: that is the only skill needed

Better fit elsewhere:

You
How long until it is actually useful?
AI Prompts for Business
Tonight. Pick one job, paste one prompt, check the draft. The book also has a 30-day plan, 15 minutes a day.

Choose your format

Choose how you want to use the book

40 ready-to-use prompts with examples and a check you can run before using each result.

E-book

$29.90

Final e-book price: $29.90.

Paperback

Paperback: $39.99. Launch offer: paperback + e-book for $35.99 when available in our store.

Audiobook

Hear the examples, then come back to the prompts when you sit down to work.

Add the e-book to cart · $29.90

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Created byaitomate