Prompt Starters for Small Business
Six common jobs, ready to adapt
Start six common business tasks with a practical brief you can adapt in minutes.
Fill the blanks, then check the draft
Six starter prompts for jobs most service and trade businesses do every week.
- Pick one job.
- Replace every [bracketed] field with accurate information. Never leave placeholder text in a customer message.
- Run it in an approved AI tool.
- Check the draft, then send or use it yourself.
Each starter includes a role, context, task, limits and an output format. Where a missing fact matters, it uses the Interview step from Geoff Woods' CRIT framework so AI asks before it guesses.
Keep it safe
Anonymize customer and employee details.
Never paste passwords, payment details or sensitive records.
These are drafts. Nothing here sends, posts or changes anything on its own.
Explain a quote
Turns your approved quote details into a short cover note. It does not estimate a job from nothing.
| You bring | You get back |
|---|---|
| Approved scope, price, exclusions and next step | A subject line, a short cover note and a list of questions you still need to resolve |
Before it leaves the business
- Check the scope, arithmetic, tax treatment and validity dates yourself.
Write it down: My notes: what I filled in, what I had to fix, what to change next time. There is space for this in the PDF.
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Reply to a review
A calm public reply that protects the customer's privacy and your policy.
| You bring | You get back |
|---|---|
| The review with names removed, and your approved response policy | A short public reply plus a private note for you |
Before it leaves the business
- No arguing, invented investigations, promises, refunds or admissions you have not approved.
- Make sure no private detail slipped into the public reply.
Write it down: My notes: what I filled in, what I had to fix, what to change next time. There is space for this in the PDF.
Follow up without pressure
One friendly check-in after a proposal. Not an automatic campaign.
| You bring | You get back |
|---|---|
| What you sent, when, your relationship and the next step you want | One subject line and one short email |
Before it leaves the business
- No false deadlines, guilt, invented discounts or guessed appointments.
- Only contact people who have given you permission.
Write it down: My notes: what I filled in, what I had to fix, what to change next time. There is space for this in the PDF.
Create useful local content
One helpful post built from a question customers really ask.
| You bring | You get back |
|---|---|
| A real customer question, verified service facts, the platform and your goal | One post and a simple call to action, with two alternate openings if you want them |
Before it leaves the business
- No made-up statistics, before-and-after stories, testimonials or platform research.
- Check any claim the draft flags.
Write it down: My notes: what I filled in, what I had to fix, what to change next time. There is space for this in the PDF.
Turn a repeat job into a checklist
Captures how a job is really done so handoffs stop dropping steps.
| You bring | You get back |
|---|---|
| The real process, safety limits, who owns it and where it usually goes wrong | A checklist table with responsibilities and stop-and-ask points |
Before it leaves the business
- The responsible person checks safety and compliance before anyone uses it.
- Treat it as a working draft until it has been tried on a real job.
Write it down: My notes: what I filled in, what I had to fix, what to change next time. There is space for this in the PDF.
Review the week
A one-page look at your numbers that keeps facts and guesses apart.
| You bring | You get back |
|---|---|
| Approved weekly figures and notes, anonymized, with dates and units | Three observations, missing information and two small next steps |
Before it leaves the business
- Recheck every calculation against the source figures.
- Treat explanations as possibilities, not facts. No forecasts it cannot support.
Write it down: My notes: what I filled in, what I had to fix, what to change next time. There is space for this in the PDF.
Keep the starters that earn their place
Try each starter on a normal case and an awkward one before you rely on it.
Scorecard: Accurate?, Useful?, Our tone?, Edit time, Keep? for 1. Quote, 2. Review, 3. Follow-up, 4. Post, 5. Checklist, 6. Week. Print the PDF to fill it in.
Save the version you approve with the date, the AI tool you used and what you changed. Check it again after your tool or your business changes.
Go deeper
| Guide | Helps when |
|---|---|
| The Prompt Recipe | A draft keeps missing and you want a full brief |
| Roles That Work | You want a better working perspective |
| Sound Human | The draft is right but sounds stiff |
CRIT (Context, Role, Interview, Task) is Geoff Woods' prompt framework. We teach it in AI Basics and build on it here.
Practical guidance reviewed November 2026. Start simple and test on your own tasks. No guaranteed results.
Keep customer data private. Use placeholders or anonymized facts in an approved AI tool. Check facts, figures, promises and tone before anything leaves the business.
Want help with this for you or your team? Book a free 20-minute call.