BOOST YOUR BUSINESS WITH AI Cochise College Center for Lifelong Learning Prompt Reference Sheet ================================================================ MODULE 1: WRITING THAT WORKS ---------------------------------------------------------------- --- Activity 1.1: Draft a Customer Email From Scratch --- STARTER PROMPT (adapt to your own business): You are a professional business writer for a small HVAC company in Sierra Vista, Arizona. I need to follow up with a customer who received a repair estimate two weeks ago and has not responded. I want to check in, remind them the estimate is still valid, and offer to answer any questions. Write a brief, friendly email. Keep it to three short paragraphs. Use a professional but warm tone. Do not include a subject line. FOLLOW-UP PROMPTS (use these after you get the first response): Make it shorter and more direct. Rewrite this in a more casual tone, as if I know this customer personally. Add a sentence that creates a gentle sense of urgency without being pushy. --- Activity 1.2: Respond to a Difficult Customer Message --- I am going to paste a customer complaint message. Please help me write a professional, calm response that acknowledges their concern, apologizes without admitting fault, and offers a path to resolve it. Here is the message: "I have been waiting three weeks for a callback. Nobody returns my calls and I am starting to wonder if your company even cares about customers anymore. I will be leaving a review." --- Activity 1.3: Generate Social Media Content Variations --- I run a small landscaping business in Bisbee, Arizona. Here is a social media post I wrote: [paste your post here]. Please rewrite this post in five different styles: (1) friendly and conversational, (2) professional and informative, (3) brief and punchy (under 20 words), (4) question-based to encourage comments, and (5) storytelling style that opens with a customer scenario. PLACEHOLDER POST (use this if you do not have one ready): "We offer year-round landscaping services for homes and businesses in the greater Sierra Vista area. Call today for a free estimate." ================================================================ MODULE 2: KNOWING YOUR CUSTOMERS ---------------------------------------------------------------- --- Activity 2.1: Build a Customer Persona for Your Business --- EXAMPLE PROMPT (replace with your own business details): You are a marketing consultant. I own a small dog grooming salon in Sierra Vista, Arizona. My best customers are women between 40 and 65 who own one or two small-to-medium dogs. They care a lot about how their dogs are treated, not just how they look. They have been burned by groomers who rushed the job. Build a detailed customer persona for this type of customer. Include their demographics, what they value, what frustrates them, where they find businesses like mine, and what would make them choose one groomer over another. FOLLOW-UP PROMPTS: Based on this persona, what is the single most important thing I should emphasize in my marketing? What would this customer's main hesitation be about trying a new groomer for the first time? Write three sentences I could put on my website that would speak directly to this customer's concerns. --- Activity 2.2: Extract Insights From Customer Reviews (use in Gemini) --- STEP 1 - Paste these sample reviews, then use the prompt below. (In your own business, paste your actual Google, Yelp, or Facebook reviews.) Sample reviews: "Wonderful experience. The instructor was patient and never made me feel bad for being a beginner. My bowl turned out crooked but I love it. Will definitely come back." "The studio is charming but parking was a nightmare. We had to park two blocks away. Inside, everything was great --- friendly staff and good instruction." "Bought a gift certificate for my daughter. She loved it. The staff remembered her name when she came in. That personal touch is rare these days." "Classes fill up fast and the website doesn't show which ones are full until you try to book. Wasted 20 minutes trying to register. Fix the website." "Third time taking a class here. The beginner class is the same every time --- I wish there were more advanced options for people who have been coming for a while." "Great location, right in the heart of Old Town. Prices are fair for the experience you get. The only thing I'd change is adding more evening hours." STEP 2 - Analysis prompt: I am going to paste six customer reviews for my small business. Please analyze them and give me: (1) the top three things customers appreciate most, (2) the top three complaints or concerns, (3) one thing I should fix immediately, and (4) one opportunity to grow my business based on what customers are asking for. ================================================================ MODULE 3: THINKING THROUGH HARD DECISIONS ---------------------------------------------------------------- --- Activity 3.1: Walk a Business Decision Through AI --- SCENARIO: You are considering hiring a third employee for the first time. (Replace with your own real decision if you have one.) STEP 1 - Get the lay of the land: I own a small landscaping business in the Sierra Vista area with two employees including myself. I am considering hiring a third person full-time. What are the most important factors I should think through before making this decision? STEP 2 - Challenge your assumptions: I am leaning toward hiring. Play devil's advocate. What are the strongest arguments against hiring right now? STEP 3 - Find the blind spots: What are the things most small business owners overlook when they hire their first non-family employee? STEP 4 - Get a framework: Give me five questions I should be able to answer confidently before I decide to hire. If I cannot answer them, I am probably not ready. --- Activity 3.2: Pressure-Test Your Plan --- I have decided to [describe your plan]. I am fairly confident this is the right move. I want you to play the role of a skeptical business advisor. Give me the three strongest arguments that this plan could fail, and for each one, tell me what I would need to have in place to reduce that risk. --- Reusable Master Prompt (save this and paste it at the start of any session) --- For this entire conversation, you are a marketing assistant for [Your Business Name], a [type of business] in [your city]. My customers are [brief description]. My tone is [warm/professional/casual]. When I ask for written content, always match this tone and keep it specific to my business. ================================================================ APPENDIX: READY-TO-USE PROMPT LIBRARY ---------------------------------------------------------------- --- Communications --- PRICE INCREASE ANNOUNCEMENT: You are a professional business writer. I own a [type of business] in [city]. I need to announce a [X]% price increase effective [date]. My customers are [brief description]. Write a brief, honest email explaining the change and thanking them for their loyalty. Keep it under 150 words. Professional but warm tone. NEW SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: You are a marketing copywriter for small local businesses. I am adding [new service] to my [type of business] in [city]. Write a short announcement I can post on Facebook and send as an email. Two versions: one for Facebook (casual, 50 words), one for email (professional, 100 words). Include a call to action in both. RESPONDING TO A NEGATIVE REVIEW: You are a customer service specialist. I own a [type of business]. A customer left this review: [paste review]. Write a professional, empathetic public response. Acknowledge their experience, do not get defensive, and invite them to contact me directly to resolve it. Under 75 words. --- Marketing --- MONTHLY NEWSLETTER CONTENT IDEAS: You are a content strategist for small businesses. I run a [type of business] in [city]. My customers are [description]. Give me five newsletter content ideas for [month]. For each idea, give me a one-sentence subject line and a two-sentence summary of what the article would cover. GOOGLE BUSINESS PROFILE DESCRIPTION: You are a local SEO copywriter. I own [business name], a [type of business] in [city, state]. I serve [description of customers]. Write a Google Business profile description that is 150-200 words, includes the city name and business type naturally, and ends with a call to action. SEASONAL PROMOTION: You are a marketing copywriter. I run a [type of business] in [city]. Create a [season/holiday] promotion idea including: a promotion concept, a short name for it, a Facebook post announcing it (60 words), and a brief email subject line. Keep it relevant to customers in southern Arizona. --- Customer Analysis --- UNDERSTAND A COMPLAINT PATTERN: You are a business analyst. I am going to paste several customer complaints I have received. Please identify the top three underlying issues, explain what each one likely signals about my business processes, and suggest one concrete fix for each. Here are the complaints: [paste complaints] WRITE SURVEY QUESTIONS: You are a customer research specialist. I own a [type of business] and want to send a short survey to understand why some customers do not return after their first visit. Write five survey questions. Keep them brief and easy to answer. Include one open-ended question and four multiple-choice or rating questions. --- Decision Support --- EVALUATE A VENDOR OR PARTNER: You are a business advisor. I am considering [describe the vendor or partnership arrangement]. Give me ten questions I should ask or research before committing. Flag any that are especially important for small businesses. WRITE A SIMPLE BUSINESS CASE: You are a business analyst. I am considering [describe the investment or change]. Help me build a simple one-page business case. Include: what problem this solves, estimated costs, expected benefits, biggest risks, and a go/no-go recommendation framework. Keep the language straightforward, not corporate. ================================================================ Cochise College Center for Lifelong Learning George Self | contact@georgeteaches.com georgeteaches.com | cochiseai.com