Business Prompting Guide

Zero-Shot Prompts

Instead of just asking, "Create a SWOT analysis", use:

Generate a detailed SWOT analysis for launching our SaaS product in the Australian market.
Focus on:

• Specific strengths in technology and pricing

• Weaknesses in local market knowledge

• Opportunities in emerging economies

• Threats from established regional competitors

Include 3-4 bullet points per category and prioritise them by impact.

Few-Shot Prompts

Instead of a simple format example, provide detailed templates:

Please analyze our quarterly performance using this exact format:

Q1 2024:

• Revenue: $1.2M (+15% YoY)

• Customer Acquisition Cost: $250

• Net Promoter Score: 65

• Key Win: Launch of mobile app

Now analyze Q2-Q4 using the same structure with these metrics: [data]

Chain-of-Thought Prompts

Structure complex problems with clear sequential steps:

Help us evaluate a new retail location opportunity. Please:

1. First, analyze the local market size using these demographics: [data]

2. Then, map competitor locations within a 5-mile radius

3. Next, calculate potential foot traffic based on these transport hub statistics: [data]

4. Finally, project first-year ROI using our standard metrics:

• Setup costs

• Operating expenses

• Expected revenue

Explain your reasoning at each step.

Contextual Prompts

Provide rich background information structure:

Context:

• Company: B2B SaaS platform for inventory management

• Current state: 30% annual churn rate, 50 employees

• Target market: Manufacturing companies ($10M-$50M revenue)

• Main pain point: Complex onboarding process

• Current pricing: $500-2000/month

Based on this context, develop a 90-day customer retention strategy that prioritises:

1. Reducing onboarding friction

2. Increasing product adoption

3. Improving customer support response times

Role-Based Prompts

Frame the role with specific expertise and constraints:

Act as a Chief Financial Officer with 15+ years of experience in tech startups.

Review our financial metrics:

[include metrics]

1. Provide strategic recommendations for:

2. Optimizing our capital structure

3. Managing burn rate

4. Planning future funding rounds

Format your response as an executive summary followed by a detailed analysis. Use standard financial terminology and cite specific metrics to support your recommendations.

Analytical Prompts

Structure data analysis requests with clear parameters:

Analyse our customer satisfaction data with these specifications:

Input data:

• 12 months of NPS scores

• Customer support ticket volumes

• Feature usage metrics

• Churn rates

Required analysis:

1. Identify primary drivers of negative reviews

2. Segment feedback by customer size

3. Correlate feature usage with satisfaction

4. Recommend three specific product improvements

Present findings with supporting data points and confidence levels.

Decision-Making Prompts

Frame decisions with clear criteria and constraints:

Help evaluate our software development options:

Decision criteria:

1. Budget: $500K maximum

2. Timeline: Must launch within 6 months

3. Quality requirements: 99.9% uptime needed

4. Scalability: Support 100K users

For each option (in-house vs. outsourcing):

• List pros and cons

• Estimate total cost of ownership

• Assess risk factors

• Recommend preferred approach with justification

Process Development Prompts

Specify clear requirements and constraints:

Design an employee onboarding process with these parameters:

Requirements:

• Maximum duration: 5 business days

• Must include: compliance training, system setup, team integration

• Budget: $2000 per new hire

• Deliverable: Daily schedule with specific activities

Create a process that:

1. Lists each day's activities with time allocations

2. Identifies responsible stakeholders

3. Includes success metrics

4. Provides contingency plans for common issues

Technical Documentation Prompts

Specify audience and detail level:

Create API documentation that serves both technical and business audiences:

The technical section should include:

• Authentication methods

• Endpoint descriptions

• Request/response formats

• Rate limits

• Error handling

The business section should include:

• Use case examples

• Integration benefits

• Cost implications

• Security overview

Use clear examples for each section and include sample code where relevant.

Executive Communication Prompts

Structure brief, high-impact communications:

Create a 2-minute quarterly performance brief with:

Structure:

1. Headline achievement (10 seconds)

2. Three key metrics (30 seconds)

3. Strategic wins (40 seconds)

4. Challenges and solutions (30 seconds)

5. Next quarter outlook (10 seconds)

Key requirements:

• Use maximum 200 words

• Include specific numbers

• Focus on business impact

• End with clear action items

Stakeholder Dialogue Prompts

Frame sensitive communications with clear context:

Draft a client communication addressing project delays:

Context:

• Project is 2 weeks behind schedule

• Budget is 15% over initial estimate

• Technical issues caused 60% of delays

• Client has expressed frustration

Required elements:

1. Acknowledgment of issues

2. Clear explanation of causes

3. Specific remediation plan

4. Future prevention measures

5. Request for client feedback

Tone: Professional but empathetic

Length: Maximum 500 words

Format: Email with bullet points for action items