ChatGPT for Tradies: Ten Prompts for Quotes, Texts and Follow-Ups

The most useful ChatGPT prompts for a tradie each aim at a countable job outcome: a quote and a two-option version the customer accepts by reply, an exclusions line, two chasers, a booking confirmation, a delay text, a handover message, an invoice reminder and a rebooking nudge. Keep all ten in one ChatGPT Project so voice and rules stay fixed.

A Project is a folder inside ChatGPT that carries your instructions and files into every chat opened within it. That matters because ten prompts written fresh each time drift: the tone wanders, the rules get forgotten and somebody leaves out the line that stops it inventing a guarantee. Kept in a Project, the voice and the rules are set once, and each prompt shrinks to the facts of the job.

Follow me on Instagram@sagnikteaches

The aim of each message is an outcome you can count: a customer who replies yes, a cleared room on the day, an invoice paid on time or a booking for next year. A message that merely sounds nice isn't the target. The examples come from different trades, and every figure in them is invented for illustration.

Connect on LinkedInSagnik Bhattacharya

ChatGPT writes the words and the sums stay yours. Prices go into each prompt already worked out, and tax is never the model's business: whether a price shows GST or any other sales tax is a matter for your accountant, which is why the Project rules forbid ChatGPT from touching it.

Subscribe on YouTube@sagnikteaches

Set up the Project once

1. Create the Project and name it for the job it does, such as "Quotes and texts". Projects are available on every plan, the free one included.
2. Paste in the instructions below. They carry your voice and the six rules that every prompt then inherits.
3. Add the files: your price list with no customer details, your standard terms in your own words, and four or five of your best past messages with names and numbers removed.
4. Open a new chat inside the Project for each job, so one customer's notes never sit in another customer's chat.

You write short customer messages for my one-person trade business. Work only from the Project files and the notes I paste.
Voice: friendly, plain, first-name terms, short sentences, "I" never "we". No emojis, no exclamation marks, no stock phrases such as "circling back", "hope this finds you well" or "any inconvenience".
Rules:
1. Use only the facts, prices, dates and terms I give in the message. If one is missing, write [MISSING].
2. Never calculate, add, remove or comment on tax. Copy my price basis exactly (for example "excluding tax").
3. Never add guarantees, insurance claims, discounts, deadlines, late fees, scarcity or popularity claims.
4. Never give technical or safety instructions I have not written.
5. Leave [first name] and [your name] as placeholders. Never ask me for customer names, addresses or phone numbers.
6. Keep to the word limit I set; if I set none, use 70 words.

Keep customer information out of every file, because a Project keeps whatever you put in it. The three files fit on any plan: a Project holds 5 files on Free, 25 on Go or Plus and 40 on Pro or a business plan. If a partner or an office helper sends texts too, share the Project with them. Sharing works on every plan, with room for 5 collaborators on Free and 10 on Go or Plus, and once shared, the Project switches to project-only memory, so it can't pull in either person's other chats or saved memories. If ChatGPT's memory is on, look through what it has saved now and then and delete anything with customer details. Plus lists at $20 a month; ChatGPT Business needs two seats, at $25 each monthly or $20 billed annually, and doesn't train on business data by default.

Win the job: prompts 1 to 5

Prompt 1: the quote text a customer can answer with one word

Outcome: the customer accepts by replying. Measure: quotes accepted within seven days, out of quotes sent. The example is a plumber's small job, with the sums done before the prompt. For a fuller quote template with scope and validity wording, see the tradie quote template with a GST line, validity and acceptance wording.

QUOTE TEXT (under 80 words)
Job: replace a leaking kitchen mixer tap and fit two isolation valves.
Labour: 2.5 hours at $95 = $237.50. Parts: valves and fittings $52 (customer supplies the tap).
Total: $289.50. Price basis: excluding tax, as my accountant set up my template.
Available: Tuesday or Wednesday morning.
Finish with a line telling them to reply YES with a day to book.

Illustrative output.
Hi [first name], here's my price to replace the leaking mixer tap and fit two isolation valves: labour $237.50 (2.5 hours), parts $52, total $289.50 excluding tax. You supply the tap. I can do Tuesday or Wednesday morning, and the price is valid for 14 days. Reply YES with the day you prefer and I'll book you in. [your name]

Check the sum first: 2.5 times $95 is $237.50, plus $52 is $289.50, and the draft shows exactly that. "Valid for 14 days" is the model's own idea. If you have a validity period, it belongs in your standard terms and in the notes; if you don't, cut it. The tax wording is your price basis copied word for word, which is the only way tax should ever appear.

Prompt 2: two options, so the customer chooses instead of deciding whether to hire

Outcome: the customer picks between two prices instead of deciding whether to go ahead at all. Measure: the share of quotes that get any answer. The example is a carpenter's deck repair, priced as a basic and a fuller job.

TWO-OPTION QUOTE (under 90 words)
Job: damaged deck boards.
Option 1: replace 6 boards. Labour 4 hours at $80 = $320, boards $160. Total $480.
Option 2: Option 1 plus re-oil the whole deck so the new boards match. Extra labour 3 hours at $80 = $240, oil $60. Total $780.
Price basis: excluding tax.
Available: the next two Saturdays.
Do not recommend an option. Ask which they prefer.

Illustrative output.
Hi [first name], two ways to sort the deck. Option 1: replace the six damaged boards, $480. Option 2: replace the boards and re-oil the whole deck so the new boards match, $780. Both prices exclude tax. Most customers choose Option 2. I can do either on the next two Saturdays. Which would you prefer? [your name]

"Most customers choose Option 2" is a popularity claim. The rules forbid it and nobody can verify it, so delete it. Then check the second price: $480 plus $240 plus $60 is $780. The model did what the prompt asked on recommending nothing, which is the part worth noticing, because a pushed option turns a choice back into a sales pitch.

Prompt 3: the exclusions note that stops an argument at invoice time

Outcome: no dispute about what the price covered. Measure: calls and texts asking "was that included?" after the job. The example is a tiler's splashback, and the assumptions are the tiler's own.

EXCLUSIONS NOTE (4 bullets at most, plus one closing line)
Job: tile a kitchen splashback, about 3 square metres.
Assumptions: walls are flat and sound; price covers adhesive and grout in a colour they choose from my sample board; customer supplies the tiles; price does not cover removing or refitting sockets, which need an electrician; if the wall needs more than light skimming I tell them before carrying on and quote it.
Do not state any hourly rate for extras.

Illustrative output.
So there are no surprises on the day:
- I'm assuming the wall is flat and sound.
- The price covers adhesive and grout in a colour you choose from my sample board. You supply the tiles.
- Moving or refitting sockets isn't included and needs an electrician.
- If the wall needs more than a light skim, I'll tell you before carrying on, and extra work is charged at $85 an hour.
Questions are welcome before you book.

The $85 rate came from nowhere, and it appeared even though the prompt said not to state one. If you want a rate in writing, put it in the notes. The sentence that matters is the one you supplied: extra work gets a quote before anyone carries on. That is also the sentence to point to if a customer later says nobody mentioned it.

Prompt 4: the 48-hour chaser

Outcome: some reply within a day, whether yes, no or a question. Measure: replies within 24 hours of the chaser. The example is a painter's quote for a hallway, stairs and landing. The mechanics of automating follow-ups are in AI automation for tradies: quote follow-ups that run themselves; the wording below works by hand today.

CHASER 1 (under 40 words)
Quote sent 2 days ago for repainting a hallway, stairs and landing: $1,860 excluding tax. I have a gap starting next Monday.
Ask for a yes, a no or any question. Make a no easy to say.

Illustrative output.
Hi [first name], circling back on the hallway, stairs and landing quote. I have a gap starting next Monday, so I wanted to check where you'd got to. A yes, a no or any question is all I need. [your name]

"Circling back" got through even though the Project instructions ban it. Rules reduce these slips without ending them, which is why you still read every message. Replace it with how you'd actually say it, perhaps "just checking in". The rest does the job: a real reason (the gap), a small ask and permission to say no.

Prompt 5: the closing note that frees your diary

Outcome: a clean yes or no, and the held slot released. Measure: quotes still undecided ten days after sending. Closing the file politely gives the customer an easy way to answer at last.

CHASER 2, CLOSING NOTE (under 50 words)
Same quote, now 9 days old, no reply to the first chaser. I will release the Monday gap tomorrow.
Say I will close the quote unless I hear back, that it is easy to reopen, and that no reply is fine. No deadline other than tomorrow.

Illustrative output.
Hi [first name], I haven't heard back on the painting quote, so I'll close it on my side tomorrow and release the Monday slot. If you'd still like it, just reply and I'll find the next gap. No problem at all if the timing isn't right. This price is only available until Friday. [your name]

Cut the Friday line. The prompt said no deadline other than tomorrow and the model added one anyway, which is the same invented-deadline habit as the validity period in prompt 1. Then do the diary part for real: set a reminder to release the Monday gap tomorrow, so that the message and your calendar tell the same story.

Protect the day: prompts 6 to 8

Prompt 6: the booking confirmation with an access checklist

Outcome: no wasted trip. Measure: visits where you couldn't start because of access, power or a missing person. The example is an electrician fitting two outdoor lights, and the checklist is the part that earns the message its place.

BOOKING CONFIRMATION (under 80 words)
Job: fit two outdoor security lights at the back door.
Arriving: Thursday 8am to 9am.
Ask them to: make sure the fuse board is reachable, tell me about any known cables or pipes in the wall by the back door, confirm someone will be home to let me in, and say where I can park.
Power will be off for about an hour; say so.

Illustrative output.
Hi [first name], Thursday is confirmed for the two outdoor security lights at the back door, and I'll arrive between 8 and 9am. Could you make sure the fuse board is reachable, tell me about any cables or pipes you know of in that wall, confirm someone will be home, and let me know where I can park? The power will be off for about an hour. I'll bring everything needed on the day. [your name]

Delete "I'll bring everything needed on the day". Nothing in the notes says who supplies the lights, and a wrong assumption written into a confirmation turns into a second trip. If the customer is buying the fittings, say so in the notes and the line becomes accurate. Every other part of the message came from your input, and the arrival window is the one you gave.

Prompt 7: the delay text that keeps the job

Outcome: the customer waits instead of cancelling. Measure: jobs lost after a delay. The example is a bathroom retile held up by a supplier. Give the true reason and a choice of new dates, and keep the apology to one.

DELAY TEXT (under 60 words)
Job: bathroom retile, start was Monday.
Reason (true): the tile supplier's delivery slipped to Thursday. New start: Friday.
Offer: keep Friday, or move to the following Monday if that suits them better.
One apology only. Do not blame the supplier by name.

Illustrative output.
Hi [first name], sorry to say the tile delivery for your bathroom has slipped to Thursday, so I can't start Monday. I can start Friday instead, or the following Monday if that suits you better. Unfortunately this is outside our control, and we apologise for any inconvenience. Let me know which you prefer. [your name]

One sentence breaks three rules at once: "our", "we" and "any inconvenience" are all banned in the Project instructions, and they arrived together. Cut the sentence. You have already apologised once, and a second, stiffer apology makes the delay sound bigger than it is. Keep the choice between Friday and the following Monday, because that choice is what keeps the job.

Prompt 8: the handover message that cuts call-backs

Outcome: fewer call-backs, because the customer knows what was done and who to ring. Measure: call-backs within two weeks of finishing. The example reuses the plumber's tap job from prompt 1.

HANDOVER TEXT (under 70 words)
Job finished: new mixer tap and two isolation valves under the kitchen sink.
Tell them: the valves are under the sink and I showed them where; call me on [number] if anything drips in the next two weeks; the invoice follows tonight.
Do not explain how to use the valves.

Illustrative output.
Hi [first name], all finished. The new isolation valves are under the sink, where I showed you, and turning their handles a quarter turn cuts the water to the tap if you ever need to. If anything drips in the next two weeks, call me on [number]. Your invoice follows tonight. [your name]

The quarter-turn instruction is the dangerous line. Nothing in the notes says these valves turn that way, and some isolation valves are slotted screws that need a screwdriver. A wrong instruction in writing is how a leak becomes a flood and a complaint. Delete it or replace it with your own wording. The prompt even said not to explain the valves, which shows why rule 4 exists and why you still read the draft.

Get paid and get rebooked: prompts 9 and 10

Prompt 9: the invoice message and two reminders

Outcome: the invoice is paid by its due date. Measure: invoices paid on time, out of invoices issued. Three messages, each with a different job, are enough. For more on tone and timing, see chasing unpaid invoices with AI: polite reminders for trades.

INVOICE MESSAGES (three, each under 45 words)
Job: kitchen tap replacement. Invoice for $289.50 as quoted; tax is shown in my invoicing app. Due in 7 days. Payment details are in the invoice; do not repeat any bank details.
Message 1: invoice sent, thank them.
Message 2: friendly reminder on the due date.
Message 3: firmer reminder 7 days after the due date, still polite, asking them to call me if there is a problem.
No late fees, no threats, no mention of debt collection.

Illustrative output.
1: Hi [first name], your invoice for the tap replacement ($289.50) is on its way. Thanks for the work. [your name]
2: Hi [first name], a quick reminder that the tap replacement invoice is due today. The payment details are on the invoice. [your name]
3: Hi [first name], the tap replacement invoice is now a week overdue. Please pay by Friday, or a late fee of 5% will apply. If there's a problem, call me and we'll sort it out. [your name]

The late fee and the Friday deadline in message 3 are both invented. Late fees belong in the terms the customer agreed, and rules about them differ from place to place, so ask your accountant or adviser before a fee ever appears in a message. Keep the closing invitation to call: it is how you find out whether an overdue invoice is forgetfulness or a dispute, and the answer decides what you say next.

Prompt 10: the rebooking nudge to a past customer

Outcome: repeat work from people who already trust you. Measure: replies from a list of past customers, such as the twenty you served around a year ago. The example is a carpenter's reminder about a deck oiled yearly.

REBOOKING TEXT (under 50 words)
For a customer whose deck I repaired 11 months ago. At the time I said it should be re-oiled every year. I am planning my diary for [MONTH]. Offer to pencil in an oil-and-check visit. No price in this message; I will quote on reply. Make it easy to ignore.

Illustrative output.
Hi [first name], it's [your name], who repaired your deck last year. I'm planning my diary for [MONTH], and the deck is due its yearly oil. Shall I pencil you in for a check and re-oil? Your warranty on the repair runs out soon, so it's worth doing now. No worries if not.

"Your warranty on the repair runs out soon" is a scare line. Nobody mentioned a warranty, and it pushes the customer instead of inviting them. Delete it. Before you send a message like this to a whole list, check the messaging rules where you work: reminders to past customers can count as marketing, and consent rules differ. Replies to a single customer who has just enquired are a different case from a list send, so keep the two apart.

Tax lines and numbers stay yours

Every quote and invoice carries tax of some kind, and every prompt above handled it the same way. The price basis went in as a phrase, "excluding tax" or "including tax", exactly as your accountant has set it up, and the Project rules forbid the model from calculating, adding, removing or commenting on tax. That isn't caution for its own sake. Whether GST or any other sales tax shows on a quote, how a tax invoice must read and whether a small business has to charge tax at all are accountant questions, and the answers differ from business to business. A model can slip on the arithmetic and on the wording, and a wrong tax line costs real money. Template wording for a tax invoice is something to have your accountant approve once, not something to regenerate every month.

The same goes for rates and totals. Every hourly rate in the examples came from the notes, and every total was added up before the prompt. If you can't say where your own rate comes from, working out a tradesman's hourly rate without guessing is the place to start, well before any message gets written.

Does it earn its keep? Four outcomes counted for a month

Ten prompts that sound good prove nothing. Count four outcomes for the month before you start, then for the first month with the prompts, and note which prompts each one depends on, so a line that doesn't move points you at the messages behind it. The figures in the table are made up to show the layout, and yours may not move on every line, which is information too.

A quick sum to test your own numbers. Say you send 12 quotes a month averaging $450. One extra accepted quote a month is $450 of work, set against nothing on the free plan or $20 a month for Plus. If it takes three months to see that one extra yes, the paid plan has still cost $60. If the numbers don't move after four weeks, the prompts probably aren't the thing to fix: look at the price, the speed of your first reply, or what the quote leaves unsaid. To fit these messages into a regular admin hour, a weekly AI routine for tradie quotes, invoices and messages shows one way to do it.

Questions tradies ask about running ChatGPT from a Project

Why use a Project instead of a fresh chat each time?

A Project keeps your instructions and files, such as your voice card, price list and standard terms, loaded for every chat inside it. You stop re-pasting the same background, the output stays consistent, and a second person can use the same set-up once sharing is switched on.

Should ChatGPT work out GST on my quotes?

No. Give it finished figures and tell it to state them exactly as written. Whether a price includes or excludes GST or any other sales tax, and how it is shown, is a question for your accountant. A model can slip on the arithmetic and the tax treatment, and a wrong tax line costs real money.

What goes in a Project's files for a tradie?

Your price list with no customer details, your standard terms in your own words, and four or five of your best past messages with names removed. When your prices change, replace the price-list file the same day, because every chat in the Project works from whichever version is stored there.

Will a custom GPT do the same job?

Not for long. OpenAI has stopped new custom GPTs being created and has scheduled existing ones to stop running on 11 December 2026. Its own migration turns an existing GPT into a plugin, but for ten message prompts a Project is the simpler home, so move any instructions you wrote into one.

Further reads

• AI for Tradies: Eight Admin Jobs to Hand Over Before You Hire Help — Eight admin jobs to hand over before you hire help.
• Best AI for Tradies: Seven Tools by Job, Price and Setup Effort — Seven tools compared by job, price and set-up effort.
• Tradie Apps: Quote, Schedule and Invoice Tools Compared, With AI Features — Quote, schedule and invoice apps with their AI features.
• Tradie Invoice Template: Tax Invoice Wording and Reminders With AI — Tax invoice wording and reminders, ready for your accountant to approve.
• 10 ChatGPT Prompts for Plumbers: Call-Backs, Quotes, Complaints — Ten prompts written for plumbers, including call-backs and complaints.
• 10 ChatGPT Prompts for Electricians: Quotes, Emails and T&Cs — Ten prompts for electricians, including terms and conditions.
• ChatGPT Productivity Tool for Plumbers: Free, Plus or Business? — Free, Plus or Business: which ChatGPT plan a small trade firm needs.
• Kitchen Installation Quote Template: Scope and Exclusions With AI — Write a fitting-only kitchen quote with a clear scope, a trade-boundary table and exclusions, using AI for the first draft and a worked quote with totals.
• Kitchen Remodel Estimate Template: Line Items Written With ChatGPT — A kitchen remodel estimate by phase, a two-pass ChatGPT prompt that finds forgotten lines, and a worked estimate with allowances, contingency and totals.
• Can an AI Agent Run a Tradie Office? What It Handles Now — An honest split of tradie office work: what an AI agent can handle today, what it can only draft, and what stays with the owner.
• AI Tools and AI Development: The Complete 2026 Guide — the AI hub, including every tutorial in the AI-for-business series.

Sources: OpenAI's ChatGPT pricing page and help-centre notes on Projects, file limits, memory, data controls and the custom GPT retirement notice.