Use ChatGPT effectively as an SMB owner: checklist for better results
Erwin Berkouwer
ChatGPT gives vague answers if you ask vague questions. With this 8-point checklist, you as an entrepreneur can get more out of ChatGPT directly — without technical knowledge.
ChatGPT gives vague answers if you ask vague questions. The tool is powerful, but works only well if you give it the right instructions. With this 8-point checklist, you as an entrepreneur can get more out of ChatGPT directly — without technical knowledge.
Why are you getting vague answers now?
ChatGPT knows nothing about you, your business or your customers — unless you tell it. Imagine directing a new employee who doesn't know your business, has never seen a quote from you, and doesn't know who he is writing for. Then you also get generic output.
The good news: you don't have to learn anything technical. You only have to learn how to provide the right information.
The checklist: 8 steps for better ChatGPT results
✅ 1. Give ChatGPT a role
What: Tell ChatGPT which expert he should be.
Example:
"You are an experienced quote specialist for a Dutch installation company."
Why it works: ChatGPT adjusts his tone, word choice and approach based on the role. A marketer writes differently than a lawyer or a calculator.
✅ 2. Provide context about your business
What: Tell who you are, what you do and for whom.
Example:
"We are a transport company with 12 employees in the Randstad. Our customers are mainly e-commerce companies that want same-day delivery."
Why it works: Without context, ChatGPT writes for an unknown average business. With context, it writes for your situation.
✅ 3. Describe the target audience
What: Tell who the output is intended for.
Example:
"Write this for a purchasing manager at a mid-sized retail company. He is busy, skeptical and wants to quickly know what it will do for him."
Why it works: ChatGPT tunes the level, tone and arguments to the reader. That's how marketing works — that's how good AI output works too.
✅ 4. Specify the desired format
What: Say exactly what the output should look like.
Example:
"Give the output as a bulleted list of maximum 5 points. Each point maximum 2 sentences. No introduction, no conclusion."
Why it works: Without format instructions you get an essay when you want an email, or a summary when you want a work plan. Be concrete.
✅ 5. Provide an example
What: Paste an example of what you want — your own style, an earlier text, a template.
Example:
"Here is a quote I wrote earlier that worked well: [text]. Write the new quote in the same style."
Why it works: One good example says more than ten instructions. ChatGPT learns your style directly.
✅ 6. Iterate in the conversation
What: Use the response as a starting point, not as an end product.
Example:
"Good start. Make point 3 more concrete with a figure. Delete point 5, that doesn't fit with us. Make the tone a bit more informal."
Why it works: ChatGPT works best as a conversation, not as a search engine. One round is rarely the best result. Three rounds is normal.
✅ 7. Save good prompts as a template
What: Keep prompts that work well in a document or note-taking app.
Example template:
Role: [fill in] | Context: [fill in] | Target audience: [fill in] | Format: [fill in] | Task: [fill in]
Why it works: You don't have to reinvent the wheel every day. A library of 10 good prompts saves your team hours per week.
✅ 8. Use ChatGPT for the right tasks
What: Deploy ChatGPT for tasks with repetition, structure or writing work — not for decisions.
Good for ChatGPT:
- Write quotes, emails, newsletters
- Summarize meeting notes
- Answer customer questions (with your instruction)
- Draw up job descriptions and vacancies
- Brainstorm about approach or strategy
Not for ChatGPT:
- Legal or financial decisions without verification
- Current market data (ChatGPT doesn't know what happened yesterday)
- Customer contact without human review
What does this deliver to you?
Entrepreneurs working with this approach typically see:
- 2–4 hours of time savings per week on writing and communication
- Better output in fewer rounds — because ChatGPT understands the context
- Less frustration — because you know why it works or doesn't work
It takes a few hours of investment to build your first templates. After that it works as a fixed routine task.
Want to know how to use this structurally in your business? Check out our AI coaching and training for SMBs or read more about AI tools we integrate for Dutch companies.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a bad and a good ChatGPT prompt?
A bad prompt is short and vague: "write a quote". A good prompt provides context, role, target audience, format and possibly an example. The difference in output is enormous — both in quality and in how usable the result is immediately.
Do I have to explain everything each time?
No. Save your standard context as a fixed "start text" at the top of each conversation. You can also save this as a custom instruction in ChatGPT via Settings > Custom instructions. Then you only have to set it up once.
Is ChatGPT safe for business-sensitive information?
In the free version, OpenAI uses your conversations for training — unless you turn this off. With ChatGPT Team or Enterprise, your data is not used for training. For SMBs working with customer data, we recommend the paid version.
How much time does it take to learn this?
An afternoon. Read this checklist, practice with three tasks you normally do manually, and build your first prompt template. After a week it's routine.
Can I also link ChatGPT to my own systems?
Yes, that is possible via AI integrations or workflows. Think of automatically processing emails, summarizing CRM data or filling in forms. Check out our integration options for SMBs for concrete examples.
