Your AI Needs Training

Have you ever heard someone say:

“I tried ChatGPT once… it wasn’t very good.”

Maybe you’ve even said it yourself.

Whenever I hear that, I can’t help but think about hiring a new employee.

Imagine you hire a brand-new administrative assistant. On their first day, you point to a desk and say:

“Go help our clients.”

No training.
No procedures.
No examples.
No explanation of how your business operates.

Then, at the end of the day, you decide they aren’t very good. That wouldn’t be fair.

So why do we expect AI to perform perfectly with almost no direction?
The truth is, AI isn’t a mind reader. It’s more like a brand-new employee who’s eager to help but needs clear instructions to do great work.

Treat AI Like Your Newest Team Member

The best employees ask questions, learn your preferences, and improve over time. AI works the same way.

The more context you provide, the better the results become. Instead of giving AI a vague request, explain the assignment the way you would to a marketing assistant. Tell it who your audience is, what you’re trying to accomplish, the tone you want, and any requirements or limitations.

The difference in the quality of the results can be remarkable.

Every Prompt Is a Training Opportunity

When AI gives you something you don’t like, don’t start over. Coach it.

Just as you would with an employee, explain what you’d like changed. Ask it to make the writing more conversational, shorten it, add personality, focus on a different audience, or rewrite it for another platform.

Each piece of feedback helps AI better understand what you’re looking for.

Give AI the Information It Needs

Think about how often your clients ask you questions that require context. You wouldn’t answer without first understanding their situation. AI is no different.

The more background you provide, the better it can help. Helpful context might include:

• Your market area
• Your target audience
• Your writing style
• Your goals
• The type of client you’re speaking to
• Any limitations or requirements
• Just a little extra information can dramatically improve the quality of the response.

Build Your Own Playbook

One of the biggest time savers is creating prompts you can reuse. Instead of writing instructions from scratch every time, save your best prompts in a document. Over time, you’ll build your own library for things like:

• Listing descriptions
• Social media posts
• Buyer emails
• Seller follow-up
• Open house promotions
• Market updates
• Newsletter ideas
• Video scripts

The more you refine these prompts, the more consistent your marketing becomes.

One of the most common questions I get after talking about AI is, “What prompt do you actually use?”

I intentionally didn’t include it here because it’s something I continue to refine and update over time. If you’d like a copy of the prompt that I use as a starting point for creating real estate marketing content, I’d be happy to share it.

You can:

• Subscribe to my Practical AI newsletter to receive practical prompts, tips, and workflows as they’re released, or
• Reach out to me directly, and I’ll send you the prompt along with a few suggestions for how to customize it for your own business.

The difference between average AI results and outstanding AI results usually isn’t the technology. It’s the training.

Just like a great employee, AI performs best when expectations are clear, examples are provided, and feedback is ongoing.

So the next time AI gives you an answer that misses the mark, don’t assume it isn’t capable.

Treat it like a new team member…
Give it better instructions.
Coach it.
Refine it.

You may be surprised how quickly your newest “employee” becomes one of your most valuable tools.