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Build a segment margin table that exposes the losing segment

  • For Executives
  • You practice Asking for a format you can use
  • Time about 5 minutes
  • Level Advanced

About this exercise

Your CEO wants profit margin by customer segment. Make one markdown table with columns Segment, Revenue, Cost and Margin %, sorted by margin highest first, with a Total row at the end, margin as (revenue - cost) / revenue with one decimal and a minus sign when negative. Then one last line 'Only losing segment:' naming it with its margin. Plain text apart from the table, under 90 words.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Hiding the negative. The AI shows SMB margin as 2.5% with no sign. Try: Add: "Minus sign when negative: -2.5%."
  • Wrong order. The AI keeps the input order with SMB first. Try: Add: "Sort by margin, highest first."
  • Defending SMB. The AI adds growth arguments for SMB. Try: Add: "Last line only: Only losing segment: SMB (-2.5%). Nothing else."
  • Leaving the format to chance. The AI picks its own length and layout unless told the exact shape. Try: Add: "Plain text, no bold or headings."
  • Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands over it. Try: Cap each part instead, for example "each line under 15 words."

What a strong prompt includes

  • Names the columns
  • Asks for a sort
  • Asks for the sign
  • Asks for a total row
  • Asks for the closing line

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