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Compare three vendor quotes on a three-year cost basis

  • For FP&A and financial analysts
  • You practice Setting limits and rules
  • Time about 5 minutes
  • Level Intermediate

About this exercise

You're helping a manager compare three quotes. Write a prompt for plain text with lines starting "Quote A:", "Quote B:", "Quote C:" and "Lowest 3-year cost:". Each quote line shows the arithmetic for total cost over 36 months, including any setup fee and price increase. State the cost facts only: no recommendation and nothing about quality. Under 90 words.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Flat pricing for Quote C. The AI multiplies $3,200 by 36 and misses the increases. Try: Add: "Year 2 = year 1 x 1.15, year 3 = year 2 x 1.15."
  • Missing the discount or fee. The AI forgets A's 5% off or B's $6,000 setup. Try: Say: "Include setup fees and discounts."
  • Recommending on reviews. The AI picks Halcyon for its reviews. Try: Add: "Cost facts only. Do not recommend a vendor or comment on quality."
  • Markdown extras. The AI adds bold labels, headings and a closing note. Try: Say: "Plain text, no bold. Output only the lines asked for."
  • Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting and runs past word limits. Try: Ask for fewer words than the real cap and keep each line short.

What a strong prompt includes

  • Names the four lines
  • Includes fees and discounts
  • Gives the compounding rule
  • Bans recommendation
  • Caps length

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