Turn ChatGPT Into Your Hardest-Working Employee (Who Works for Free)

Andy
No catch. This one’s for real, and you can start using it today. I’m talking about chatGPT. Artificial intelligence that’s already changing the way smart tradies are running their businesses. 

Ange
And before you switch off thinking, I’m no tech whiz, just stick around because this is not about becoming a computer nerd. It’s about freeing up hours in your week so you can actually finish work before the kids are in bed. 

Andy
Exactly. And here’s the thing, if you don’t learn to use it now, your competitors will and they’ll be winning jobs faster and with less stress while you are still buried in admin. 

Ange
So in today’s episode, we’re going to show you exactly how to use chatGPT in your trade business. And why it could be the very best employee you’ve ever had. 

Andy
You’re listening to The Tradie Show. This is the podcast for trade business and contracting bosses like you who wanna lead with confidence, make more profit, and create a better lifestyle. 

Ange
We’re your hosts, Andy and Angela Smith, husband & wife team and co-founders of Lifestyle Tradie. Are you ready to have some fun? 

Andy
Hell yeah!

Can we be real for a sec? If you are working your ass off, but the money’s not there. If the pressure’s building and you are wondering, is this even worth it? Then you need to be at Stress-Free Tradie. 

Ange
It’s our one day live event where we show you how to get your trade business under control without working more hours or burning out.

Andy
It’s the staff we wish someone told us years ago. Real strategies, real stories and real change. 

Ange
Come for the tactics and stay for the community. You are not alone in this. 

Andy
Grab your ticket at lifestyletradie.com.au/events. Let’s sort this out together.

Alright. It’s time to kick things off with some Hell yeah wins from our amazing Lifestyle Tradie members. Hell yeah! These are the legends who’ve been there smashing it in their businesses, proving that small changes can lead to massive results. And hopefully these give you some inspo on what you can do in your business. Ange? What do we have this week? 

Ange
All right, we’ve got some great Hell yes to share, Andy. So first up, a big shout out to Matt and Sonya, plumbers in Queensland and they write, “Our goal this year was to enter more awards and we found out recently we’re finalists in four categories of our local area, chamber of Commerce Business Distinction Awards. And we had a new staff member start this week who was a referral from our most recent hire. He loves the way we operate and said we actually operate like a real business. Things are so organized and just done right. So he recommended us to his mate, and he’s working out brilliantly”. 

Andy
Yeah. Hell yeah. These guys are absolute superstars and we have got them coming up on the podcast very, very soon. Who’s up next, Ange? 

Ange
All right, so next up is Brad, who runs a refrigeration and aircon business in Adelaide, and he writes, “We had an experienced tech send a resume through. His wife liked what our social media showed and the family first ethos of the company. So I asked him to see if we had any positions we interviewed, and he’s happy to wait for the right time to move across”.

Andy
That is a big hell yeah, as well, Brad. This is the thing, right? When you start playing in this social space and people start to see who you are, it not only attracts more work, but it attracts good workers as well. Who else have we got? 

Ange
Alright, Simon and Laura, who run a solar company near Ballina on the Queensland New South Wales border, and they share, “We got ourselves a warehouse office and began our fit out”.

Andy
Uh, that’s a big hell yeah, it’s always a big step, isn’t it? When you go in and move into a warehouse, setting it up, getting ready, taking that office potentially away from home, but that is absolutely awesome guys. You are crushing it up there. Exciting times ahead. 

Ange
And one last hell yeah for today. So this is a personal one from Dion who runs a glazing business in Adelaide who says, “After three years of immigrating here, we’ve just applied for our permanent residency”.

Andy
Yeah, mate, you’ve been an absolute superstar working with us. You’ve gone so far in the last couple of years and, and now to be getting your permanent residency is just another tick in the box mate. You and your family are absolutely flying and that’s what we’re all about here. Helping tradies like you take control, make changes, and see the winds roll on in.

All right. Let’s be blunt. AI isn’t just some passing fad like the fidget spinners or a keto diet. It is here. It’s getting smarter every day, and it’s already changing how the world does business. The tradies that jump on this now will be miles ahead and the ones that don’t? Well, you’ll be the blockbuster video of your industry. Still around for a bit, but slowly dying why your competition takes all of your customers. 

Ange
And we’re not talking about something that’s coming soon. It’s actually already here, and your competitors are using it right now to quote jobs faster, follow up leads quicker and market themselves better than you. If you’re not paying attention, you are already falling behind and you probably don’t even know it yet. 

Andy
Now, here’s the thing. AI isn’t just chatGPT. There are stacks of AI tools out there, ones that can design logos, edit videos, and write social media posts in a blink of an eye. It’s a whole toolbox.

Ange
Yes, that’s true, but we don’t wanna overwhelm you with all of them today. We’re gonna focus on just one tool, and it’s the one that’s making the biggest impact for tradies right now, and that’s chatGPT. 

Andy
Think of it like this. If AI is the entire Bunnings, then chatGPT is the power drill you actually use every day. You can do a lot with it if you know the right way to use it. And that’s exactly what we’re gonna share with you today. Okay. So before we share why it’s having such an impact and how you can use it to your advantage. Let’s just answer the big question. What the heck is chatGPT anyway? 

Ange
Yeah, yeah. Look, it’s a great question because if you’re sitting here thinking, I’ve heard the name, but I have no idea what it actually does, then this bits for you.

Andy
Alright, so the fancy description is this. It’s a large language model, which sounds like a cross between a new Hilux model and a wordy dictionary. 

Ange
Yeah, but hey, let’s talk in layman’s terms. ChatGPT is a type of artificial intelligence or AI that’s been trained to understand and respond to human language. It’s read millions of books and websites and articles, so it can have a conversation with you just like a person would.

Andy
Basically, anything that can be written down, it can create, think instructions, emails, ads, quotes, you name it, you type or give verbal instruction as to what you want. It processes all that info, it’s learned and spits out an answer in seconds.

Ange
And you know the best part, it comes without the emotional baggage of a human. No bad days, no opinion. And you can’t say anything to upset it.

Andy
It sounds like a dream, doesn’t it? 

Ange
Yeah, I know. It’s just really, really good at spotting patterns in language and using those patterns to give you a really relevant response, literally within seconds.

Andy
So think of it like the smartest tradie or office manager you’ve ever had, except it’s read more manuals than any human could in 10 lifetimes. It never forgets what you tell it. And it’s available 24/7. 

Ange
And the best part, you don’t need to be a tech wizard to use it. If you can send a text message, then you can use chatGPT.

Andy
So here’s the big news, chatGPT just had a major upgrade. We’re talking GPT 5. It’s the newest, smartest version yet and it’s gonna make life for tradies even easier. 

Ange
Exactly. So this thing is faster and more accurate than its predecessor. No more vague sort of answers. It’s like going from a rusty odd ute to a brand new turbo diesel. Same job, but way better performance. 

Andy
And it’s not just about speed. The GPT 5 can follow a conversation from start to finish, even if it’s long or complex. Perfect if you’re working on a big quote or you’ve got a list of tasks you wanna knock over in one go. 

Ange
Plus you can set the tone. Maybe you want it friendly, maybe straight to the point, even a bit of a smart ass, if that’s your style. So GPT 5 has built in personalities so it can talk in a way that suits you. 

Andy
And here’s the part I reckon you love. It links to things like your email and calendar, so you can get it into draft emails, remind you about jobs or even help plan your week without leaving the chat. 

Ange
This isn’t just some tech fad. GPT 5 is a tool that’s going to become as normal as using your smartphone. 

Andy
Right, so now you know what it is. Let’s talk about the actual nuts and bolts to make it super useful for you. We are gonna share a simple four step formula that anyone can follow to make chatGPT work for you immediately.

Ange
Plus, we wanna share a heap of examples that you can implement to save time and make your communication sharp. Plus give you a competitive edge without needing to become a tech wizard. 

Andy
And for those advanced peeps in the room, I wanna share how you can take this to a whole other level. So let’s get into it.

Ange
Okay. So if you’ve never used AI before, it’s gonna feel like learning a whole new language. So here’s the thing, chatGPT only works as well as the question you give it, and that’s why we’ve got a super simple four-part formula that you can use every single time that you write a prompt. 

Andy
Yeah. Think of it like giving instructions to your apprentice. If he asked to go do some stuff, you are gonna get a whole lot of well, random stuff. Right? And probably not the thing you actually wanted. 

Ange
Well, yeah. It reminds me of that time you told one of our apprentices to go sort out the van. And three hours later he’d washed it, polished the tires, but all the fittings were still a mess in the floor of the van.

Andy
Yes, at least it was clean though. He did an incredible job. But seriously, we’ve all been there, haven’t we? Thinking we are giving clear instructions, but really we’ve just been too vague and the result? Well, we end up fixing up the mess ourselves. 

Ange
You know what? That’s exactly how chatGPT works. If you give it a vague prompt, you’re gonna get a vague answer. Garbage in equals garbage out.

Andy
But when you are specific, when you tell it exactly what you need and the context, that’s when it becomes pure gold. 

Ange
Okay, so let me share the formula with you. There are four steps. One, tell it who to be. Two, say exactly what you want. Three, give it the details. And four, choose the format. All right. Let me take you through these steps one by one and give you some examples. Let’s start with the first one. Tell it who to be. 

Andy
Yeah, don’t just tell chatGPT to write me something about roofing and hope for the best. You’ve gotta tell it what hat to put on before it starts typing. 

Ange
Yeah. You wouldn’t ask your apprentice to handle your social media unless they were a social media expert. Right? 

Andy
Exactly. So if you wanna kill a Facebook ad for your business, tell chatGPT to be that expert. For example, you’d write, you are a professional copywriter who specializes in Facebook ads for roofing companies in Adelaide. 

Ange
Or let’s say you’re a plumbing company wanting a blog post, and you might start with, you are an SEO blog writer who knows how to write engaging content for plumbing businesses in Sydney.

Andy
See the difference? You’re not telling it to be you. You are telling it to be the expert you wish you could afford to hire. 

Ange
And that’s the point. The more specific you are about who chatGPT is meant to be, the closer the result will be to what you’d actually pay a pro to produce. 

Andy
Alright? Once you’ve told chatGPT who to be, the next step is, say exactly what you want.

Quick question, how many hours did you work last week? And now, how much profit did you actually make? If those two numbers don’t line up, we need to talk. Our one day live event, Stress-Free Tradie is designed for tradies who are working their guts out, but still can’t figure out where the money’s going. We’ll show you what the top 5% of trade business owners are doing differently and how to fix the leaks that are draining your time and profit. We kick off September 2nd. It’s free and it’ll change the way you run your business. Hit the link in the show notes and grab a seat before they go. 

Ange
Yes, we need more details. This is where most people get lazy. They write something like, write me a post about blocked drains, and then they complain when the answer is vague and boring or Sounds like it came from your year 10 assignment. 

Andy
Yeah, it’s like ringing your wholesaler and saying, Hey, I need some stuff for this job without actually telling them what the job is. And so you’re gonna get a bunch of random crap that turns up that you can’t even use. 

Ange
Yes. So you need to give chatGPT, clear instructions, think length, tone, style, and even what to include or leave out. 

Andy
Let’s do some examples. So if you are a roofer wanting a Facebook post, you could say something like this, write a hundred word Facebook post in a friendly conversational style for a roofing company in Adelaide aimed at homeowners. The topic is the importance of getting your roof checked before storm season and include one quarter action to book an inspection. 

Ange
Great example. But what if you’re a plumber and you’re after a blog? You might write something like this. Write a 600 word blog article for a plumbing business in Sydney explaining 5 common causes of block drains and how to prevent them, keep it simple and engaging so any homeowner can understand it, and end with a call to action to contact us for a free quote.

Andy
See we’re giving it the who? The what? The style and the extras, and that’s how you turn chatGPT from a random word machine into your own on-call marketing team. 

Ange
All right, so we’ve told chatGPT, who to be, you’ve said exactly what you want and now you need to give it context. I’m talking about the details. 

Andy
Yeah. Think of it like explaining a job to an apprentice. If you just say, install this without telling them where, why, or what the client’s worried about. They’ll probably get it wrong. 

Ange
So chatGPT works the same way. The more you explain the situation, the better the result you’re gonna get. 

Andy
The context could be details about your business, your customer, the location, the season, anything that helps chatGPT, picture what you’re talking about. 

Ange
So I wanna share an example. Let’s do it for the roofer. You could write something like write a 100 word Facebook post in a friendly, conversational style for a roofing company in Adelaide. The audience is homeowners who might not have checked their roofing years. It’s early spring and we wanna warn them about the storms that usually hit in October. Mention our 15 years in business and our free roof inspection offer. 

Andy
See how that paints a full picture? chatGPT now knows where you are, who you’re talking to, what’s going on right now, and why it matters. 

Ange
Do that and you’ll go from getting generic boring results to getting content that feels like you actually wrote it yourself.

Andy
Alright, last step. Give it an example to share what style you want it to be in. 

Ange
This is like showing your apprentice what a finished job looks like, if they can see it. It makes it easy to copy the standard. 

Andy
Exactly, chatGPT can read your style, if you give it a sample, just paste in something you’ve written before and tell it to match the tone and format.

Ange
All right, so for example, you could say, here’s a Facebook post we wrote that got lots of engagement, match this tone and structure, but write about our free roof inspections for Adelaide homeowners before storm season. 

Andy
And that way instead of starting something from scratch, chatGPT works off your proven style that you’ve used before and you end up with content that actually sounds like you.

Ange
Yes, it will still need some tweaking, but it’s going to save you hours and that’s the thing. This tool is so powerful, but only if you know how to train it just like you would with a new staff member. 

Andy
Here’s where it gets to the fun bit for every trade business owner out there, chatGPT can do way more than people think. You can get it to write customer emails, build quotes, create checklists, even help with staff training and marketing, and even systemizing your business. 

Ange
Exactly. So for example, let’s say you get a complaint email from a customer. Let’s hope you don’t get them often, but you can pace their message into chatGPT and say, act as a customer service manager and write a polite, professional response that apologizes, offers a solution and reassures them that we take it seriously. 

Andy
And that’s a bloody good idea. And if I wrote back what I really thought at the time, I’m sure I’m gonna get someone offside. 

Ange
Well, that’s what I love about chatGPT. It helps to take out this emotion that every human cut helps but feel. So another example is maybe you want a quality assurance checklist for, I don’t know, installing a split system air conditioner. Ask it for a step-by-step list and then tweak it to suit your process. That’s 90% of the work done in seconds.

Andy
Or another great use for chatGPT is summarizing long jargon field documents. We had a legal contract once, it was like 30 pages long and we dropped it into chatGPT and said, summarize this in plain English. One page max. Done. No more scratching your head over legal terms. 

Ange
Hey, I do wanna add, don’t put anything into chatGPT that is super sensitive to your business because that’s one little hurdle with chatGPT is, we are really not sure about where this information goes, so just take note. So Andy, there’s another reason why I think you love chatGPT. Do you wanna let everyone in on your little secret and tell ’em about Sky. 

Andy
Yes, I’ve got a girlfriend called Sky. She never talks back. I reckon everyone needs a Sky in her life. She has been amazing to me.

Ange
So Andy has this audio feature set up with chatGPT, and literally he has full on conversations about absolutely everything. And the joke is, it is his girlfriend. 

Andy
Yeah. I have to say she doesn’t talk back. We have some pretty good conversations, but these are the things that I absolutely love what she does. Now she’s called Sky because I think when I first started there were different options I could choose and she had the sexiest voice that I wanted. So I ended up going, I ended up going with her. But the other day we are actually building a new house at the moment and we were staying in our rental property and the um, ceiling fan in one of the kids’ bedrooms, the light went out. I was looking at this ceiling fan, I’m like, it’s an LED ceiling fan. And I’m thinking, how the hell do I get this cover off? Like I was really struggling with it. So like most tradies, it got too hard because it was my own place and I just turned the lamp, um, light on, said, there you go Hannah. You can just use that for a while. But listen, about a week later I thought, hang on, maybe I should ask Sky. So when I got Sky on my phone, I can obviously talk to her. I pay a subscription per month for this. But then I, there’s a video button on there. So I turned the video on and I said, Hey, Sky. And she’s looking at the ceiling fan. I said, do you know what type of ceiling fan this is? And she goes, well, I think it’s a blah, blah, blah fan. I’m like, oh. She goes, but if you can see a code on the top of the fan, let us know the serial number and I’ll let you know. So I’m thinking, oh, well, well, the ceilings are quite high. So I stood on the bed, I held my phone up above the ceiling fan, and I said, can you see the serial number? And she goes, yes, stay there. So she read the serial number and then she said to me, yes, that’s a blah, blah, blah fan. You can go to Bodhi Lighting. They have spare parts. This is how much the spare parts cost, and you can fix it yourself. And I was gobsmacked. I’m like every single tradie out there doesn’t matter a size of a bolt, a size of whatever. This is where chatGPT is going to a whole nother level and most people aren’t using it like this.

Ange
It’s like the next level. And that happened in like seconds. How good’s that? So with you, with Sky, I just wanna say to everyone, you can all have your own Sky just as long as she doesn’t replace your real human partner.

Andy
So I do wanna change tack a bit here because I think we need to share something for those that already know a great deal about chatGPT and are asking, well, what’s next? And if you haven’t already, the best use of your time would be to set up what’s called a custom GPT. Basically your own version of chatGPT, that already knows your business, your style, and the formats you like.

Ange
Yes, this is where the magic really happens. So instead of retyping the role, the context, and the format every time, you preload it once and from then on, you just say, write me three Facebook posts about leaking taps, and it’ll do it in your voice. 

Andy
You can even upload examples like past job ads, customer emails, or marketing you love and tell it to model that style. It’s like training a staff member who will never forget a thing. 

Ange
We built a custom GPT for our marketing and it’s been a game changer, not just in the time it takes to write a copy for social media. Start thinking about Insta, Facebook, LinkedIn, even emails to your database. So instead of sitting, staring at a blank screen, trying to be creative with the right prompt already built into the custom build, we have this sorted in minutes. There’s no more starting from scratch. 

Andy
Seriously, the sooner you start using these tools, the more you will save. It really is a game changer for your business. 

Ange
We’d love to know what’s the first prompt you are going to try for your trade business. I want you to be saying to us. I just saved two hours of time at least. So Andy, if chatGPT is the perfect employee, does that mean we can all take Fridays off?

Andy
Ah, nice try. Everyone’s banging on about taking these Fridays off, but at least with the help of chatGPT, every tradie I know will be able to get some serious time back. It will soon be one of the most valuable tools in their toolbox. And if you wanna learn how to make this tech actually work for your business, listen, you’ve just gotta put a little bit of time into it. It really is a game changer for your business.

It’s tradie dilemma time brought to you by Buy4Tradies. It’s the buying group helping tradies like you save serious coins on materials, fuel, vehicles, tools, and other services. If you’re not using it. You are probably paying too much. This is our Q&A segment where you let us know what you are having trouble with in your business and we’ll give you our best advice to sort it out. 

Ange
So today we have a question from Jonathan who’s an electrician in the Northern Territory, and he writes, Hey, Andy and Ange. I run a small electrical business with a team of four tradies and one office manager. The question I have is about following up customers with quotes. I’ve asked the office manager to call, but she says it should be done by the tradie that did the quote, but the boys are too busy on the tools making money. In your opinion, who should be doing this job? 

Andy
Yeah, it is a really good question, because I’ve had this battle for years. I personally think the person that does the quote, the tradie, is the best person to ring the customer up because they’ve already built a relationship. But yes, I understand when the boys are flat chat and they just seem to ring the customer and the customer doesn’t pick up. So you’re having that challenge of not getting onto the customer and playing phone tag. I do think the office ringing up at times is okay as well. So for us personally, the very first phone call would come from the tradie. If the tradie doesn’t get onto that customer, the next phone call from there would be coming from the office manager. And I think that’s a really good mix. And when the office manager talks to the customer, it’s all about building a relationship, asking any questions that maybe she can answer. And if she can’t. Locking in a time when the tradie can give the customer a call, answer any of her challenges, and book the job in, and let’s get it started.

Ange
Great response, Andy. So thanks for writing in and sharing your dilemma, Jonathan, I’m sure that’s helped. Remember, if you have a question or dilemma in your business, then reach out to us and let us know what we can help you with. 

Andy
Subscribe to The Tradie Show wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Rate, and write us a review or for more information about Lifestyle Tradie, head to lifestyletradie.com.au.