Nixa Chamber of Commerce Presentation Wrap-Up

1 — AI is only as good as what you give it.

Think of it like a really smart new employee on their first day. Fast, capable, willing to do anything — but they know nothing about your business yet. Vague input gets you vague output. The more context you give it, the more useful it becomes.

“We’re a family-owned HVAC company in Christian County. Our customers are homeowners who value honest, reliable service. I need a Facebook post for spring AC tune-ups — friendly, not salesy.”

2 — Treat it like a conversation, not a vending machine.

The first answer is a draft — not the final product. React to it. Say “make it shorter,” “that doesn’t sound like me,” or “add some urgency.” Most people stop after one round. The people getting the best results go three to five. That’s not a problem — that’s how it’s supposed to work.

3 — Start with thinking, not writing.

Before you ask it to write anything, ask it to brainstorm. You’ll get better raw material to work with — and it’ll sound more like you once you do.

Instead of “write me a post” → try “give me 5 ideas that would actually connect with my customers.”

4 — Give it the harder problems.

Most people use AI to write faster. The people who really get value out of it use it to think better — strategy, pricing, a personnel situation, the email you’ve rewritten four times. Same skill, bigger questions. Give it the mental mush and let it do the organizing.

“Assess the goal of this. Analyze it for shortcomings against that goal. Then rewrite it to fix those shortcomings.”

5 — Always end with: “What am I missing?”

Ten seconds. After you get what you asked for, just add it. You don’t know what you don’t know — and this one catches something every single time.