Everything you need to start using Claude as your business partner for building websites and landing local clients — written for someone who is not technical.
Do these in order. Ten minutes, and you are up and running.
Think of Claude as a smart teammate who never gets tired. Here is what it can do for your business.
Claude is only as good as the way you talk to it. Master these five and you are ahead of most people.
Start with a role. "Act as my marketing assistant. I am not technical." This sets the tone and the level of the whole answer.
Say the format and the length: "Give me a bullet list," "Write an email under 90 words," "Explain it in 3 simple sentences." Vague questions get vague answers.
Real names, real city, the actual link, what you noticed about the business. The more true context you give, the better and more usable the answer.
You are not stuck with the first answer. "Make it shorter." "More casual." "That sounds salesy — warmer please." Keep nudging until it's right.
Claude can sound confident and still be wrong — especially with prices, names, and dates. Always read what it wrote before sending it to a client. Tell it "do not invent details" and it will mark gaps for you instead of guessing.
Here is the journey from "found a business" to "they paid me" — and exactly where Claude helps, where you do the human part, and where you hand off to your mentor.
These are ready-to-use messages. Click Copy, paste into a Claude chat, fill in anything inside [SQUARE BRACKETS], and send. Start every new task with a fresh chat.
Use this as the very first message you ever send. It makes Claude teach you, itself.
You are my friendly, patient coach for learning how to use you (Claude). Important context about me: I am NOT technical, this is my first time using an AI tool like this, and I am starting a small business that builds websites for local businesses (barbershops, restaurants, gyms, contractors, etc.) and helps them get more customers. Please do three things: 1. In simple, plain language, explain what you are good at and how I should think about working with you. 2. Give me your 5 best tips for getting great answers out of you. 3. Ask me 3 questions about my business so you can give me advice tailored to what I am doing. Keep it warm and beginner-friendly. No jargon. If you use a technical word, explain it right away.
Use this any time you hit a word or idea you don't understand.
I am going to ask you about something I do not understand. I am not technical, so please explain it like I am smart but completely new to this topic. Use plain words, short sentences, and a real-world comparison if it helps. Here is what I want to understand: [TYPE YOUR QUESTION HERE, for example: "what is web hosting?" or "what does SEO mean?"]
Use this before reaching out to any business, so you sound informed and specific.
Act as my marketing research assistant. I build websites for local businesses and I am deciding whether to reach out to this one. The business: - Name: [BUSINESS NAME] - Location (city, state): [CITY, STATE] - Type of business: [for example: barbershop, auto repair, dentist] Using the web, tell me in a simple list: 1. What they do and who their customers are. 2. Whether they already have a website, and if so what looks outdated or weak about it. 3. Their overall online presence (Google listing, reviews, social media). 4. Three specific reasons a better website would help them get more customers. 5. The single strongest angle I should lead with when I pitch them. If you cannot find something, say so plainly. Do not guess or make anything up.
Use this when you need new businesses to contact and don't know where to look.
I build websites for local businesses and I need to find prospects to contact. My ideal client: - Type of business: [for example: barbershops, landscapers, med spas] - Area I want to focus on: [CITY OR REGION] Please: 1. Explain the 3 best free ways a non-technical person can find these businesses, step by step. 2. List the warning signs that a business badly NEEDS a new website, so I know who to prioritize. 3. Suggest a simple way to keep track of the businesses I find and where each one stands (not contacted, contacted, interested, meeting booked, closed).
Use this to write the first message to a business owner.
Write a short, friendly cold message I can send to a local business owner to offer them a new website. Details: - My name: [YOUR NAME] - My business: I design modern websites for local businesses. - Who I am contacting: [BUSINESS NAME], a [TYPE OF BUSINESS] in [CITY]. - What I genuinely noticed about them: [for example: "they have no website" / "their site looks outdated" / "great reviews but hard to find online"] - How I am sending it: [email / Instagram DM / text message] Rules: - Keep it under 90 words. Friendly and human, never salesy or robotic. - Open with something specific and genuine about THEIR business. - End with one easy, low-pressure question. - Give me 2 versions so I can choose.
Use this once a site preview is ready and a meeting is booked.
Write a professional but warm email to a business owner before a call where I will show them a website I built for their business. Details: - My name and business: [YOUR NAME], [YOUR BUSINESS NAME] - Their name: [OWNER NAME] - Their business: [BUSINESS NAME], a [TYPE] in [CITY] - The live preview link: [PASTE LINK] - Meeting day and time: [DAY, FULL DATE, TIME, AND TIME ZONE] - Meeting link: [PASTE MEETING LINK] Rules: - Assume they may forward this email to someone else, so it must make sense to a stranger. Briefly introduce who I am. - Include a short bullet list of what the website includes. - Make clear it is a first draft and everything is customizable. - Use the exact date, time, and links above. Do not invent any details. - Give me a subject line as well.
Use this to create the actual words for a client's site. Hand the result to whoever builds it.
I am creating a website for a client and I need you to write all the words (the content) for it. About the business: - Name: [BUSINESS NAME] - Type: [TYPE OF BUSINESS] - Location: [CITY, STATE] - Phone: [PHONE NUMBER] - What makes them good / what they want to be known for: [2 or 3 things] - The feeling they want (for example: premium, friendly, family-owned, modern): [DESCRIBE] Please write, clearly labeled and ready to hand off: 1. A hero headline plus one supporting sentence. 2. An "About" paragraph. 3. A "Services" or "What we offer" section. 4. A "Why choose us" section (3 to 4 short points). 5. A closing call-to-action. Keep the language simple, confident, and focused on the customer. Do not invent facts like prices or awards. If you need a detail I have not given you, mark it clearly as [ASK THE OWNER].
Use this to get ready to actually sell the website.
Help me prepare to sell a website to a local business owner. The client: - Business: [BUSINESS NAME], a [TYPE] in [CITY] - What I know about their current online presence: [DESCRIBE] Please give me: 1. A simple 3-sentence pitch I can say out loud explaining why they need this. 2. The top 3 benefits to THEM, in plain language, not technical terms. 3. The 4 most likely objections they will raise, with a calm, honest response to each. 4. 5 good questions I should ask them to understand their business before I propose anything.
Use this the day before a client call, especially if you feel nervous.
I have a call with a potential client about building them a website. I am still new at this and a little nervous. Help me prepare. The client is [BUSINESS NAME], a [TYPE] in [CITY]. Please give me: 1. A simple agenda for a 30-minute call: what to cover and in what order. 2. The key questions to ask so I truly understand what they need. 3. How to confidently talk about price when they ask. 4. How to end the call with a clear next step. 5. Two or three calming reminders for someone who is new to sales calls.
Use this right after a call to keep the deal moving.
Write a follow-up message to send a business owner after a sales call. Details: - My name: [YOUR NAME] - Their name: [OWNER NAME] - How the call went: [for example: "they liked it and want to think about it" / "they asked for a few changes" / "they are ready but need to check budget"] - What we agreed the next step is: [DESCRIBE IT, or write "not sure, please suggest one"] Rules: - Short, friendly, and no pressure. - Recap one specific thing they were excited about. - Make the next step easy and clear.
You don't need to do this part yet — but you should understand it so you can talk about it confidently with clients.
Modern websites for small businesses are built fast using AI website-builder tools. You describe the business and the pages you want, and the tool generates a real, good-looking website. Claude's job here is to write the content — the headlines and paragraphs — using Prompt 7. Good words plus a good builder equals a site a client is happy to pay for.
A finished website still needs to be put onto the internet so anyone can visit it at a web address. That step is called hosting or deploying. It is the one genuinely technical step in the whole process.
Once you have the live link, you are back in your zone: send the pre-meeting email (Prompt 6), walk the client through it, and close the deal.