Markup is not margin
Rung 2 of 10 · Specific task + easy yes
1 · Learn the move · Specific task + easy yes
A 25% markup is a 20% margin, and the contractor who doesn't know that is quietly working for less than he thinks on every job. Don't ask the AI to 'explain markup vs margin' — give it your actual job cost and your actual markup and ask it to show the arithmetic, every step visible. Specific task, your numbers, an answer you can check with a calculator. The AI works only the numbers you hand it; it never invents a price.
You are a construction pricing tutor. Using ONLY my numbers — job cost [amount], my usual markup [percent] — show every step: sale price, gross profit, and true margin. Then show what price hits a real [target]% margin. All arithmetic visible. No numbers I didn't give you.
2 · Your turn. You write the prompt
You've marked up jobs 25% for six years and your accountant just said your gross margin is 20%, and you're sure one of you is wrong. Your current job costs out at $48,000. Write a prompt that settles it with your own numbers, arithmetic shown.
Remember: the AI sees only your prompt, not this page. If the situation isn't in your prompt, it doesn't exist.
Optional. These shape the output when you run your prompt below, not your score.