SilverEdge
The Edge in Payments
SubStrong 2026 · ASA Colorado
The prompts, habits, and 7-day challenge from Ken Salazar’s session. Tap any prompt to copy it, then paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, or Gemini. The free versions work.
Talk it out loud if that’s easier. Messy and detailed beats short and tidy.
Fill in the brackets. The first answer is a draft, so always ask a follow-up.
Prompt 1 · The GC email
I’m a [trade] subcontractor. A general contractor is [__] days late on our pay app for [project], and a change order for [work] still isn’t approved. Write a short email that is firm and professional, asks for a specific payment date, and protects the relationship. Give me a friendly version and a firmer version.
Copy promptThen try: “Make it shorter and make it sound like me: direct, no fluff.”
Prompt 2 · The job walk
Here are my rough notes from a job walk: [paste or dictate]. Turn them into three things: a clean scope checklist, the exclusions I should state in my bid, and the questions I should send the GC before I price it.
Copy promptThen try: “What did I probably miss on a job like this?”
Prompt 3 · The contract clause
Explain this contract clause in plain English for a subcontractor: [paste clause]. Tell me how it affects when I get paid, what risks it creates, and three questions I should ask my attorney before signing.
Copy promptThen try: “How would I ask the GC to change this?”
Already using AI every day? Give it your standards once and stop re-explaining yourself.
Three steps
You are the bid assistant for [company], a [trade] subcontractor in [area]. Our standard exclusions: [list]. Our payment terms: [terms]. Always flag pay-if-paid, retainage over [__]%, and indemnity language. Write like me: direct, professional, no fluff. Ask me questions before you guess.
Copy promptNo paid plan? Paste the instructions at the top of a new chat instead.
For the jobs that eat your week. For the last one, use a tool with web search turned on.
Here’s a long email thread with a general contractor: [paste]. Summarize what’s been agreed, what’s still open, who owes what by when, and anything I should push back on.
Copy promptHere’s my to-do list and calendar for next week: [paste or dictate]. Sort it into what only I can do, what I can hand off, and what can wait. Then give me a realistic plan by day.
Copy promptI’m considering bidding work for [GC name] on [project] in [city]. What can you find about their recent projects, payment reputation, and any disputes or liens? What should a subcontractor check before bidding?
Copy promptThe three habits that made the biggest difference.
Tap the microphone and ramble. A long, messy request out loud gets a better answer than a short typed one.
Your version: talk through the job walk from the truck.
Once AI can read your email, you ask about your email instead of digging through it.
Your version: “What does the GC still need from me this week?”
Keep your playbook, priorities, and notes in one connected place so AI works from the same source you do.
Your version: one place for your standards, pricing rules, and job notes.
One 10-minute task a day. Tap to tick them off; this page remembers on your phone.
0 of 7 done
Use it like a sharp new hire: helpful, fast, and always checked.
Never paste into a free tool
Always
Going further with company data? Check the tool’s data and privacy settings first. Paid business plans generally give you more control.