A worked business example
Compare supplier quotes with ChatGPT
A lower monthly price is not always a lower total cost. Use ChatGPT to organize two quotes, surface missing details and prepare better questions.
By Corsa Courses · 5-minute read + practice ·
The question behind the quote
Supplier A
$200per month + $500 setup
Supplier B
$250per month, no setup fee
Over a full year, the difference is $100, not $600.
Fictional quotes for practice.
Give it a fair comparison to make.
Asking “Which supplier is better?” invites a judgment before the facts are clear. Start by asking for the same time period, the same cost categories and a list of unanswered questions.
For this exercise, open a new ChatGPT conversation and paste the prompt below. All details are fictional. For real quotes, follow your organization’s data policy and remove information you are not permitted to share.
Try this in ChatGPT
Help me compare two fictional supplier quotes for 12 months of service. Supplier A: $500 setup, then $200 per month. Email support is included. Quote says service can start November 1. Supplier B: no setup fee, then $250 per month. Email and phone support are included. Start date is not specified. Neither quote says whether tax is included or gives cancellation terms. Show setup cost, 12 months of recurring fees, total first-year cost before any unspecified tax, support and start date in a table. Show the arithmetic. List what I should confirm with each supplier. Use only these notes and mark missing details as not specified. Do not select a supplier for me.
Uses fictional information. Your answer may differ from the example.
Check the answer against the source.
Use this worked reference to check your result. ChatGPT may phrase it differently, but the amounts, support options and missing details should match.
| Item | Supplier A | Supplier B |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | $500 | $0 |
| 12 monthly payments | 12 × $200 = $2,400 | 12 × $250 = $3,000 |
| First-year total, before unspecified tax | $2,900 | $3,000 |
| Support included | Email and phone | |
| Start date | November 1 | Not specified |
| Tax and cancellation terms | Not specified | Not specified |
What the numbers tell you
Supplier A is $100 less over 12 months before any unspecified tax. Verify that with your own calculation: $3,000 − $2,900 = $100.
What they do not tell you
Whether phone support is worth the difference, whether either service meets your needs, or what happens if you cancel.
Ask a useful follow-up.
“Draft a short email asking Supplier B to confirm the start date, tax treatment and cancellation terms. Do not imply that I have accepted the quote.”
Read the draft before sending it. Check that it asks for information without committing your business. Use the suppliers’ answers to update the comparison, then make the decision yourself.
Try one change: what if Supplier A’s setup fee were $700?
Its first-year cost becomes $700 + $2,400 = $3,100. Supplier B is now $100 lower on the stated costs.
Ask ChatGPT to update only the setup fee and totals. Check that support, dates and missing terms have not changed.
AI for Business Leaders
Make this a working habit.
The course develops this approach across business tasks: give the right context, ask for useful work and check what comes back.
Instructional reference: OpenAI’s prompting guidance. Continue with meeting notes and action items.