Draft a reply to an uncomfortable client situation. Structure:
1. Acknowledge the situation directly (no 'I'm so sorry to bring this up').
2. State your position with one strong reason - not three medium ones.
3. Propose a specific path forward (not 'let me know what you think').
4. End without apology.
Do not open with 'I hope this finds you well' or any soft cushion. Do not over-apologize. Firm + human + protects the relationship.
The situation (paste the original message + your context):
{{situation_context}}
The uncomfortable email (refund / scope / payment)
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the prompt
Example output
Situation: Client requested 3 additional revision rounds on a deliverable that contractually included 2.
Draft reply:
Hi Maya,
Happy to do another round on the homepage copy - that's the third revision past the contracted two, so the next round will be billed at the additional-revisions rate ($350 per round, per the SOW).
Before we book the round, can you consolidate the feedback into one document? Two of the three open threads contradict each other (the 'shorter' note in section 2 conflicts with the 'add more proof' note in the same paragraph). One round of consolidated feedback gets you a much better result than three rounds of incremental edits.
Reply with the consolidated doc and I'll book the revision for next week.
- Ivan
Common mistakes
Don't open the email with 'I'm so sorry' or 'I hate to bring this up.' Both signal that you think you're in the wrong, which makes the reader assume you are. Open with the situation, not your feelings about the situation. Also: do not justify your position with three reasons - one strong reason lands harder than three medium ones. Third mistake: leaving the path forward vague ('let me know what you think'). Always propose a specific next step the client can accept or counter; vague closings invite the conversation to drift for another week.
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Why it works
The uncomfortable email is the one solopreneurs postpone for three days and then write in a panic. Refund requests, scope creep, missed deadlines, payment issues - every one carries a small charge of dread because there's no team to absorb the awkwardness. This prompt removes the friction. Pick the situation, paste the context, get a draft that's firm + human + protects the relationship. The output is intentionally not warm - warmth in these emails reads as weakness. The structure is: acknowledge the situation directly, state your position with one reason, propose a specific path forward, end without apology. Tested cleanest on Claude Opus 4.7 - much better than ChatGPT at not over-apologizing.