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Key Takeaways
- Structure prompts with this method to unlock precise, actionable AI responses.
- Hashtags and roles guide ChatGPT from vague guesses to expert insights.
- Clarification questions ensure tailored solutions instead of generic, surface-level advice.
I’ve been using ChatGPT since it basically came onto the scene a couple of years ago. The majority of the time I’ve had access to it, I was just using it to produce content like blogs, scripts and emails.
But it wasn’t until recently (the beginning of this year) that I started using it to uncover blind spots in my business, lay out results-oriented campaigns to increase revenue and find gaps in my sales process that were costing me money.
Everyone has access to these features — specifically ChatGPT — you can use it on paid or free subscriptions, and it’s changed the way I approach every conversation with AI.
I call it the D.I.C.E. Method, and in this article, I’ll show you how to use this framework to deliver highly specific, actionable and accurate responses for all areas of your business.
Related: A Founder’s Guide to Building a Real AI Strategy
Don’t ask ChatGPT one-sentence questions
A common example of how I used to use AI is by asking it a simple question. For example, there was a period of time when I was having issues with my sales pipeline.
A question I asked Chat was: “I’m having trouble with my sales pipeline. What can I do to fix it?”
Related: 4 Tips to Move Prospects Through Your Sales Pipeline Faster
It responded with common pipeline problems, like weak lead generation leads that aren’t qualified, and then it gave me 3–4 steps for correcting them. That’s helpful … sort of. But since I didn’t know exactly what the root issue was, I couldn’t tell ChatGPT, and it couldn’t give me a solution to that issue.
My goal with D.I.C.E. was to give my prompts a structure that AI could easily follow and produce very thorough and specific responses. Without structure, the AI is forced to guess at context. That’s why sometimes when you ask Chat a question, it gives you an answer that makes you think, “Thanks for nothing.”
So what is the D.I.C.E. Method?
What is the DICE method?
D.I.C.E. stands for “Data, Identify, Clarify, and Execute.”
When you structure your prompts this way, think of it as the difference between going to the ER and saying, “My stomach hurts,” and “I ate raw chicken at a restaurant and my stomach hurts.”
You’ll paste the D.I.C.E. Method in the text box like this:
#DATA#
#IDENTIFY#
#CLARIFY#
#EXECUTE#
The “#” symbols matter
I use hashtags intentionally, and these are required for the DICE Method. They create visual and structural boundaries that ChatGPT recognizes, making it easier for the model to distinguish between each section of your prompt.
By bracketing each section with “#,” you’re teaching the AI where one instruction set ends and the next begins. Now let’s take a look at what each part means.
1. #DATA#
The first step is providing data or background. This is where you supply ChatGPT with all the context about your situation. Instead of vague statements, share real numbers, current challenges, past attempts and business details. Basically, everything you know about the topic.
The more specific you are, the better the AI’s analysis becomes. This section doesn’t need to be perfect, but it should be thorough. Any missing data limits the AI’s ability to connect the dots and provide useful insights. This is where you front-load the details.
Example:
#DATA#
“I run a B2B software company selling workflow automation. We generate about 200 leads a month, but our conversion from demo to close is only 8%. Our average deal size is $10,000. We’ve tried email nurture, but responses are low.”
Note: This section can be longer than the example above if necessary. In fact, I recommend that your Data section be at least 100 words.
2. #IDENTIFY#
Once the Data is in place, you move to ‘Identify.’
Here, you instruct ChatGPT on what role it should play. In my experience, without identify, the AI tends to respond as a generalist, not a specialist. By assigning a role — such as an SaaS consultant, leadership coach or HR consultant — you tap into the AI’s ability to approach a situation from a specialized perspective.
Example:
#IDENTIFY#
“Act as a veteran SaaS sales consultant who specializes in pipeline optimization and enterprise B2B deals.”
3. #CLARIFY#
This step separates DICE from almost every other prompting method. The Clarify step tells ChatGPT to ask you questions before giving a response. This is where the AI takes time to understand your goals, constraints, preferences and dig deeper into the situation.
One important thing to remember here is to make sure you instruct your AI to ask you these questions one at a time. This is crucial because it allows Chat to ask you a series of dynamic questions that factor into its answer, rather than a static set of five.
Example:
#CLARIFY#
“Ask me 5 questions, BUT ASK THEM ONE AT A TIME, to gain a deeper context of my current pipeline so that you can determine any gaps or holes.”
4. #EXECUTE#
The last step of this process is Execute. This is the part where you finally tell your AI how to deliver the final output. You can ask for a 30-day plan, specific formatting, perspective, structure, reading level and more. The point here is to eliminate guesswork in terms of the AI’s delivery.
Example:
#EXECUTE#
“After I’ve answered your questions, provide a step-by-step sales pipeline improvement plan with a 30-day timeline. Write at a 6th-grade reading level that a sales team could implement directly.”
The goal with the DICE Method is to use your strategic thinking, attention to detail, problem-solving skills, and excellent questions to expand your view of a problem and solve it.
I noticed that once I implemented this method, it let me move faster, project farther and helped me make smarter decisions than relying on 2-sentence-long prompts.
Related: 7 AI Tools That Help You Build a One-Person Business
I really hope that it helps you as much as it did for me.
Key Takeaways
- Structure prompts with this method to unlock precise, actionable AI responses.
- Hashtags and roles guide ChatGPT from vague guesses to expert insights.
- Clarification questions ensure tailored solutions instead of generic, surface-level advice.
I’ve been using ChatGPT since it basically came onto the scene a couple of years ago. The majority of the time I’ve had access to it, I was just using it to produce content like blogs, scripts and emails.
But it wasn’t until recently (the beginning of this year) that I started using it to uncover blind spots in my business, lay out results-oriented campaigns to increase revenue and find gaps in my sales process that were costing me money.
Everyone has access to these features — specifically ChatGPT — you can use it on paid or free subscriptions, and it’s changed the way I approach every conversation with AI.
