CRE Brokers: How To Talk AI
I often get CRE brokers come to me after trying their hand at CRE AI prompting for the first time. They usually start by asking ChatGPT to do something like write a cold call script or an email proposal, only to receive a generic response that sounds nothing like them.
Then, they make one of the cardinal sins in this modern age of brokerage:
They conclude that AI is useless and not worth their time.
A year ago, I would understand and nod along while telling them how to fix it. But now, in 2026, I don’t have the same sympathy.
AI has been mainstream for three years. The brokers who are winning right now are not smarter than you. They are not more tech-savvy. They simply took the time to learn how to use the tool correctly. And the gap between them and everyone else is growing every single month.
The problem was never the tool. The problem is how you talk to it.
AI is not a search engine. It is much closer to a capable assistant who (before you train it) has never worked in CRE before.
The more clearly and specifically you communicate with it, the better the output. Feed it garbage, and it gives you garbage back. Give it context, direction, and a clear ask, and it becomes one of the most powerful tools you have ever had in your corner.
Today, I want to give you four principles that will immediately improve your results with any AI tool, whether that is ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or anything else you are currently using.
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Be specific, not general
Vague input produces vague output. That is not a flaw in the technology. It is a communication problem.
Instead of: “Write me a prospecting email.”
Try: “Write a short follow-up email to a warehouse owner in Denver who I cold called last Tuesday. He was polite but said now was not a good time. Keep it under 100 words and make it feel like it came from a trusted advisor, not a salesperson.”
The second prompt gives the AI something to work with. The result will be dramatically better.
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Give it context about who you are
AI has no idea who you are unless you tell it. So tell it.
Before you ask for anything, set the stage: “I am a commercial real estate broker in Phoenix. I specialize in industrial properties and work primarily with owner-operators between 10,000 and 50,000 square feet. My tone is direct and relationship-focused.”
You only have to write this once. Save it somewhere and paste it in at the start of any new AI session. From that point forward, every output will be calibrated to your voice and your market.
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Assign a role
One of the most overlooked techniques is simply telling AI what role to play.
“You are my prospecting assistant. Help me prepare for a call with a retail property owner who has not transacted in seven years.”
“You are a senior broker reviewing my listing pitch. Tell me what is missing and what could be stronger.”
When you give AI a role, it shifts from general to focused. The responses become more purposeful and directly applicable to your work.
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Ask for a format
If you need bullet points, ask for bullet points. If you need a script, say “script.” If you want a short paragraph and nothing more, say exactly that.
“Give me three subject line options for this email.”
“Rewrite this in plain language a property owner would actually want to read.”
“Summarize this in two sentences I can use to open a cold call.”
Formatting instructions are not minor details. They shape the entire output. A well-formatted response is one you can actually use without spending another thirty minutes cleaning it up.
A Quick Framework to Test Right Now
Before your next prospecting session, open your AI tool and try this:
“I am a [your specialty] broker in [your market]. I am about to call a [property type] owner who [brief context about the owner]. Write me a 60-second opening that positions me as a trusted advisor, not a vendor.”
That one prompt, done well, can save you twenty minutes of prep and put you in a stronger frame of mind before you pick up the phone.
Better yet, feed it your best performing scripts based on your own feedback from your specific niche.
Learning to communicate with AI clearly is a skill. And like every skill in this business, it compounds over time. The brokers who are building this habit now will have a real advantage over those who wait.
This newsletter is a solid starting point. But it is just the surface.
Next week, Massimo’s Director of Innovation, Connor Kadel, and I are going live for a two-hour working session called AI Workflows for CRE Brokers. We’re going to show you the exact systems our clients are using to cut research time, automate follow-ups, and produce listing content in minutes rather than hours.
The three pillars we’re covering are prospecting, productivity, and marketing, and each one is built specifically for commercial real estate, not repurposed from another industry.
The last workshop we ran sold out in the first week. Registration closes March 26th.
Reserve your spot here: https://go.massimo-group.com/ai-workflows-for-cre-brokers
