Sell automations

You sell them by talking about the problem, not the automation: how many hours get lost on a task, how many mistakes get made or which customers go unanswered. If you manage to explain what changes in the client's day-to-day and how much it costs them to carry on as they are, the tool takes a back seat; if you start with the technology, the conversation will most likely go cold.

What usually confuses people is believing a spectacular demo is enough. The small business owner has very down-to-earth doubts: what happens if it fails, who fixes it, what's done with their data and how much it costs each month, not just at the start. It's worth putting in writing what the price includes, especially maintenance, because an automation isn't a piece of furniture you deliver and forget. And starting with something small and easy to measure is usually more convincing than promising a big project.

I'm not a salesman and I don't pretend to be a sales expert, so my way of learning how this gets sold was to try it following the videos' script. I tell it in "I tried to start an automation agency with no experience": the search for contacts, the replies that came in, where the promise breaks and what someone who wants to sell AI to others should do today. Read it before preparing your first offer.