Dr. Violet Howard argues AI vendors should stop pitching tools and start selling outcomes. Frame solutions around measurable benefits: cutting support workload by 60%, saving 10 hours per week, slashing marketing spend by 30%. Clients want relief, not the technology itself.
Stop selling AI tools and start selling the outcomes of those tools. Spotlight the pain, frame the solution around time, money, and focus, and that's how you win. The difference is an AI workflow is just a tool, but an AI solution is a tool that's directly tied to solving an actual business pain point. When you pitch a solution, you're not saying, I'll build you a chatbot. You're saying, I'll cut down your customer support workload by 60%. I'll automate your client onboarding so you save 10 hours a week. Or I'll help you create AI-assisted content so you can slash marketing spend by 30%. And just to get it to stick, I'll throw one more terrible analogy at you guys. Think of it like medicine. If you have a headache, most people don't care whether you prescribe Advil, Tylenol, or an herbal remedy. They just care that their headache goes away. The outcome is pain relief.
