Stop Saying AI

Your company is in business to solve a problem. The bigger the problem, the easier growth will be.

😎 No one cares how you solve the problem.

That is why saying, “We’re an AI for…” is not good.

🔥 Instead, speak in outcomes.

This takes understanding. Most don’t do it. Because, it is hard to do.

Start with the problem you solve. Add in who you solve it for. Then use their words, not yours.

💯 Your job is to become an expert on the problem, not the solution.

When you become an expert on the problem, you talk about relevant outcomes. Product focused founders speak about solutions, technology, and features.

The point is to have a message that resonates with those that have the problem. One that does not trigger, “I know what this is.”

How do you know it is good?

When you say it at an event, send it in an email, or write it in a post, people want to meet. As it gets better, more qualified people want to meet. As it improves, people outside of that scope don’t get it.

This can mean fewer likes and less engagement on social media. It also means a higher unsubscribe rate from your newsletter. That is good, because it removes those you cannot serve.

Latter, those numbers will improve with a better qualified audience.

I don’t get it

This is hard to do. Most founders struggle with it. That is because it is higher up on the understanding curve, not learning curve.

You can learn it in a few minutes. Applying it takes months. Due to the gulf between learning and understanding. There is a difference.

Example

A founder says, “We’re the AI for outbound sales.”

The problem here is it uses AI. No one cares. It then says “outbound sales.” Which does not explain what it does.

Let’s break it down into an evolution of improvements:

1️⃣ We automate outbound sales functions

Better as it describes what it does.

2️⃣ We automate outbound sales functions for small business

Improved since we included who we can help. However, we are not giving the customer enough to determine if this is something they want.

3️⃣ We automate sales tasks for busy founders

Getting better. It says, “if you’re a busy founder, you can automate sales tasks.” The term “busy” signifies that there is a time savings.

4️⃣ We automate prospecting for busy founders

By changing “sales tasks” to “prospecting”, we further clarify the message. Especially considering that most founders hate prospecting. However, we must be more specific with who we help.

5️⃣ We automate prospecting for B2B founders

Replacing “busy” with “B2B” further clarifies who we help. The point is that this exercise is continuous. Each iteration getting better and better, until it attracts the right people with the right problem.

Their words

The first few iterations are a starting point. After that, you use the customers words. That further clarifies who you help, along with the industry specific benefit you provide.

Todd Moses