Your buyer doesn’t care about your cool technology. They care about saving money**,** making money**, or** looking good to their boss**.**
When I started selling AI-powered products to enterprises, I thought the tech would sell itself. Cutting-edge language models, sleek interfaces, and mind-blowing demos? I was sure it was enough.
The problem? I was pitching what I thought was amazing, not what the buyer actually wanted.
Enterprise buyers don’t wake up thinking, “I need the latest AI product today.” They think about three things:
Here’s what I’d go back and tell my 2015 self:
1. Focus on the buyer, not the user.
Users love features that make their work easier. But buyers care about results: budgets, revenue, and their reputation. Connect the dots between features and outcomes.
Example: A client loved how our AI streamlined customer service, but we failed to tie it to call center savings. We lost the deal.
2. Not all revenue is created equal.
Selling to cost centers (IT, support) is tough. Budgets are tight, and focused on savings. Revenue centers (sales, marketing) have more room to spend.
Example: For support, focus on cost savings: “reduce ticket resolution times by 60%.” For sales, focus on growth: “increase pipeline by $1M.”
3. Pilots aren’t wins.
Celebrate them, but pilots can be traps: they absorb time but don’t convert without clear metrics.
Pro Tip: Structure pilots to succeed. Define measurable goals upfront, set a timeline, and tie success to a full deployment decision.
When you stop selling what you love about your product, and start selling what your buyer loves, everything changes.
Ask yourself: Am I pitching my tech, or solving their problem? Rethink your pitch — and let their priorities lead.
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If you have any questions or thoughts, don't hesitate to reach out. You can find me as @viksit on Twitter.