This week, I had an interesting conversation with a customer who shared,

“We’ve infused AI at different layers of our organization. It is in every new product and all our leaders are talking about it, but it isn’t showing up in any business results…what could be the problem?”

As we did a deep-dive together, we discovered 3 areas that were being overlooked or not fully utilized.

I am sharing them with you today, because I want you to convert all this excitement over AI into clearly measurable business outcomes for your customer.

Let’s dive in.

1 – Utilize Marketing as Your Air Cover

Start with marketing.

Give them this framework to craft their messaging:

Industry Use-Cases → KPI Impact → Business Outcomes.

It’s about creating use cases by industry, connecting them to specific KPIs. and linking to tangible business outcomes.

Here’s how:

Instead of saying “Our AI transforms operations,”

Say “Reduce equipment downtime by 40% → Save $2M annually → Gain competitive advantage.”

They should frame and communicate what I call “The Art of the Possible.”

Don’t start with AI, start with the scenarios that create value. AI is not a magic wand, it is an enabler to accelerate specific business outcomes.

2 Focus on your Stakeholder Strategy

Often, salespeople have AI conversations with clients but gain zero traction.

The issue isn’t about stakeholder roles, seniority, or tenure.

The critical question is: “Am I connecting to the innovators and visionaries within the customer’s ecosystem?”

In uncertain markets, most clients play it safe.

But innovators and visionaries actively seek newer ideas, explore possibilities, and want to exploit the future.

Find these stakeholders and engage them to run AI pilots that you can convert into prototypes.

3 Invest in the Quality of Your Customer Conversation

The third layer is the most critical: focus on conversation quality.

It’s mind-boggling how many AI opportunities get wasted during customer conversations.

Organizations create countless use-cases, but potential value gets discounted when they actually engage customers.

Every stakeholder has a different AI perspective.

You must understand what AI means to them, within their organization’s context, the problems they believe it solves, and the results they expect.

Remember: “Definitions are found in dictionaries, but meaning is found within people.”

Once you clarify what AI truly means in their context, co-create what’s possible. Sometimes this means sitting with customers and showing real prompts that reveal AI’s power.

When you demonstrate AI effectively, you differentiate yourself from vendors pushing empty promises.

These 3 areas – marketing leverage, stakeholder mapping, and conversation quality – create a clear roadmap to bridge AI’s potential with tangible business outcomes.

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