Your clients ask ChatGPT first. Now what?
Before paying an expert, a family member's first advice was "ask ChatGPT". What that changes for any business that sells know-how, and a few ways to think about it.
Not long ago one of us got a quote from an advisor. A plan, a fee, a few weeks of work.
Before deciding, a family member, one of the least technical people we know, said: "Ask ChatGPT what other options you have."
We use these tools for exactly that kind of question ourselves, so this isn't a complaint. But it stayed with us, because it's happening to every business that sells know-how. Ours included.
The client arrives with a second opinion
By the time someone talks to you, they've probably already asked an AI. They have an answer. Sometimes it's good. Sometimes it's generic, out of date or wrong for their situation. But it was instant, and it was free.
So the comparison isn't only you against a competitor anymore. It's also you against "maybe I can do this myself".
And yet, nobody can do everything alone
There's another side to it. It's tempting to believe that with the right prompt we can handle anything: taxes, contracts, our own software. Most people don't actually want to. They have a business to run and a life outside it.
The balance is somewhere in the middle, and we're still working out where.
A few things worth trying
- Ask what the AI told them. "What did ChatGPT say?" is a good first question. It's honest, and it tells you where their head is.
- Be clear about what you add. Information is free now. Judgment about this specific situation, and standing behind it, isn't.
- Show the reasoning, not only the price. When people can see which parts are decisions and which are paperwork, the price makes more sense.
- Let your website answer the obvious questions. Your next client has done their homework. If your site says less than the chatbot did, they may leave before they ever contact you.
That last one is the easiest to check, and the one most companies never look at.
