Beyond the AI Hype: A Path That Works

Three Proven Steps for Small Business Success

Three Ways AI Is Changing How Small Businesses Win (And Why It Matters to You)

You already know artificial intelligence is transforming business. The world, for that matter. But here's what most people miss: this transformation isn't a single leap - it's a journey that you should start today but expect to happen over time. Think crawl, walk, run.

I compare it to learning to drive. You didn't start on the highway during rush hour. You started in an empty parking lot. Then, you moved to quiet streets as you gradually built your confidence. The same approach works for integrating Gen AI into your business.

Let's consider an approach that makes sense, is safer, and will yield better results.

First, Automate the Obvious

Right now, you have workflows and tasks everyone knows are tedious but necessary: writing follow-up emails, scheduling appointments, and creating basic reports. It may be easier than you think to streamline the tedious and free your team up for more customer-focused work.

For example, I worked with one client to streamline email follow-ups for the customer service team. They wanted to save time without sacrificing the customer experience. They also wanted to avoid sending canned responses. So, instead of creating email templates, we made a set of Gen AI prompt templates. Versatile, sharable prompts that can be quickly edited and put to work with Chat GPT or Claude to create bespoke responses to various customer interactions. It took us about thirty minutes to create a tool that can save 10x that in CS rep time.

Custom prompt templates are just one example. It is easy to find ways to start using Gen AI tools. The best part? You can try AI solutions without disrupting your current operations. It's like having a super smart and efficient digital assistant.

Next, Create Creative Bandwidth

Once you're comfortable with basic automation, something interesting happens. You see opportunities to enhance your team's work, not just automate tasks.

What if the marketing team could cut the time it takes to write copy in half? They write copy for products, advertising, and countless other Sales & Marketing initiatives. For example, my client and I connected their website and the specs for listing products on an e-commerce site to a ChatGPT prompt and, in very short order, had product descriptions for five new products. All we had to do was write the prompt and edit/finetune the response. This took significantly less time, and we did not sacrifice quality or brand voice by incorporating their data.

Think of the possibilities if the marketing folks had more time. They could spot potential problems before they happen, track and analyze performance, and spend more time talking to customers, as well as innovating new products, processes, and ideas.

Finally, Gain Alignment

These examples only give you an idea of how and where to start introducing Gen AI into your workflows. But to be clear, Gen AI isn't about replacing human judgment but giving your team superpowers. Think of it as moving from a regular microscope to an electron microscope. It has the same primary function and dramatically better insights.

Let me also be clear that Gen AI is not a solution in and of itself. It is a tool and must fit your business model, culture, and strategy. So, work it into your organization in a planned, collaborative, and strategic way.

Once you've mastered the basics and enhanced your current operations, you can begin exploring entirely new ways to serve your customers. But do it in a way that is in sync with the business goals. You can accomplish this by aligning people processes and technology to the strategy.

This alignment provides a sense of reassurance and security, knowing that every aspect of your business is working towards the same goal and that the new technology is serving them in achieving those goals.

Next Steps

If you're feeling overwhelmed, remember this: every business owner who's successfully brought AI into their operation started with a single, simple step. Usually, by asking: "What's one routine task that takes up too much time?"

The answer to that question is where your journey begins, not with a complete overhaul of your business but with one small improvement that makes a real difference.

You see, it's not just about jumping into AI. Technology, for technology's sake, is fun but most often ineffective in achieving the company goals. Technology supporting a strategic plan as a utility is frequently a formula for success. Sometimes, it's a game-changer!

Like learning to drive, mastering AI is about building confidence through experience. Start in that empty parking lot - with a simple email automation. When ready, take it to the quiet streets with more complex applications. Before you know it, you'll confidently navigate the highway of total AI transformation."