This one gets said out loud on calls, usually with a laugh, and it is not really a joke. Every agency added "AI" to its name in the last two years. Every software salesman has a copilot. Your nephew has opinions. So, who do you trust?
How do I tell a real expert from a guy with a webinar?
Ask what they have built that is still running, and ask to see it. Not a demo, not a slide. Something a real business uses every day, with a real person who can vouch for it. If the answer is a list of certifications or a deck about "transformation," keep moving.
The second test is whether they will tell you no. A real one will tell you that half your AI ideas are a bad use of money, which ones, and why. A salesman never says no.
What should I ask on the first call?
Five questions. You will know in ten minutes.
- What have you built that is in use right now, and who can I call about it?
- What would you tell me not to do? If they cannot name anything, they are not thinking about your business, they are thinking about their invoice.
- What does it cost? If they will not say a number until after "discovery," the number is going to be whatever they think you can pay.
- Who does the actual work? If it is a sales guy on the call and "the team" later, you will never meet the team.
- What happens if it does not work? Listen for whether they have ever had something not work. Everybody has. The honest ones will tell you about it.
Why is there so much BS in this space right now?
Because the tools got good faster than the knowledge did. It is genuinely easy to make an impressive demo in an afternoon now. It is still hard to make something that works on a Tuesday in March when the intern is out and the data is messy. The demo people and the Tuesday-in-March people look the same on LinkedIn.
The way through is proof. Running systems, named clients, and prices on the page. The more of that a person has, the less they need to sell you.
How do you want me to check you out?
Same way. The capabilities page lists what I actually use. The portfolio goes back to 2000 and every piece on it is something I made. The services page has the price on every item. I hold fractional AI and technology seats at three companies right now, and on the first call I will tell you which of your ideas I would not do.
If after all that you still want a second opinion, get one. I would.
What is the biggest red flag?
Urgency. "Your competitors are already doing this" and "the window is closing." The window is not closing. The companies that are doing well with AI did it carefully, in the right order, with their people on board. The ones that rushed are the ones calling me to fix it.
Answered by Jared Lukes, Minneapolis. Twenty-five years in brand, UX, and technology, currently holding fractional AI and technology seats at three companies. About Jared.