Stop Selling the Technology. Sell the Destination.

This is my third technology revolution.

I came through the desktop computer revolution, watched the internet completely reshape business, and now we're entering the Age of AI.

One thing those experiences have taught me is this: the technology you're looking at today probably won't look the same 6, 12, and 24 months from now.

There is going to be a tremendous amount of change. New platforms will emerge. Existing platforms will add capabilities. Prices will change. Features that are valuable today will become commodities tomorrow.

So, what do you do?

You really have three choices.

1. Do nothing.

That's a choice, but I don't think it's much of an option. The changes happening around AI are simply too significant for businesses and professionals to ignore.

2. Focus on learning, development, and applying your skills to an actual business problem. Don't try to learn AI just to learn AI.

Find a business problem worth solving.

Then find an early adopter who has that problem and make them a smokin' deal. They aren't just your first customer. They are your opportunity to learn what works in the real world.

You gain experience. They get a solution. And you walk away with something considerably more valuable than another certificate: proof that you can solve the problem.

3. Build your solution around platforms rather than individual pieces of technology. AKA "The Stack." You probably don't need to invent everything yourself.

Choose technology platforms that, when combined, deliver the business solution you want to provide. Many already have partner programs, training, support, certifications, marketing resources, and established credibility.

Take advantage of them.

And watch what is happening to the platforms themselves.

Stripe, for example, has been expanding beyond simply processing transactions and into infrastructure that can support usage-based and credit-based business models. That matters because AI is changing not only what we sell, but potentially how we package, meter, and monetize what we sell.

Think about that for a minute.

The payment infrastructure is evolving at the same time as the technology, the products, and the business models.

The world is changing before our eyes.

There may already be thousands of people selling "AI automation." But businesses aren't waking up in the morning saying, "I need some AI automation."

They have problems.

Maybe a company needs a better client onboarding and distribution system. A new client comes aboard, information flows into the appropriate systems, everyone involved is notified, paperwork is generated, responsibilities are assigned, follow-ups are scheduled, and management can see exactly where the client is in the process.

AI and automation might power much of it.

But the product isn't AI automation. The product is a better onboarding system.

That distinction matters.

The opportunity over the next few years won't necessarily belong to the people who know the most AI tools. I think it will increasingly belong to the people who understand a business problem well enough to assemble the right technology into a solution.

The tools will keep changing.

The business problem is your anchor.

And when you take that solution to market, remember something I have learned over a lot of years in technology and business:

Sell the destination.

Demonstrate that you know the route.

Don't give out the map.

Most of all, It's a great time to be alive!

MayneStreet

Shaping the future of business in the age of AI.