“Use AI in your business.” Every time I read that, it annoys me. The people who say it still don’t know how to talk to people. My clients want to know which problem I’m solving first. How I solve it comes after.
How I talk about it with clients
If I tell a client we’ll plug an agent into their CRM through MCP, then listen for a specific event with a webhook to trigger an automation, I’ve lost them. So I say something else.
Before We plug an agent into your CRM through MCP. A webhook listens for this event and triggers that automation.
After Let’s set this up so you don’t have to spend six hours a week doing it by hand. It’ll get done faster and better than you’d do it, and I’ll keep an eye on it in case anything technical gets stuck, until it’s reliable. Sound good?
They love it. It blows their minds how simple it is, put that way.
And when someone asks me what AI is, I say it’s like creating a clone of yourself who is very comfortable with tech. It does most of the tasks you waste time on better than you do.
ChatGPT or Claude
Pick the one you’re comfortable with. It’s like Pepsi or Coke, Apple or Microsoft. ChatGPT and Claude both handle everyday tasks very well. You’ll find out which suits you best by trying them on your own needs.
I prefer Claude, for what its best models do with code. It’s the only model subscription I pay for.
Where I started
With email, like most people. It took me a while before I paid for ChatGPT or Claude.
My first subscription was Midjourney, to generate images. When a client was waiting on their photo shoot, I put placeholder images on their site. Being able to show almost exactly what the final result will look like helps enormously. Midjourney is also very good at creating worlds, finding ideas and putting together moodboards. That’s where I saw how much images make or break a website, and any digital content.
Later I switched to Replicate. I pay per use instead of a monthly subscription.
Project updates
Then I realized I could give AI access to the code of my web projects. It sees what was done since my last conversation with the client and can write a very detailed update on the progress.
I had to set it up so it doesn’t sound like a robot. Today Hermes, my agent, writes and sends those technical updates to my clients. Whenever there’s a human side to the exchange, I handle it myself.
What it gave me back
I used to block a full day every week for client communication. Updates, proposals and the rest. Now all of it happens asynchronously, in under 10 minutes a day, with maybe 5 minutes of my attention. I got back at least a day or two a week.
If you’re starting
Start with your email. It’s the easiest. For replying to messages, and also for getting through a long thread. AI pulls out a summary, a list of things to do, or the requests that go beyond the scope.
For calls, a notetaker like Granola sums up everything that was said.
What makes people quit
Most people I see give up tried too many things at once. They feel overwhelmed, then they drop it. It’s a lot to take in when you aren’t used to moving fast with tech, the way developers are.
I started slowly, then sped up fast. I reach that click easily, the moment you understand how powerful these tools are. I saw it happen with Nathalie recently. Little by little, she’s letting AI take over part of her workload.
The other trap is impatience.
What AI gives you depends entirely on what you give it.
If you struggle to give instructions, delegate and explain clearly what you want, you’ll quickly go in circles. You correct it, again and again, and you get frustrated. Communication is the key.
What I’d do Monday morning
- Learn how to talk to it. Go back and forth with AI on the way you ask for things. Ask it how to phrase what you need better, and how to size up what you’re handing it.
- Ask dumb questions. AI won’t judge you. It doesn’t care.
- Apply it right away. Try what you just learned on a real task, then keep at it until it’s clear to you.
