A strategic shift
For years, I have been using a journal to get all my projects out of my mind and onto paper. My goal this year is to make a small but strategic shift in this business process. I am moving from paper and pen to a tablet and stylus. Why? Because with the advent and rapid progression of AI, I want to be sure my AI agent has access to all my data. AI agents are now tasked with buying, and I want to be sure my company is on its shopping list.
Staying relevant
Staying relevant in an AI world is important. Consider what the next steps should be in your AI agent progression.
In a recent article, my friend Brian Hopkins, of Distribution Strategy Group, offered three essential suggestions for how to get started with AI.
- Your product information must be complete and correct. This should include specs, dimensions, compatibility, availability, and pricing.
- Your information must be structured so a machine can retrieve it cleanly. It must not be locked behind a lead-capture form or trapped in an image nobody tagged.
- Your information must be current. The wrong data doesn’t just cost you an order; It tells the agent that your site is not trustworthy. And AI agents don’t forget.
Be on AI’s shopping list
Personalization is what the traditional independent distributor relies on for customer loyalty. AI represents a loss of personalization in business transactions. To offset this, independent distributors need to make sure their information is online and up-to-date at all times. The winning contracts and sales won’t go to the best person but to the product and service providers with the cleanest data. To be on AI’s shopping list your information has to be complete, correctly structured, and current.
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