Unlocking AI’s True Potential: Avoiding the PoC Death Spiral
In today’s rapidly evolving AI landscape, many companies fall into the “Proof of Concept (PoC) death spiral.” Instead of treating pilots like tech demos, they should position them as collaborative business case development projects.
Key Insights:
- Tire-Kickers: Free pilots attract curious onlookers, wasting resources without commitment.
- Reframe Your Approach:
- Rename “proof of concept” to “business case development project.”
- Co-own ROI models to justify commercial discussions.
- Charge for Pilots: A small fee filters out non-serious prospects, ensuring engagement with decision-makers.
Pilot Structure:
- Week 1: Define meaningful success metrics.
- Weeks 2-3: Measure real business impact.
- Week 4: Present collaboratively built ROI models.
Emphasize business value over technical features. If potential clients won’t invest $10K for proof of $1M in value, they weren’t serious buyers.
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