When AI Demos Miss the Point: How to Avoid the “So What?” Crime

When AI Demos Miss the Point: How to Avoid the “So What?” Crime

AI is everywhere—and every seller knows it.

Executives are asking about it. Boards are pressuring teams to use it. Buyers are expecting it. And sellers? They’re being trained on every capability, configuration, and workflow their platform can do.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth:

Most AI conversations today aren’t creating value. They’re creating confusion.

In 2025, the overwhelming majority of enablement has been focused on teaching sellers what AI can do instead of why it matters. Pair that with a recent MIT study (thank you, Brian Oehling) showing that only 1% of AI projects are delivering business value, and you start to see the problem:

We’re polishing garbage.

Not because the technology isn’t powerful—but because we’re connecting it to features, not outcomes.

Here’s how to fix it before buyers tune you out.

1. The Opportunity Cost of AI Conversations

Right now, AI is opening doors sellers have never had access to at this pace.

Our clients are telling us they’re getting meetings with C-levels, fast. Executives who normally wouldn’t attend a discovery call are joining early because they want clarity:

“How should we be thinking about AI to drive our business forward?”

Not: “What does your AI do?”

You might only get one shot at this. Don’t waste it walking them through configuration settings and feature menus. This is a moment where clarity wins. A moment where your POV is the differentiator. Bring a perspective. Anchor the conversation in business change. Paint a vision of how their world could work differently, not just how your product works.

They have time.

But your message needs to matter.

2. Demo Use Cases, Not Features

When sellers spend months being trained on AI capabilities, it’s natural to want to show them off.

But that urge is costing deals.

Executives don’t care how many models you support… or how fast your ingestion pipeline is… or how configurable your automation logic might be.

They care about change.

How will this AI meaningfully change how my business operates?

How will it make my team better, faster, more competitive?

How will it impact the person sitting in this room?

If you can’t answer those questions, the demo becomes a data dump and this is where the “So What?” crime shows up.

To avoid that:

• Tell a story of operational change.

• Make it specific.

• Make it personal.

• Make it about them.

3. Go Beyond the Call Recording

This is where AI becomes both a gift and a trap.

Yes—tools can summarize your discovery calls.

Yes—they can suggest what to show in your demo.

But if you take AI output at face value without adding your own thinking, your own context, and your own message? You’re at risk of: Showing the right things with the wrong story.

AI doesn’t know the organizational dynamics communicated through tone of voice rather than the actual words in the transcript. AI doesn’t know the tension you saw on camera. AI doesn’t know which insight shifted the energy in the room.

We understand the appeal of using AI voiceovers. You get instant translation, no human mistakes, and can easily update without re-recording. But, if the script still has the wrong message, it delivers zero value...to more people.

Message matters.

Context matters.

Your point of view matters.

The AI Conversations Landing Meetings and the Value Required to Keep Them

Right now, buyers are experimenting. They’re trying to understand how AI creates a competitive advantage. They’re willing to explore, iterate, and pilot.

But that window won’t last forever.

Eventually, the market will require proof—not potential. Measured impact—not interesting ideas.

And between now and that moment, sellers are at the highest risk of committing the “So What?” crime because use cases are less defined, messaging is inconsistent, and value is still abstract.

But here’s the good news:

You're the person who connects the dots.

If you want long-term adoption, expansion, and consumption of your AI capabilities, you must tie them directly to meaningful business value—value you can articulate clearly, confidently, and consistently.

AI can scale your message.

But only you can make it matter.

If you’re rethinking how your teams talk about AI, and how to connect capability to real business value, we’d love to help you sharpen that message.

Schedule a conversation with our team and let’s build a value story your buyers can’t ignore.