Why I Stopped Calling Myself An "AI Automation Expert"

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My first five cold emails got zero replies.

Subject line: "AI Automation Services For Your Business"

Looking back, I cringe. What does that even mean? It's like saying "I do computer stuff."

Then I changed my approach completely. Instead of selling automation, I started selling solutions to specific document problems.

NEW EMAIL TEMPLATE:

Subject: "Process 120 invoices/week in 2 hours instead of 12?"

Body: One paragraph about THEIR problem. One sentence about my solution. One question asking if they want to see it.

THE TURNING POINT:

I found a small logistics company on LinkedIn. Their job posting said "Hiring Data Entry Clerk - Process shipping manifests and BOLs."

I didn't apply for the job. I emailed the owner:

"Saw your posting for data entry. What if those manifests processed themselves? I can show you a system that extracts all BOL data automatically and posts it to your TMS. 10-minute demo?"

He replied in 30 minutes. Demo the next day. Contract signed by end of week.

WHAT I BUILT:

Email receives shipping docs → PDF Vector Parse Document → Extract structured data using JSON Schema → Post to their TMS via API

Setup fee: $1,400

Monthly cost to run: $18 (PDF Vector Pro plan)

Their savings: Avoided $36,000/year data entry hire

The biggest mistake beginners make is positioning themselves as generalists. "I do automation" means nothing. "I automate invoice processing for accounting firms" is a business.

REFRAME YOUR POSITIONING:

Instead of: "AI Automation Agency"

Try: "I automate document processing for [specific industry]"

Instead of: "I can help your business"

Try: "I can process your [specific document type] automatically"

The template workflow I used is here

Stop selling automation. Start solving document problems. Your first client is looking for solutions, not services.

What specific document problem can you solve better than anyone?

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