I'm building workflows and chatbots for low-automation local market (health/marketing agencies); any advice?

#272 · stop selling AI agents, sell this instead

I'm building workflows and chatbots for low-automation local market (health/marketing agencies); any advice?

Just pick something you believe in, commit, and try it for a set period—don't wait for trends.

workflowschatbotsadvice

Related answers

I'm starting a small agency in the chatbot and voice agent space, but I think chatbots might be the wrong focus. What are your thoughts?

I used to be negative about chatbots because the technology was unreliable and too flexible for real business use. However, over the last six months things have improved; chatbots can now set meetings at 90‑95% of a human’s quality, making them valuable for high‑volume lead nurturing and booking. I see chatbots as sitting on the flexibility‑reliability spectrum: traditional automation (API calls) is highly reliable but inflexible, while AI trades some reliability for much greater flexibility. Chatbots are even more flexible but less reliable, which can be frustrating because clients often expect you to change their output and think you have full control. In my experience, selling chatbots has been tricky due to that need for constant tweaking. That said, their reliability is improving daily. If you start now, don’t expect quick money, but as the chatbot wave grows, focus on building more reliable and robust chatbots to take full advantage.

chatbotvoice agentflexibility vs reliability

youtube ↗AI & Automation

Is selling chat bots and CRM still viable in the next couple years, what systems will be in demand now and in the future, and how can I overcome running out of ideas for retainers and delivering less value to a $3,500/month AI automation client?

Yes, selling chat bots will remain viable and actually increase in value as they become more intelligent and easier to implement. CRM and structured data will also stay in demand. For services, focus on systems tied to revenue because they’re easier to justify and have higher perceived impact than backend optimizations. To overcome running out of retainer ideas and delivering less value, list what the client currently does to generate revenue, list what others use to generate revenue, find the overlap, and build systems that help them do the effective activities. Avoid low‑return activities like excessive LinkedIn posting; instead, double‑down on high‑return channels such as trade shows. This approach lets you quickly justify your retainer value.

chat botscrmretainerai automation

youtube ↗Agency Operations

I’m in Malaysia and want to start an automation business, but the market feels saturated with WhatsApp bots. What advice do you have?

My number one piece of advice is to just get up and start talking to people. It doesn’t matter that there are many WhatsApp bot creators; saturation is a misunderstanding. Most people aren’t trying to build $1 million‑a‑month companies, they just want a lifestyle business. If you understand that, you realize commoditization doesn’t matter. There’s room for another entrant in any market, and you can carve out a $5‑10 k‑a‑month business without issue.

automationstartupmalaysia

youtube ↗Niches

If you were starting an AI automation agency from scratch in March 2025, which niches or industries would you focus on, and which automation flows would be best to prioritize and monetize?

I’d start with the three top‑performing niches I’ve identified: high‑touch SaaS businesses, recruitment firms, and coaches or consultants. These have proven to generate the highest ROI. For each niche I’d sell a suite of automation systems – an automated candidate‑placement hiring pipeline, a personalized cold‑email outreach system, an automated reporting/dashboard, an AI‑coach chatbot, and a coaching‑management CRM. I’ve documented all of these in a public doc, and you can even Google “best AI automation agency niche 2025” to see the same results.

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