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#182 · how to sell on upwork & get your first AI client for $1,000

youtube ↗Niches

What kinds of niches would you recommend for voice agents and workflows?

I was thinking local businesses, but in a previous video I said I would stay away from local businesses. There's nuance: I would definitely stay away from local businesses in general because they're less scalable and you don't get straightforward access to local leads, unlike fully digital leads. However, if you're selling voice agents, local businesses can be your best bet because they're high volume and have big consequences if they miss a call or inquiry, which creates strong search intent and need‑based demand. They also tend to have relatively low average order values, which matters because if a business you reach has a high average order value, the opportunity cost of losing even a small percentage of conversion rate by switching to an AI voice agent (instead of a human) can outweigh the savings. You might save $2,000 a month, but the opportunity cost could lose you $20,000 a month, which isn’t a trade I’d make.

voice agentsnicheslocal business

Related answers

youtube ↗AI & Automation

What are your thoughts on voice agents and how would you sell them if they were the only product?

I don’t sell voice agents because the best‑paying industries are those with high‑lifetime‑value customers, and putting a high‑LTV client on an AI voice agent is risky. A voice agent can say the wrong thing, hallucinate, crash, or sound like a pack of barking dogs, which instantly erodes trust. Most people will be put off by that experience. Therefore I’d only sell voice agents to low‑LTV segments where individual customers don’t matter as much and the primary benefit is cost‑saving rather than revenue generation. If voice agents were the only product I had, I’d probably look for a job instead—just kidding—but the math simply doesn’t add up right now. That could change in a few years as the technology improves.

voice agentslow ltvsalesautomation
youtube ↗Cold Email

What’s the best strategy to get voice‑AI clients – cold email with a free trial or a kickoff‑call offer – and which niche should I target, local contractors or something else?

I don’t have any voice‑AI campaigns running right now, but I’d start by targeting call‑intensive niches. Look for services where a quick phone call is essential – for example, local cleaners. Search Google for “cleaner [city]”, open the top five results, and call each one in order until you get a response. Focus on time‑sensitive, local services because they’re more likely to adopt a voice‑AI solution. Once you have a list, run a cold‑email campaign offering either a free trial or a kickoff call, depending on what resonates with the prospect. The key is to demonstrate how the voice agent can handle after‑hours calls or urgent bookings, saving the business time and increasing conversion rates.

voice aicold emailniche
youtube ↗AI & Automation

Recently sales of AI voice agents for med spas have declined because people aren't seeing good results. Should I keep selling AI voice agents or start selling customized AI automations alongside them? What would you do?

It's unfortunate that I don't have enough context to give a definitive answer. If you were earning $30k–$40k per month from voice agents and the decline is just a small, recent dip in your front-end offer (like conversion rate), I'd advise one approach. But if you're making little to no money and people are consistently saying no, I'd suggest something else. Ultimately, the key factor is your current revenue: if you're not making much money, any action is better than none—you need to do something to get cash flow. However, if you're already running a successful, scaling business and you observe a real market trend that people don't like voice agents, then it's worth considering a pivot to AI automations.

ai voice agentsai automationspivot