#199 · How to Sell AI Systems In Lower Cost-Of-Living Countries
Try selling the service before you build it—validate demand first. It's far higher value to confirm people will pay for what you plan to offer, then build the specifics, rather than creating a service whose value you don't know and hunting for an audience later.
Focus on selling the outcome—leads—not the tool itself. You can sell this to any local business that needs leads; the fact it’s a Google Maps scraper is irrelevant unless they ask. Use the same sales process you’d use for any AI service: show the copy from previous campaigns (you can reference your Instagram or a watch‑me‑sell video), explain how you generate leads for X, Y, Z, and then bundle the scraper with a cold‑email system that delivers those leads as an outcome. This makes the offer easy to understand and attractive to buy.
You can generate leads on almost no budget using the Appify scraper—it’s about as cheap as it gets. If you try to go cheaper, you’ll trade off a lot of time. You could even resort to low‑tech methods like handing out flyers, but that’s far less efficient. The realistic approach is to manually compile lists on X, Instagram, Reddit, etc., then cold‑DM or email them. Ideally you’d have some social proof, but if you don’t, you can create it by showcasing marketing results: prove you can consistently book, say, ten meetings a week. Once you’ve demonstrated that, you can sell the service itself—offer to install the lead‑generation system in a client’s business and manage it for free until you hit a target, or guarantee a set number of meetings per week and only get paid if you deliver. This way you monetize your ability to book meetings rather than a product. The workflow can stay manual; you don’t need a complex automation at this stage.
Don’t give free work to prospects; instead, do the work for your own business. Build a lead‑generation system for yourself, then use that as a case study to demonstrate your ability to get leads. For example, create a system that books meetings for your own company and show prospects the results. This saves time and proves credibility without devaluing your service.
Use a mix of automated inbound and outbound methods. Inbound: run PPC ads (Google Ads), list on aggregators like Bark.com (they sell leads), and invest in local SEO to rank for service searches. Outbound: compile a list of property management companies in your service area, then pitch them a preferred‑vendor package with 24/7 emergency service, discounted trials, etc. Leverage tools like Appify for scraping leads from Indeed/LinkedIn, enrichment with Clay, and AI‑personalized outreach via Instantly or Smart Lead. Track metrics, iterate quickly, and aim for low cost per meeting ($5–$10). Focus on revenue‑driving activities; after a few projects, bootstrap social proof and case studies.