A friend recently told me about a deal they signed with a vendor: a three-product bundle, locked in for two years, with a 20% discount. “Free onboarding”, obviously. And a branded t-shirt (wrong size).
By the time the e-signature had dried, just under 30% of the budget was gone. In return they, practically speaking, had the internal capacity to use half the features of just one of those three products.
On paper it did actually seem to make sense. Even though one review on G2 described it as, and I quote… “pure fire”. But the pitch was focussed on potential. Not team capacity. Or the milestones in an executional roadmap. Based not on those involved asking the right questions.
Spoiler alert: it turned out to be an objectively bad investment.
This is the same blind optimism that plagues power tools sections of DIY stores globally. Lots of chin-stroking and serious gazes in the aisles yet none of the time or know-how to actually use an 18-volt trim router. Plenty of customers still walk out with one “just in case” though. [Okay fine, I am projecting a little here.]
When the dream of a new CRM or marketing automation platform collides with a team already being pulled a million different ways across campaign delivery, reporting, firefighting, and fixing the website footer, the reality is inevitable. Low utilisation, sunk time, sunk cost, and worst of all, guilt.
And now, we’re being sold a new miracle fix. Yep, it’s AI.
Apparently, this one won’t require headcount, time, or process change. This one writes content, edits video, automates campaigns… and makes you breakfast.
Except it really doesn’t.
AI still needs people to prompt, review, integrate, orchestrate, clean, validate. Much of these are new skills, and often the approach isn’t demonstrably better at delivering meaningful outcomes than good old human beings.
Just ask Matt Comyn, CEO of Commonwealth Bank, who revealed “the full potential of AI, to the extent that we even understand how that can be done, is one that is many years away” This – after cutting 45 jobs and introducing AI… only to create more work for staff.
Until the tools genuinely run themselves (and sorry, we’re not there yet) buying more tech without adequate resourcing, a plan to execute, and the capability to achieve ROI is a terrible idea.
Growth still comes from clever, busy humans making smart, strategic calls, and fixing what’s broken.
Don’t be the marketer with a garage full of 18v routers and no flooring plan.
