Pick the wrong AI tool and you’ll spend three months migrating data. Here’s what I tell people who ask me.
Step 1: Identify Your Pain Point
Don’t buy a tool because it’s trendy. Look at your week. What eats the most hours? Where do you keep copy-pasting between apps at 11pm? That’s the job for an AI tool, not whatever landed on the front page of Hacker News.
Step 2: Set a Budget
Free tiers are your friend. Run one for a month, watch what breaks or annoys you, and only pay when you can point to a real number: hours saved, leads closed, whatever moves the needle for your business.
Step 3: Test Before Committing
Most vendors offer a trial now, usually 7 to 14 days. Use it. Don’t just click through the demo. Run a real task you’d normally do on a Monday morning and see how the tool holds up.
Step 4: Measure Results
Pick two numbers before you start: time saved per week, and something tied to revenue or output. If a month in you can’t show me either, the tool isn’t earning its seat.
Red Flags
- No free trial at all
- Pricing hidden behind a sales call
- Support that takes days to reply during your trial