The belief that manufacturers are slow to move is a misconception stemming from their resistance to large, risky "rip and replace" projects. They are quick to scale solutions that demonstrate clear, immediate value in a small-scale pilot, making a land-and-expand sales motion highly effective.
Related Insights
When selling innovative tech to risk-averse enterprises, don't build for their needs today; build for the future they will be forced into by competitive pressure. The strategy is to anticipate the industry's direction and have the solution ready when they finally realize they are being left behind.
If a large customer drags out a pilot indefinitely, it's a sign that your solution isn't solving a visceral, high-priority pain. When the need is urgent, enterprises will "bulldoze" through internal bureaucracy to get the product into production quickly.
When introducing a disruptive model, potential partners are hesitant to be the first adopter due to perceived risk. The strategy is to start with small, persistent efforts, normalizing the behavior until the advantages become undeniable. Innovation requires a patient strategy to overcome initial industry inertia.
For mission-critical industries where downtime costs millions, a 'rip-and-replace' sales approach is a non-starter. Calcetra plans to first run its thermal battery alongside a customer's existing gas burners. This proves reliability and builds trust before asking for a full transition, significantly lowering the barrier to adoption.
Instead of a complex, full-funnel AI integration, companies can get a faster ROI by targeting a high-leverage, contained activity. Post-sales support, like using vision AI to verify warranty claims, is an ideal starting point for tangible results and building internal momentum.
When customers are hesitant to adopt a new product due to uncertainty about its value or ease of use, lower the upfront cost of trial. Create a low-risk way for them to experience the benefits firsthand, like a car test drive or a 'white glove' training session, to resolve their uncertainty directly.
Instead of large, multi-year software rollouts, organizations should break down business objectives (e.g., shifting revenue to digital) into functional needs. This enables a modular, agile approach where technology solves specific problems for individual teams, delivering benefits in weeks, not years.
To sell large transformation projects, present the ambitious "North Star" goal but break it into sequential stages. Critically, Stage 1 must deliver tangible business value on its own. This approach wins over skeptics by providing an early return on investment, securing the momentum and buy-in needed for subsequent stages.
Contrary to the belief that top-tier products sell themselves, even OpenAI—the hottest company on Earth—uses pilots for major deals. If your pilots aren't converting, the issue is your product's value proposition, not the pilot process itself.
The biggest misconception is that SMBs aren't ready for AI. In reality, their lack of corporate bureaucracy allows them to be more agile and move faster than large enterprises. The key for vendors is to provide accessible, scalable solutions with a low entry point, enabling them to take small, quick steps.
