Mental model for AI consultants: do not be a pharmacist who dispenses what the client asks for (give me an AI agent), be a doctor who diagnoses the problem before prescribing a solution. Often the best answer is a 30 dollar SaaS product, a simple automation, or a custom GPT, not a custom AI build. The positioning shift turns the consultant from a vendor into a trusted AI thought partner, which justifies higher fees, opens the door to retainers, and protects clients from expensive over-engineering. Closely tied to value-based pricing because diagnosis is how you quantify the ROI that anchors the price.
Source references
- [src-008] Nate Herk cluster — Nate Herk — AI consulting and business cluster (11 videos)
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