Lately, I’ve been hearing the same questions show up again and again in sales conversations. Do you have AI? Is this AI powered? And then something interesting happens. The deal closes, the product gets used, and the AI feature barely gets touched. If you’ve seen this, it’s not because clients are confused. It’s because AI today is less about the usage and more about what it signals. Hey there, I’m Tabish Bibikar and I coach and mentor founders of software companies to build scale in their business fast. This AI question comes up regularly in product sales and roadmap discussions with founders. Here’s what’s really going on. For many buyers, AI has become a credibility marker. It doesn’t automatically mean automation or intelligence. It means modern, future ready. It means this product won’t feel outdated next year. So when a product doesn’t mention AI at all, a quiet doubt creeps in. Will this tool still be relevant in 2 years from now? Will I have to justify this decision later? They may never actually use the AI feature. But knowing it exists makes them feel safer choosing you. That’s an important distinction. This also explains something founders often miss. AI questions usually show up early before buyers fully understand what your product even does, which means they’re not asking about functionality. They’re trying to reduce perceived risk. They want reassurance that picking your product won’t make them look
shortsighted internally. So, how should you handle this? Don’t position AI as the main value of your product unless it’s genuinely is. Instead, talk about AI as a direction. Explain where it already helps today and where it will matter later. Keep the focus on outcomes, not features. Now, there’s another pressure this creates for founders. Because clients keep asking about AI, there’s a temptation to build something quickly just to tick the box. That often leads to AI features that look impressive in demos but add complexity, cost, and distraction for real users. In my experience, that’s when products start getting heavier instead of better. AI should earn its place. Build it where it removes friction, where it saves time, where it genuinely improves decisions, not just where it sounds good on a slide. If you’re becoming a B2B software company that’s growing and want to make smart product and go to market decisions without chasing the hype, message me here on LinkedIn. Because good products don’t follow trends.
