If you read my last blog, you’re probably already thinking about how you can make your brand more trustworthy. If you missed it, here’s a brief recap: AI is turning search behaviour on its head by presenting answers to prompts directly within the platform — no need to click on links or visit websites. We’ve all been watching this happen over the last couple of years and have been rushing to optimise our sites for this new age.

But things have gone one step further. Transactions are now taking place within AI platforms themselves — this happened in New Zealand for the first time last month. No visit to a beautifully branded, engaging user experience. No clicks at all. Welcome to zero-click commerce.

For an AI platform to serve up reliable, accurate information — and now, to facilitate a transaction on your behalf — it needs to be confident that your brand is trustworthy. So what signals is it actually looking for?

You've probably heard a lot about AI writing blog posts or generating images. That's generative AI, and while it's useful, it's a bit like having a very capable intern who can only do one thing at a time and needs to be told every step. Agentic AI is something altogether different. It's AI that can pursue a goal autonomously, work through multiple steps, learn from feedback, and keep improving — more like a proactive digital team member than a tool you prompt.

And here's the number that stopped me in my tracks: the agentic AI market is projected to grow from $7 billion today to over $93 billion by the early 2030s. Gartner predicts that 90% of B2B buying will be AI-agent intermediated by 2028. This is not a slow-burn trend. This is a step change.

It's that time of year again. The pressure is on to file your end-of-year accounts. Nothing like a deadline to get things done, right? With today's tech, most business owners will already have a good idea of their annual sales and profit. Your end-of-year accounts will be no surprise. And for those SMEs that use forecasting, hopefully your forecast matches your actual financial performance and position. But hope isn't a great strategy unless you enjoy the thrill of the unknown.

The secret to promoting your business with confidence? Getting crystal clear on what makes us different in ways that actually matter to our clients.

If you're a business owner feeling the pressure to increase your prices or rates right now, you're not alone - but knowing your costs have genuinely gone up doesn't make the conversation with clients any easier.

The challenge is balancing what the textbook says about value-based pricing with the reality of your labour costs, market rates, and the fear of coming across as opportunistic when your clients are already stretched thin. The businesses navigating this well aren't the ones with perfect formulas - they're the ones communicating openly, understanding their true costs, and finding that sweet spot between delivering value and running a viable business.

We've all seen the headlines about President Donald Trump trying to acquire Greenland. Predictably, they are having none of it - who can blame them!

It's a useful marketing reminder: winning someone over is only half the battle. What happens afterwards matters just as much, if not more.

I'll be honest - I only stumbled across this Outlook feature last week when I was scrolling through my TikTok feed. But it's been a game-changer, and I wish I'd discovered it years ago.😏

December's coming fast, and if you're like many business owners in New Zealand, you're already feeling it. Changing stock orders, finalising team rosters, staying on top of bills – and somewhere in that mess, you know you should be doing something with your marketing.

Here's the thing: you don't need a massive campaign. You just need to be present, helpful, and easy to find when your customers are making decisions. Here are five things you can knock out quickly – each takes less than 30 minutes.

"Most marketers treat SEO like a traffic tool. They get the clicks, but the brand still doesn't stick. Here's what I see happening: Marketers chase clicks but forget about recognition. You get the visit, but not the return customer. If people can't remember you, they won't come back. If Google doesn't see signals of your brand's authority, you'll lose visibility in search.”

- Neil Patel, Founder Ubersuggest

Are you okay?

 This is possibly one of the most powerful questions you can ever ask. Whether it's an underperforming employee, a stressed customer or a stroppy teenager, this question, asked with the right tone can disarm a difficult situation, uncover a hidden problem or create a window of opportunity.  

Me and the ladies enjoy our weekly aqua dance classes but it’s the business signage on the wall that really gets my attention.

LLMs like Chat GPT are able to generate human-like responses without having a clue what the words mean or sound like. Because the models don’t have access to experiences, context or emotions like humans, they have to rely on converting language into numbers and probability scores.

I’m not going to lie, for some time I’ve found LinkedIn a bit boring. It’s also not the first time I’ve said that (see my other blogs).

But last month, I had a change of heart after chatting with my sister in-law.

Here’s what I learned:

The beginning of 2024 was a shocker for the earthmoving business that I run with my husband.

You can only lead when you know where you are now and where you are going. Then it’s a matter of deciding how you are going to get there.

Imagine a small café, "Brewed Awakenings," that has been experiencing a decline in customer satisfaction and sales. Customers frequently complain about long wait times, inconsistent beverage quality, and poor service. The café owner is concerned and wants to turn things around but is unsure where to start.

I’m well passed that stage of life (but do talk to me about coffee, HRT, books and dogs and you are onto a winner!). One of the quickest ways to improve your communications is to apply the Rule of Relevancy…

I don’t know a single person who is a fan of cold calling (and I know quite a few people who work in sales). The reason for this is it sucks. And while it works, It makes you feel uncomfortable and awkward. And that’s why I like this video from Phil M Jones, international speaker, trainer and author of Exactly What To Say.

Let’s be honest - a lot of the stuff served up on LinkedIn is pretty dry. Not only is it dry, it’s self-serving. “Here I am drinking a coffee with X person at Y conference.” There are very few posts that seem genuine, new and useful. I think it boils down to three challenges: tone, relevancy and attention spans.