She asked for AI. I asked what the alternative cost.

01 / The observation

What came into view.

The useful comparison was already in the business. We had to ask for it.

The conversation moved from what the bureau did to what a buyer would otherwise have to do. In the example discussed, an in-house payroll manager’s salary was £35k and the outsourced service was £24k a year. That put an £11k salary difference on the table.

The question I asked

“How much would I pay someone to do payroll as a job?”

Gemma, from the session transcript. Filler words removed.

02 / The decision

So the work changed.

Start with the buyer’s problem and the value of getting it solved. Then build the content and AI around that. The session also explored accountant referrals and a paid payroll audit as routes into the business.

1. Start before the search

   “What’s the step before Google?”

   We looked at how a business reaches the point of needing payroll help. That brought the discussion to mistakes, complexity and the relationships with accountants who might refer work.

2. Ask for the alternative

   What would the buyer be doing without you?

   I asked what employing a payroll manager would cost, then what the bureau would charge for the example being discussed. The comparison made the value more concrete than a list of payroll features.

3. Build around the finding

   The content system needed a strategy to follow.

   We mapped client profiles and the problems each one cared about. Blog posts could then feed LinkedIn and other content. The AI setup came after that thinking.

03 / The result

What happened next.

A clearer commercial argument, before building the AI.

We mapped how client profiles and their problems could shape a twelve-month content plan. We also updated the AI context and tested a LinkedIn draft against the intended buyer. A paid audit was explored as an entry offer. No later sales result is established here.

Source: Session transcript supplied by Gemma, reviewed 21 October 2026