Stand Out Be Seen Make Connections

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Welcome, everyone! I’m thrilled to kick off another edition of AI Insiders from Marketer Guild. Today, we have two special guests from the innovative firm Hot Cognition: Tiffany Vasilchik and Estelle Shepherd. I’m particularly excited about this session. Tiffany and I were set to work together on a major project last year, which unfortunately didn’t materialize. However, the silver lining was connecting with her and getting insights into where AI fits into marketing and sales.

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A quick reminder: AI Insiders is a participatory, community-driven conversation, not a webinar. We’re looking forward to your feedback, questions, and ideas as Tiffany and Estelle share their expertise. With that, I’ll turn it over to them.

(01:36)
Tiffany: Thank you! Hi, everyone. I’m Tiffany, co-founder of Hot Cognition alongside Estelle. Today, we want to discuss how AI is revolutionizing marketing and sales—two interconnected fields. AI can amplify your efforts, helping you make a bigger impact, gain attention, and drive engagement.

To give you a bit of background: I started my career in marketing at Pepsi and Mondelez before transitioning to brand and innovation consulting. My last role was at Board of Innovation, where I met Estelle. The CEO there was an early advocate for integrating AI into marketing, sales, and innovation. That inspired us to explore how AI could transform these areas, especially sales. We’re excited to share key insights from our journey. Over to you, Estelle.

(02:44)
Estelle: Thanks, Tiffany. Hello from London! It’s not as cold as the East Coast here but definitely darker—it feels like the middle of the night. My background started in sales within the tech sector, including roles in talent acquisition during the first internet wave at companies like MarchFirst and Microsoft. Later, I shifted to marketing services and innovation, eventually meeting Tiffany at Board of Innovation.

Generative AI became a central part of our work, and we saw its potential to enhance individual performance, helping people become their best selves. My focus has been on educating and empowering people to use AI effectively while ensuring it remains a tool we control—not the other way around.

(04:07)
Tiffany: Well said, Estelle. We’d love to connect with all of you—feel free to use the QR codes here to find us on LinkedIn. Let’s dive in!

AI isn’t here to replace jobs anytime soon, but someone who knows how to leverage it might replace someone who doesn’t. The momentum behind AI is immense. Just yesterday, there was a major announcement about Stargate, a $500 billion initiative involving Oracle, OpenAI, and SoftBank. Progress is accelerating rapidly, and as leaders and marketers, it’s crucial to stay ahead of the curve.

We often use the analogy of a frog in slowly heating water—it doesn’t realize the danger until it’s too late. Don’t be the frog!

(05:44)
If you’re here, listening to this, you’re already ahead of the curve. Jensen Huang of Nvidia highlighted that Moore’s Law—the idea that computing power doubles every two years—has been smashed. It’s now closer to every six months. AI is driving significant improvements in productivity, efficiency, and quality across high-knowledge tasks like consulting and marketing.

The challenge now is raising your organization’s AI IQ. It’s about equipping everyone with the tools and confidence to use AI effectively, taking away barriers like the blank page syndrome.

(07:30)
At Hot Cognition, we’re an AI-driven sales and marketing conversion engine. Our focus is on helping businesses achieve more by combining AI with behavioral science and human expertise. Today, we’ll share five key shifts in modern marketing and sales, all tied to AI.

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The first shift: Get inside the buyer’s head.
Today’s customers are often far along in their buying journey before contacting you. They expect personalized, relevant information at every stage. Understanding your customers on a deeper level is critical.

We use empathy maps to delve into what customers are thinking, seeing, hearing, and doing. For example, by creating an AI-generated digital twin of a consumer or customer segment, we can better understand their mindset. This involves uploading data into AI models like ChatGPT, which then acts as if it’s the customer, providing insights into preferences, attitudes, and needs.

(12:35)
The second shift: Win the battle for attention.
In today’s crowded digital space, attention is the currency. The key to standing out isn’t being flashy—it’s about being familiar and consistently offering value. Repetition builds trust, while free, high-value content builds engagement.

LinkedIn is a powerful platform for professionals. It’s the largest Rolodex in the world and a great place to establish your presence. Optimize your profile to clearly communicate who you are, what you do, and how you help.

(14:33)
Estelle: LinkedIn is the perfect platform to start conversations, share your point of view, and connect with people you want to work with. One of the tools we’ve developed is a LinkedIn profile optimizer, available as a custom GPT. By scanning the QR code, you can use it to optimize your profile section by section, ensuring it resonates with your audience and aligns with your goals.

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The third shift: Shameless self-promotion.
Building familiarity with your audience requires putting yourself out there consistently. Think of it as “networking without canapés.” While in-person events have their charm, digital networking on platforms like LinkedIn allows you to amplify your presence and engage with a broader audience.

If you don’t promote yourself and your work, someone else will. This doesn’t mean being overbearing—it’s about showing up authentically and offering value. Consistency is more important than perfection. Use AI tools to help build content calendars, structure posts, and maintain your tone of voice. By educating AI on your preferred style, you can make your content feel more personal and engaging.

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AI can handle the heavy lifting, but it’s up to you to ensure your content reflects your personality. For example, I’ve trained my AI to incorporate humor and sarcasm into my posts because I want them to feel like me. There’s a surprising amount of room for individuality on platforms like LinkedIn—less than 1% of users post weekly, so your voice can easily stand out with regular, authentic content.

(22:13)
On a personal note, I recently quit smoking after 30 years, thanks to a program I created with ChatGPT. I worked with it to build a detailed plan that included daily milestones and strategies. Following it step-by-step helped me succeed, demonstrating how AI can support personal goals as well as professional ones.

(25:11)
When creating content, focus on being useful without being preachy. AI can help refine your tone and ensure your posts are clear and engaging. Emphasize consistency over perfection. Start small—post once every two weeks, then build up to a weekly rhythm.

Encourage debate and conversation, but avoid negativity. If someone disagrees with your content, they can unfollow. The goal is to create a positive, collaborative space where ideas can flourish.

(26:23)
This slide shows how a single idea can be repurposed into various types of content—long-form posts, short videos, infographics, or carousel posts. AI can help you reformat and repurpose content, ensuring your message reaches different audiences in engaging ways.

The key to self-promotion is talking about what you do repeatedly and sharing it online. Identify your point of view, commit to posting consistently, and don’t overthink it—just get started.

(28:14)
Tiffany: Building a strong personal brand is essential. It’s not just about selling but also about connecting with your audience and establishing trust. You don’t have to be controversial to stand out. Authenticity and value go a long way.

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David: That’s a great point. How do you avoid being boring when using AI for content creation? I’ve noticed that some content, even when written by humans, can feel generic or uninspired.

(30:11)
Estelle: It’s true—some content written by humans feels like AI could have written it! The key is focusing on your unique perspective and voice. Are you trying to help your audience or sell to them? I believe that building community and trust will naturally attract the right opportunities.

Tiffany: Absolutely. You can also use AI to understand your audience better, tailoring your content to their needs and interests. Tools like ChatGPT can mimic writing styles you admire or help refine your tone.

(32:12)
Karen: One concern with AI is staying present in conversations. For example, when people comment on your posts, how do you manage that if AI is doing the initial writing?

Estelle: Great question. Active engagement is critical. We recommend scheduling posts with AI but being present before and after they go live to respond to comments. Spending 15 minutes engaging with the platform before and after posting can also boost your visibility in LinkedIn’s algorithm.

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It’s also important to guide AI when creating content. For example, if your AI-generated post feels too long or formal, you can instruct it to make it snappier or add humor. Over time, your AI can become a more effective collaborator, producing content that feels authentic and engaging.

(36:08)
David: That’s great advice. I tested the LinkedIn profile optimizer you shared, and it immediately picked up on my tone of voice. It’s impressive how well it understood my style and offered suggestions to enhance it.

Estelle: That’s fantastic to hear! We worked hard to train the tool on best practices, so it’s great to see it delivering results.

(38:04)
The fourth shift: Always be opening conversations.
You never know where a conversation might lead. The people you connect with today could play a key role in your career or business in the future. Networking strategically and generously is a crucial mindset shift.

For example, if someone reaches out to you for help—perhaps they’re between jobs—take the time to respond. Offering value without expecting anything in return builds goodwill and strengthens your network. Often, those you help will remember you when opportunities arise.

(41:45)
Tiffany: Finally, the fifth shift: Winning by inches.
In today’s competitive landscape, it’s often the smallest details that make the biggest difference. AI can help identify those subtle opportunities to stand out, whether it’s crafting a more personalized proposal, tailoring a Zoom meeting setup, or refining a loyalty program.

AI is particularly effective at finding patterns and insights that humans might miss. For example, when working with a cannabis dispensary, we used AI to analyze competitors’ loyalty programs and identify unique features to improve our client’s offering.

(44:24)
AI is a powerful tool for achieving both personal and professional goals. Whether you’re creating a marketing strategy, designing a sales process, or planning your own habits, AI can help you stay consistent, focused, and effective.

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That’s what we had for you today—five key shifts in marketing and sales, with practical applications for AI. We hope this sparked some ideas for you. Feel free to reach out with feedback or questions.

(46:15)
David: This was fantastic. Thank you so much for sharing your insights. It’s clear from the chat that people are already eager to apply these ideas.

Tiffany and Estelle: Thank you! We’re so glad this was helpful. Please connect with us on LinkedIn—we’d love to continue the conversation.