10 Practical Ways to Sell AI in 2026: From Chatbots to Creative Retainers

10 Practical Ways to Sell AI in 2026

TLDR: After talking with hundreds of founders and teams, the pattern is clear: people don't need more AI tools, they need packaged offers that solve specific painful problems. Here are 10 concrete AI services you can deliver today with typical pricing ranges.

Summary:

This is a refreshingly practical guide that cuts through AI hype to focus on what actually sells. The authors have talked with hundreds of founders, freelancers, and teams inside real companies, and distilled their findings into packageable offers with concrete deliverables and realistic pricing.

The AI receptionist business stands out as a clear winner. You sell an AI that answers FAQs, captures leads, and routes calls - perfect for clinics, home services, restaurants, legal firms, and real estate. The deliverable is straightforward: FAQs and business info loaded, lead capture (name, number, reason), summaries sent to email/SMS/Slack, and escalation rules for when to forward to a human. Setup runs €750–€3,000 with monthly retainers of €250–€1,000 for monitoring and improvements.

The AI-powered ad creative batch model addresses a real pain point for businesses running paid ads. You deliver 10-30 short ads across three angles (pain, outcome, proof) in native formats for TikTok, Reels, and Shorts. Per batch pricing ranges €800–€4,000, with monthly creative retainers at €1,500–€8,000. This eliminates the need for constant photo shoots while keeping creative fresh.

The AI strategy audit is interesting because it monetizes clarity rather than implementation. SMBs suffer from tool confusion and AI FOMO - they've signed up for ten tools and use none effectively. The deliverable is a 60-minute discovery call, a 1-page AI Stack Map (3-5 tools max), top 3 quick wins, and a 30-day rollout plan. Starter audits run €500–€2,500, with strategy roadmaps at €3,000–€10,000.

The website rebuild using AI tools targets the massive market of local businesses with "2008-looking" websites. Modern homepage, mobile-first layout, booking/contact flow, basic analytics - one-off pricing €500–€3,500 with add-ons for chatbots, calculators, and tracking.

The AI team workshop addresses companies paying for AI tools but not seeing ROI. A 60-120 minute workshop delivering role-based prompts for sales, ops, support, and marketing, a live demo automating one real task, and a 30-day action plan. Workshop pricing runs €1,000–€5,000, with follow-on implementation at €3,000–€20,000.

For architects and teams thinking about AI productization, the key pattern here is constraint. Each offer solves one specific problem for one specific customer type with a defined deliverable and clear pricing. The temptation is to build a general-purpose AI platform; the money is in focused solutions.

Key takeaways:

• AI receptionist for SMBs: €750–€3,000 setup, €250–€1,000/month retainer
• AI ad creative batches: €800–€4,000 per batch, €1,500–€8,000/month retainer
• AI strategy audits: €500–€2,500 starter, €3,000–€10,000 roadmap
• AI workshops for teams: €1,000–€5,000 workshop, €3,000–€20,000 implementation

Link: 10 Practical Ways to Sell AI in 2026

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