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The AI implementation market has a problem. The barrier to entry for calling yourself an "AI consultant" is approximately zero. A LinkedIn profile, some ChatGPT familiarity, and a Canva-designed deck is enough to start selling retainers. Businesses are getting burned.
Here's how to choose well. It is the same checklist we hold our own AI implementation partner work to.
Ask for Production Examples
Not case studies. Not screenshots. Not "we helped a client increase efficiency by 40%." Ask to see or speak with a client whose AI system is currently running in production, handling real workloads, integrated with real systems.
If they can't produce one, they're a workshop business: they'll teach you about AI. They won't build it.
Understand Who Actually Does the Work
Many AI consulting firms sell strategy and outsource implementation to overseas developers who are learning on your dime. Ask directly: who builds the agents? What's their background? Have they worked in production AI systems or are they applying YouTube knowledge to your project?
You want people who have dealt with production failures, edge cases, and the unglamorous work of making AI reliable. Not people who are learning what that looks like.
Scope Specificity Is a Trust Signal
Good implementation partners get specific fast. They ask detailed questions about your current process, your systems, your edge cases, how you will measure success. They propose something concrete with clear deliverables and measurable outcomes.
Vague proposals like "we'll implement AI across your operations to drive efficiency" are a red flag. Vagueness protects the consultant, not you. Specificity requires confidence. It is why we scope every engagement around one workflow and one number that proves whether it worked.
Check for Ongoing Commitment
AI systems need maintenance. Models change. Integrations break. Edge cases surface. A partner who builds and disappears is selling you a liability, not an asset. A real implementation partner keeps monitoring and tuning what it built after launch.
Ask: what does the ongoing relationship look like? What's included in maintenance? Who do we call when something breaks at 11pm on a Friday?
The References Question
Ask for references and then actually call them. Ask specifically: did the project come in on time and on budget? Did the system perform as promised? Would you hire them again?
Three calls will tell you more than any proposal document. Make the calls.
Sources & Further Reading
Gartner: AI Service Provider Selection
Harvard Business Review: Choosing AI Consultants
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Tools That Actually Work
The exact tools we use to build AI systems for Las Vegas businesses:
- Zapier, Workflow automation between any apps. Start free.
- Make (Integromat), Visual automation for complex multi-step workflows.
- Notion, All-in-one workspace for operations and documentation.
- Jasper AI, AI writing for marketing and business content.
- Monday.com, Project and operations management for growing teams.
Want us to implement these for your business? Book a free consultation.
*Some links may be affiliate links.*
Cash Colligan
Founder of The Voice of Cash, a local senior marketing team in Las Vegas. Raised in Vegas, with 15+ years in marketing.
