Commoditized-Tactic Value Shift
When AI cheapens a tactic, move differentiation to scarcer assets.
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Time to result
- ~months to results
- Steps
- 6
- Confidence
- 96%
The value-shift model starts with a recurring market pattern: when a go-to-market tactic becomes cheap and easy, adoption rises until the channel is saturated and its output becomes a baseline rather than an advantage. AI prospecting may give every credible vendor broad market consideration, but that makes one more competent email or call less differentiating. Value then migrates to scarcer assets outside the commoditized interaction, including product quality, customer advocacy, brand, personality, community, and trusted presence across social, video, or in-person environments. Unique proprietary data may still produce exceptional performance inside the channel. The strategic response is to maintain baseline execution while moving disproportionate investment toward the assets competitors cannot activate by pressing the same button.
Origin
Kipp Bodnar described the model while forecasting the effect of AI-generated emails and calls reaching acceptable quality at scale.
Core principles
- 01Cheap, easy tactics attract enough usage to become saturated.
- 02Commoditization raises baseline execution while reducing tactical differentiation.
- 03Value migrates toward assets that remain scarce, trusted, or difficult to replicate.
- 04Unique data can preserve an execution advantage within a commoditized channel.
How to run it
- 1
Spot the cost collapse
Identify a tactic whose production cost, skill requirement, or execution time is falling sharply because of AI.
Pro tip Track the cost of generating one acceptable unit of output.
Watch out A good demo does not prove reliable cost reduction in production.
- 2
Forecast saturation
Estimate how competitors will behave when nearly everyone can execute the tactic at acceptable quality and scale.
Pro tip Assume competitors can access the same public tools.
Watch out Do not mistake temporary novelty for durable advantage.
- 3
Define the baseline
Decide the level of execution required to remain credible after the tactic becomes commonplace.
Pro tip Automate the baseline efficiently rather than trying to win through volume alone.
Watch out Commoditized does not mean unnecessary.
- 4
Find the new scarcity
Identify product, brand, trust, customer experience, proprietary data, or distribution assets that remain difficult to copy.
Pro tip Look for what changes a buyer's preference after all vendors gain consideration.
Watch out Generic claims about brand are not substitutes for evidence of customer preference.
- 5
Shift investment
Maintain competent channel execution while redirecting incremental resources toward the scarce assets.
Pro tip Set explicit allocation changes rather than merely declaring a strategic priority.
Watch out Moving too early can sacrifice a channel that still creates material returns.
- 6
Reassess the steady state
Measure whether advantage and customer attention have actually shifted, then update the portfolio of investments.
Pro tip Compare marginal returns across the tactic and the proposed differentiators.
Watch out The destination of value may differ by market and customer segment.
In the wild
Every vendor in a software category adopts AI calls and emails that reach a competent baseline. Buyers recognize all major options, so another polished message no longer determines preference. One vendor invests in an easier product, strong customer advocacy, recognizable social content, and proprietary intent data.
→ The vendor keeps baseline prospecting while winning preference through assets that remain harder to copy.
Common mistakes
Confusing ubiquity with irrelevance
A tactic can become less differentiating while remaining necessary for market coverage.
Competing only on volume
Pressing the automation button more often accelerates saturation and can damage the brand.
Ignoring proprietary data
Unique, lawful customer signals may still lift a commoditized tactic into exceptional performance.
Is it for you?
Best for
Companies planning long-term positioning as automated outreach and content production become common.
Not ideal for
Teams that use the framework as an excuse to neglect currently effective acquisition channels.
From the transcript
“Look, well, we know historically that when tactics become really cheap and really easy, they get saturated, right?”
“And normally when some part of a go-to-market gets really cheap and really saturated, the value shifts to another part.”
“So I would say long term, prospecting is going to become less important, not more important, because it's going to get commoditized.”
From the episode
How To Master Sales Prospecting With Ai In 2024