Choosing badly in this market is easy, because everyone demonstrates the same impressive output and almost nobody publishes a price. These are the twelve questions I would ask, in order, with the answers that should end the conversation. Use them on any provider, including me.
Key takeaways
- Ask which of the four jobs you are buying: advisory, implementation, integration or training. Vagueness here is the most expensive mistake available.
- Ownership of accounts, logins and logic is the single most revealing question in the market.
- Ask what a process change costs in six months. Cheap builds get expensive at exactly that moment.
- A provider who names the process, the inputs and the review step is giving you something checkable. A provider who names tools is selling you software.
- Published results are claims until you know the baseline, the measurer and the period.
The twelve questions
| # | Question | Answer that disqualifies |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Which of these am I buying: advice, a build, an integration or training | "All of it" with no primary |
| 2 | Who will actually do the work, and can I speak to them | You never meet the builder |
| 3 | What does it cost, in a figure | No figure at any stage of the process |
| 4 | Who holds the accounts, logins and logic afterwards | We manage that for you, with no exit path |
| 5 | What does a process change cost in six months | Unanswered, or "we'd need to scope it" with no rate |
| 6 | What happens to the system if I stop paying | It stops, and nothing transfers |
| 7 | Name one workflow you built and the inputs it needed | Only tool names and platform logos |
| 8 | Where does a human approve the output | Nowhere, it is fully automated |
| 9 | What does it do when information is missing | It fills the gap |
| 10 | Where does my data go, and does it leave Australia | Unclear, or dismissed as a non-issue |
| 11 | How will we know it worked | Vibes, or vendor dashboard metrics only |
| 12 | After this, can my team do it without you | No, and that is the business model |
Question 9 is the technical tell. A provider who has actually built reliable workflows will immediately talk about flagging missing information rather than guessing, because that is the rule everything else depends on.
Question 12 is the commercial tell. Both answers are legitimate. You just need to know which one you are buying before the invoice arrives.
How to test a results claim
Several providers on the Sunshine Coast publish strong figures: revenue recovered, percentage of time saved, business awards. Treat all of it as a claim until you can answer four things.
What was the baseline. Time saved against what measured starting point. Who measured it. The client, the provider, or nobody. Over what period. A week of enthusiasm is not a year of operation. What else changed. New staff, new software and a marketing push all move numbers.
None of that makes a published figure false. It makes it unverified, which is a different thing, and any provider comfortable with their numbers will happily walk you through those four answers.
How to test capability in ten minutes
Ask them to describe, out loud, how they would handle one of your real tasks. Not a demonstration, a description. Listen for four things:
- Do they ask what source material exists before proposing anything.
- Do they ask who currently checks the output.
- Do they name the failure modes as well as the outcome.
- Do they tell you which parts are not worth automating.
A provider who says everything is worth automating has not done this work in a real business.
The price conversation
Ask for the figure early and accept that many will not give one. What you can insist on is the structure: is this a fixed project, a monthly retainer, a per-seat price or a subscription, and what triggers extra cost.
For reference, published Australian figures currently run from managed plans at A$110 a week including GST, to bundles from A$1,497 a month, to fixed sprints around A$2,500. Training is the transparent end of the market. My public seat is A$495 excluding GST for a full day, capped at 15 people, and private onsite training is a fixed quote after scoping. See the local comparison.
What to prepare before any call
One page. The three tasks consuming the most staff hours each week, the software they happen in, who checks the output today, and whether any of it touches customer, patient or payment data. That page turns four sales conversations into four comparable quotes.
If you would rather test the cheap option first, bring that same page to a workshop. A full day, one task, your own material, and you find out whether your problem is instructions, source material or genuine integration. See the workshop or request a team quote.
Frequently asked questions
What should you look for in an AI consultant?
Specificity. They should name processes, inputs, review steps and failure modes rather than tools and outcomes. Then ownership: who holds the accounts and what happens if you leave.
How do you know if an AI consultant is legitimate?
They publish or state a price structure, they let you speak to the person doing the work, they describe what they would not automate, and their results claims come with a baseline and a measurer.
Should you pay for an AI audit?
If it produces named processes with inputs and a review design, yes. If it produces a maturity score and general recommendations, you have bought a document. Several local providers run the first session free, which makes a paid audit a higher bar to clear.
What is a fair price for AI consulting in Australia?
There is no standard rate. Published figures range from about A$5,700 to A$24,000 a year for managed models, with projects quoted separately. Compare annualised totals rather than weekly or monthly headline numbers. See the annualised comparison.
Is a free discovery workshop worth taking?
Yes, with the expectation that it is scoping for a proposal. Take two or three from different providers and the differences in how they think become obvious.
Should you hire local or national?
For advisory and build work, location barely matters. For training, being in the room does, which is why onsite delivery exists. See the Sunshine Coast options.
What contract terms matter most?
Ownership of accounts and logic, exit and data export, the change-request rate, and whether anything sends to customers without human approval.
How do you avoid paying monthly for something simple?
Sort your list into drafting work and integration work. Drafting your staff can learn. Integration is worth paying for. Use the task selection guide.
What if the consultant wants access to customer data?
Ask why, ask where it goes, and start with de-identified examples. Most workflow design does not need real customer records. How to prepare safe examples.
How do you measure whether the engagement worked?
Set the baseline before anything starts: task time, error rate and volume. Then measure the same three afterwards, including review time. Here is the method.