🚧   Marketing’s Seismic Shift
🤖   AI Over Reliance
đź’Ş Â Â 6+1 Sales Habits
🚧 Marketing’s Seismic Shift
The state of marketing in 2025 is nothing short of disturbing:
- The average cost per lead has increased by 222% from 2015 to 2025, from $9 to $29.
- The average cold email reply rate declined by 53% from 2020 to 2025, from 8.5% to 4%.
- The organic click-through rate of Google searches has declined by 61% as of late 2025.
- 57% of all Google searches are now zero-click,because users get their answers from AI Overviews.
No matter where you look, marketing is experiencing its largest seismic shift since the introduction of the internet.Â
In periods of uncertainty, customers seek out brands first. They look for certainty by choosing the companies and products they know, like, and trust.
This is your strategy too. When marketing loses its efficacy, lean into growing your brand by building awareness, authority, and preference within your target market.
When your customers know your brand, like it, and trust it, they will choose your company first when they are ready to buy.
🤖 AI Over Reliance
According to a study by MIT, 95% of organizations experience no measurable return on investment from AI usage. On the contrary, 40% of AI generated content is considered “workslop.”
‍HBR defined workslop as, “AI generated work content that masquerades as good work, but lacks the substance to meaningfully advance a given task.”
I see this frequently at Sticky Branding with AI generated plans masquerading as a “strategy.” The documents look and read valid, but the conclusions and recommendations lack substance.
No one holds ChatGPT accountable for its recommendations, and often I find it’s just trying to validate your ideas and “pump your tires.”
What’s missing is the real, tangible analysis and expertise. You cannot short circuit strategy for AI hacks.
AI is game changing, but use it appropriately. Gen AI might get you 70% of the way through a project, but humans have to own the last 30%. This is where real expertise and creativity is necessary to create work products that matter.
One Stat to Watch
100%
of Sticky Branding’s newsletters are written by humans. That’s what makes us unique. According to PC Mag, 50% of articles online are AI generated slop.
đź’ŞÂ 6+1 Sales Habits
Great salespeople possess habits that separate them from everyone else.
1. Prospect when you’re busiest. Average salespeople prospect when their sales are slowing down. Great sales reps prospect when they’re busiest.
2. There is a deadline to buy. Average sales reps create a relaxed buying experience. Great salespeople create anxiety to buy.
3. Qualify at every stage. Average salespeople qualify if a customer is a fit for their services. Great sales reps qualify fit at every step of the process.
4. Solve Problems. Average sales reps sell products, services, and solutions. Great salespeople solve problems, because they are experts.
5. Sell to people who buy. Average salespeople respond to every inquiry. Great salespeople sell to decision makers who own the budget and make purchase decisions.
6. Hustle like it’s the last customer. Average salespeople have busy seasons. Great salespeople never slow down and end every day with the motto to make one more call.
Bonus Habit: Love every minute of it. Average salespeople have a job. Great salespeople love what they do because they are born to sell.
🤔 Thoughts on Today’s Issue?
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