AI Or Die: Inside Consulting's Trillion-Dollar Reckoning | Timothy Lidman

**Summary:** In this episode, Tim Lidman, co-founder and CEO of Clyde AI, joins Chad Burmeister to explain how AI is rewriting the way consulting firms sell and deliver. Tim breaks down the brutal economics of complex bids, why boards are telling their people AI or die, and how transparency about AI use can close the trust gap with clients instead of widening it. He also shares real numbers on cost takeout and a story about a client who cancelled their own RFP and awarded the deal outright. **Key Topics:** - Clyde AI's origin and evolution from Think Tank - Use cases in sales and consulting industries - How Clyde AI accelerates RFP responses and bid processes - Impact of AI on professional services and small firms - Trust and transparency in AI-driven proposals - Ethical considerations in AI development - Emerging AI technologies and future trends **Takeaways:** - Boards are applying extreme top-down pressure on consultants to become 10x more effective with AI, without giving them the tooling to actually do it. - The biggest hidden cost in large deals is the bid process itself: twelve partners and thirty analysts on ten calls a week. - Early numbers from one anchor client show roughly 60 to 70 percent cost takeout in customer acquisition cost. - Transparency closes the trust gap. Showing clients how AI was used beats hiding it and hoping they do not notice. - Boutique firms are moving up market and may outmaneuver the big firms, who have scaled into rigidness. **Chapters:** - 00:00 Intro - 01:44 Introduction to Clyde AI and guest background - 03:56 The origin story of Clyde AI and its connection to Think Tank - 06:25 Initial use case: Clyde AI for sales and bid teams - 09:01 Why consulting firms are adopting Clyde AI - 11:57 Trust and transparency in AI-driven proposals - 14:17 What AI is good at versus what humans are still better at - 18:36 The 10X productivity goal and real success stories - 22:54 Big firms vs small firms in AI adoption - 28:10 Maintaining human touch and AI collaboration - 30:03 Emerging AI technologies and future trends - 32:15 Ethical considerations and responsible AI development - 35:54 Advice for becoming an AI expert and leveraging tools **The AI for Sales Podcast** is brought to you by SDR.ai, Nooks.ai, and ZoomInfo—the go-to-market intelligence platform that accelerates revenue growth. Skip the forms and website hunting—Chad will connect you directly with the right person at any of these companies. 👉 Visit https://www.theaiforsalespodcast.com/intro to unlock your direct line. 👉 Learn more about becoming a guest (or a sponsor) here: https://www.theaiforsalespodcast.com 👉 Visit the YouTube Channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@TheAIforSalesPodcast