Money left on the table: what an AI Check reveals
Advertisement · in collaboration with the Evernine Group
5 min read
Alexander Roth and Alec Chizhik lead the Evernine Group. In conversation they explain why money remains untapped in almost every mid-market CRM, why purchasing decisions are now made in AI answers and how three compact checks prove in one to three weeks where sales, visibility and marketing pay off.
Key points at a glance
- The data is there, it remains untapped: Most CRM systems contain customer histories and market signals that are never analysed. This is where every AI lever begins.
- Three checks with a clear endpoint: Sales, AI visibility and marketing efficiency are reviewed in one to three weeks, in traffic-light format, with a prioritised action list.
- Numbers beat concepts: The format originates from work with Private Equity firms. It delivers the language that shareholders and advisory boards understand.
Related:AI in the mid-market: The bottleneck lies in legacy systems / Investment backlog: How AI unlocks hidden budgets
The frustration in the mid-market has a cause
Mr Roth, according to McKinsey more than 80 per cent of companies have so far seen no noticeable effect from their AI usage on results. You speak with managing directors every day. What do you hear?
Alexander Roth: Always the same three sentences: We spend money and do not know what it delivers. Every service provider arrives with a massive concept. We have no time for an eight-week project. The frustration is rarely directed at the technology. It is directed at the complexity with which it is sold.
Your answer to that?
Roth: Radical simplification. We work extensively with Private Equity firms whose portfolio companies are run entirely by the numbers. No one asks for the vision there. The question is what the measure has delivered. From this discipline we have built three checks: small fixed fee, one to three weeks duration, traffic-light rating with action list. After that, management can decide.
The fastest lever lies in the CRM
Mr Chizhik, the first check is called the AI Sales Check. What does that involve exactly?
Alec Chizhik: A compact analysis of CRM, data quality and sales processes with a view to AI readiness. We examine how clean the data inventory is, which processes can be automated and where knowledge gets lost in the team. At the end there are three to five prioritised use cases, each with a calculation behind it. Duration: two to three weeks.
What do you typically find in the systems?
Chizhik: The CRM is paid for, the AI licences are paid for, yet the two are barely connected. The inventories hold customer histories, market data and signals that no one ever reads. The AI question is therefore first and foremost a data question. Whoever automates before the foundation is in place is automating their mistakes.
“
The frustration is rarely directed at the technology. It is directed at the complexity with which it is sold.
– Alexander Roth, CEO Evernine Group (2026)
Found are those named in the AI answer
Gartner expects classic search volume to decline by around 25 per cent because AI assistants answer questions directly. The second check measures visibility in AI search engines. Why does the mid-market need this?
Chizhik: Because buyers and decision-makers now begin their research in ChatGPT, Perplexity or Gemini. These systems deliver one answer, not a list of hits. Whoever is missing from the answer leaves it to the competition. The AI Visibility Check measures for which questions from the target group a company appears, whom the systems cite and which gaps can be closed with what effort. Result after one to two weeks.
Mr Roth, many offer visibility analyses. What distinguishes yours?
Roth: The translation into management language. A report for the SEO department helps the SEO department. Our result is built so that a managing director can approach their head of marketing with it, or a head of marketing can approach their agencies: traffic-light rating, priorities, effort per measure. Those who work with agencies work better with them afterwards, because it becomes measurable what is being discussed.
And how does a company then become present in the AI answers?
Chizhik: AI systems preferentially cite sources from established specialist publications. The gap is closed through exactly such environments. One tool for this is the GEO program of Evernine Media, which places specialist content there and makes its visibility in AI answers measurable. The check reveals the gap, the program closes it.
The third check takes the marketing stack apart
That leaves the AI Efficiency Check. Where does it start?
Roth: At the interconnection of the communications disciplines. In many companies, marketing, sales and corporate communications work in silos with their own toolkits. The check examines whether information on AI is passed on cleanly, whether the workflows are lean and whether reporting holds up. The result is a 90-day roadmap in traffic-light format. The savings potential is regularly significant, because duplicate tools and manual handovers cost money every month.
The usual objection: Whoever sells the check wants to push the implementation afterwards.
Roth: The action list is deliberately designed so that internal teams or existing service providers can implement it. If a customer wants us for the implementation afterwards, gladly. The check commits to nothing. That is exactly why it works: small ticket, clear end, solid result.
What the managing director personally gains from it
Who benefits most from such a check in the company?
Roth: The person who commissions it. Whoever first demonstrates the need for action leads the discussion. A managing director presents a traffic-light analysis to the advisory board, a head of marketing shows management where their budget is working. The role shifts from justification to initiative. No one says it out loud, but for many it is the real reason to call.
Chizhik: And entry costs 30 minutes. An introductory call, after which everyone knows whether a check is the right format. No workshop marathon beforehand.
Next step
An introductory call with Alexander Roth and Alec Chizhik: 30 minutes, no presentation, one question. Which of the three traffic lights is most likely on red for you.
Frequently asked questions
What is an AI Check?
A compact, numbers-based analysis of a clearly defined field such as sales, market visibility or marketing processes. It takes one to three weeks, assesses the status in the traffic-light system and concludes with a prioritised action list for management.
How much internal effort does a check involve?
Little. What is required are data access and individual conversations with those responsible. Day-to-day business continues, and the result is available after one to three weeks.
Does the check commit you to implementation with Evernine?
No. The action list is structured so that internal teams or existing service providers can implement it. Collaboration beyond the check is possible, but it is not a requirement.
Recommended reading
- AI in the mid-market: The bottleneck lies in legacy systems
- Investment backlog: How AI unlocks hidden budgets
- Succession without a successor: Making the business handover-ready
More from the MBF Media network
Image source: AI-generated (July 2026)
