Skip the Surveys: How to Use AI to Know What Your Clients Really Want
Using Ai's Deep Research to scan thousands of real conversations and reviews to finally understand what your people want to buy
I've been nerding out on something lately, and I can't keep it to myself anymore.
You know when you discover something so good you want to text every entrepreneur in your contacts? That's me right now.
I've been digging deeper into AI research capabilities while helping clients with market intelligence, and the more I play around with these tools, the more obsessed I get. This stuff is seriously cool, and I want everyone to know about it.
And hardly anyone's using it.
The intelligence gap is closing
Here's a stat that should surprise no one: 9 out of 10 Fortune 500 companies use competitive intelligence to get ahead. They have whole teams and expensive software scanning markets, analyzing competitors, finding opportunities.
Meanwhile, we've been over here making educated guesses based on our last three client calls and whatever we picked up in Facebook groups.
But here's the thing: that same level of market intelligence is available in your AI tools right now. Deep research that used to cost thousands is available for $20 a month. (Let’s be honest… that’s less than most entrepreneurs’ coffee budget.)
And the people who've figured this out? They're seeing 4x revenue increases and saving a ton of time compared to what they used to spend on research.
What this means for your business
Remember the last time you tried to figure out what your ideal clients actually wanted? Maybe you sent out a survey that got like three responses. Or you made assumptions based on the handful of people you've talked to. (I’m guilty of this.)
Now imagine scanning thousands of Reddit threads, Google reviews, Facebook groups, and industry forums to pull themes directly from your target audience's brains.
You can track what your competitors are offering, how they're pricing it, and what their clients are saying. You can build messaging based on language that actually works in your market. You can create content with fresh angles and real data backing up your points.
Your people are already telling you exactly what they want. They're posting about their frustrations in groups. They're leaving reviews about what's missing. They're complaining on Reddit about what they wish existed.
This helps you hear all of it.
How to find this in your AI tools
Most people miss this because it's not always obvious where to look.
In ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity, look for a little icon or dropdown right below where you type. You'll see options for different modes or tools, including web access or research capabilities.
Sometimes it says "research," sometimes "deep research," sometimes just "web search." The name varies, but it's usually there if you have a paid plan.
If you're just getting started, I've found Gemini to be a great place to start. You get really in-depth results and five free searches at a time.
Four ways to use Deep Research that will change your business
1. Customer research - Stop guessing what your customers want
Have AI scan forums, reviews, YouTube comments, and social groups to pull themes directly from your people's actual words.
Try this:
"Search top Reddit threads, Google reviews, Facebook groups for [your industry]. Summarize what people are complaining about, asking for, or wish existed. Organize by themes with direct quotes."You'll get patterns in what they struggle with, what they're tired of, and what they're willing to pay for—all in their own language.
2. Competitor research - Know what the competition is actually doing
Track what competitors offer, how they price it, what their clients say, and where you could stand out.
Try this:
"Find five competitors offering [your service] in [your niche/region]. Summarize their pricing, offers, positioning, and client reviews. Help me identify gaps in their approach."Use this to spot where everyone's doing the same thing, then do it differently.
3. Messaging strategy - Build messaging that's based on real language
Brand voice is important, but building it on what actually works in your market is even better.
Try this:
"Analyze language in 100+ five-star reviews for top service providers in [your niche]. Identify emotional tone, frequently used phrases, and calls to action that resonate. Give me a messaging guide."Instead of guessing whether to say "scale with confidence" or "grow without chaos," you'll know what actually lands.
4. Content research - Create authority-building content that says something new
Find fresh angles, different takes, and data to back up your perspective when everyone else is recycling the same ideas. You can also use this to collect statistics and supporting data.
Try this:
"Summarize common arguments in recent content about [specific topic]. What are the repetitive takes? What's missing? Suggest three unique angles I could explore with supporting research."Important note: Always double-check the sources that deep research gives you to make sure they're credible. This is exactly where your experience and expertise comes in. You'll know what's legit and what's BS.
If you’re not getting good results — push back! It’s totally acceptable to tell your AI that it needs to go back and pull different sources or dig deeper. You’re not going to hurt its feelings. 🥺
The early adopter window
Here's what's interesting: Perplexity gives you five deep research queries daily for free. Gemini will give you as many as 350+ sources on their free plan (true story - it did this for me yesterday). ChatGPT and Claude unlock full research for $20/month.
Research that used to take days now takes minutes. Most queries finish in 5-30 minutes while scanning hundreds of sources.
We're early in this shift. While most small businesses are still figuring out basic AI prompts, some entrepreneurs are already using deep research capabilities to compete with much bigger companies.
The gap between those who get this and those who don't is going to get really obvious, really fast.
Here's what changes when you start doing this
You'll stop making business decisions based on hunches. You'll know exactly what language makes your people say "yes, that's exactly what I need." You'll spot opportunities your competitors are missing because you're hearing what customers actually say, not what companies think they want to hear.
Your messaging will hit different. Your content will stand out. Your offers will feel like they were made specifically for your people (hint: because they were).
When you can research like a Fortune 500 company, you can compete like one. When you understand your audience at this level, you can serve them in ways that create real loyalty. And real “OMG she totally gets me!” moments.
The shift is happening
You can be part of it or watch from the sidelines.
I'd rather see you leading it.
Ready to stop guessing and start knowing what your market actually wants? Your first assignment: Pick one of the four research methods above and try it this week. Start with something you're genuinely curious about—what are people in your industry complaining about? What do they wish existed?
Spend 20 minutes and see what you find. I guarantee you'll discover something that makes you go "holy shit, I had no idea."
That's your competitive advantage right there.
Want to go deeper? I walk through exactly how to do this (with live examples) in my AI Power Hour. Book one now and we'll figure out how AI research can transform your specific business.
More of an auditory learner? I unpack this on my podcast. Take a listen here:
And for my Apple gals: