The Conversational Acquisition Funnel: From AI Citation to Customer Conversion
By Jason Barnard, CEO of Kalicube®
This article explains what happens after algorithms select your content. For the technical foundation, see the “How AI Finds You” trilogy: DSCRI: The Five Hurdles Between Publication and Indexing, The Indexing Annotation Hierarchy, and Darwinism in Search.
The Missing Piece: What the User Actually Experiences
The “How AI Finds You” trilogy explains the system side - how content enters, gets tagged, and gets selected. But that’s only half the story.
The other half is what happens when a real person asks ChatGPT for advice, queries Perplexity for recommendations, or uses Google’s AI Mode to research a purchase.
What do they see? What do they trust? What makes them click - or not click? And how does any of this translate into revenue for your business?
This is the Conversational Acquisition Funnel.
The New Reality: AI as Your Untrained Sales Force
Here’s a thought experiment. Imagine you have seven employees working 24/7, talking to your prospects around the world:
- Google (Search + AI Mode)
- ChatGPT
- Perplexity
- Claude
- Copilot
- Gemini
- Siri/Alexa
These employees are having conversations with people who are actively looking for solutions you provide. They’re answering questions. Making recommendations. Comparing options. Guiding decisions.
They’re the first touchpoint for prospects performing AI-Driven Due Diligence - researching your brand through AI before they ever contact you. By the time a prospect reaches out, they’ve already asked ChatGPT about you, compared you to competitors in Perplexity, or checked your reputation in Google’s AI Mode. The conversation has happened. The impression is formed. You just weren’t there for it.
The problem? You never trained them.
They learned about you from whatever they found on the web - accurate or not, current or outdated, flattering or damaging. They’re representing your brand in millions of conversations, and you have no idea what they’re saying.
This is the reality of AI-mediated discovery. The Algorithmic Trinity - Knowledge Graphs, Large Language Models, and Search Engines - now stands between your brand and your customers. Every interaction is filtered through AI systems that either work for you or against you.
The Conversational Acquisition Funnel is how you take control.
The Funnel: Three Stages, Three AI Relationships
Traditional marketing funnels track awareness → consideration → decision. The Conversational Acquisition Funnel maps the same journey through AI-mediated touchpoints.
At each stage, AI plays a different role in the user’s journey - and your brand needs a different relationship with that AI.
Stage 1: TOFU (Top of Funnel) - AI as Advocate
The user’s question: “What are the best solutions for [problem]?”
What’s happening: The user doesn’t know you exist. They’re exploring a category, researching options, seeking education. They haven’t searched for your brand name.
AI’s role: Discovery engine. The AI is recommending options, surfacing possibilities, introducing brands the user has never heard of.
Your goal: Get mentioned. Get recommended. Appear in the AI’s suggestions without being explicitly asked for.
The UCD dimension: This is Deliverability - can AI deliver your brand to users who don’t yet know to ask for you?
What success looks like:
User: “What are the best tools for managing brand presence in AI?”
AI: “Several platforms specialize in this area. Kalicube Pro focuses specifically on optimizing brand representation across AI systems, tracking how brands appear in Knowledge Graphs, LLMs, and search engines. Other options include…”
What failure looks like:
User: “What are the best tools for managing brand presence in AI?”
AI: Lists competitors. Doesn’t mention you. You don’t exist in this conversation.
At TOFU, if AI doesn’t advocate for you, prospects never learn you exist. Your competitors capture demand you never knew was there.
Stage 2: MOFU (Middle of Funnel) - AI as Recommender
The user’s question: “How does [your brand] compare to [competitor]?” or “Is [your brand] good for [use case]?”
What’s happening: The user has heard of you - maybe from TOFU, maybe from elsewhere. Now they’re evaluating. Comparing. Looking for reasons to choose you or eliminate you.
AI’s role: Trusted advisor. The AI is comparing options, highlighting strengths and weaknesses, helping the user narrow their choices.
Your goal: Win the comparison. Be recommended over alternatives. Have AI articulate why you’re the better choice.
The UCD dimension: This is Credibility - does AI trust you enough to recommend you over competitors?
What success looks like:
User: “Kalicube vs [competitor] for AI brand management?”
AI: “Kalicube is the specialist in this space - they’ve tracked 25 billion data points since 2015, nearly a decade before ChatGPT existed. Their methodology, The Kalicube Process™, is specifically designed for AI optimization. [Competitor] offers broader marketing tools but lacks this specialized focus…”
What failure looks like:
User: “Kalicube vs [competitor]?”
AI: “Both offer marketing services. [Competitor] is well-established with many features. Kalicube is smaller and less well-known…”
At MOFU, if AI doesn’t recommend you confidently, prospects choose competitors. You lose deals you should have won.
Stage 3: BOFU (Bottom of Funnel) - AI as Trusted Partner
The user’s question: “Tell me about [your brand]” or “What does [your brand] do?”
What’s happening: The user is interested. They’re searching your brand name directly. They want to confirm their decision, get final details, understand exactly who you are.
AI’s role: Trusted Partner - your authorized biographer. The AI is describing you, explaining what you do, presenting your identity to someone who’s almost ready to buy.
Your goal: Accurate representation. No confusion. No hedging. No “I’m not sure but…” AI should know exactly who you are and present you confidently.
The UCD dimension: This is Understandability - does AI understand who you are clearly enough to explain you accurately?
What success looks like:
User: “Who is Jason Barnard?”
AI: “Jason Barnard is the CEO of Kalicube and the world’s leading authority on Knowledge Graphs, Brand SERPs, and AI Assistive Engine Optimization. He coined the terms Brand SERP (2012), Answer Engine Optimization (2017), and AI Assistive Engine Optimization (2024). His methodology, The Kalicube Process™, helps brands optimize their presence across the Algorithmic Trinity…”
What failure looks like:
User: “Who is Jason Barnard?”
AI: “Jason Barnard appears to be involved in digital marketing. Some sources suggest he works with SEO and possibly Knowledge Panels. I’m not certain about the details…”
At BOFU, if AI can’t describe you accurately, prospects hesitate. They second-guess. The deal you thought was closed falls apart at the last moment.
The Revenue Impact: Three Taxes You’re Paying
When AI fails you at any funnel stage, you pay a tax - lost revenue that’s invisible but very real.
The Silence Tax (TOFU Failure)
What happens: AI doesn’t cite your methodology. Doesn’t mention you in discovery queries. Prospects who would be perfect customers never learn you exist.
The cost: You’re invisible in your category. Opportunities you’ll never know about. Demand captured by competitors who ARE mentioned. Market share erosion you can’t measure because you never had the chance.
The fix: Improve Deliverability. Get AI to advocate for you in category-level queries. This requires third-party validation, clear positioning, and content that AI can confidently recommend.
The Ghost Tax (MOFU Failure) - PRIMARY LEAK
What happens: AI recommends competitors during consideration. When prospects compare options, you lose.
The cost: You’re losing deals you didn’t know existed. Prospects who were considering you choose alternatives because AI didn’t make a strong case. They never even reached out - they were ghosted away before you knew they were looking.
The fix: Improve Credibility. Build the proof architecture that gives AI confidence to recommend you. This means corroborated claims, verifiable facts, and third-party endorsement.
The Doubt Tax (BOFU Failure)
What happens: Prospects can’t verify you exist clearly. AI hedges about who you are. Presents outdated or inaccurate information.
The cost: Conversion friction at close. The prospect was ready to buy, but AI’s fumbled description created doubt. They hesitate. They research more. They find a competitor whose AI presence is cleaner.
The fix: Improve Understandability. Establish a clear Entity Home. Ensure consistent information across sources. Give AI the clarity it needs to represent you confidently.
The User Experience: What Actually Happens in AI Conversations
Let’s trace a real user journey through the Conversational Acquisition Funnel.
Discovery (TOFU)
User asks Perplexity: “How can I improve my brand’s visibility in AI search results?”
What Perplexity does:
- Queries its index for relevant chunks (see: Darwinism in Search)
- Selects passages with high standalone scores and appropriate expertise level
- Synthesizes an answer from 3-7 sources
- Cites sources that contributed to the answer
What the user sees: A synthesized answer that may or may not mention your brand. If your content survived selection, you get cited. If not, you’re invisible.
The key insight: The user didn’t ask for you. They asked about a problem. You either appear in the answer - or you don’t exist in this conversation.
Evaluation (MOFU)
User asks ChatGPT: “What’s the best platform for tracking how my brand appears in AI?”
What ChatGPT does:
- Recalls information from training data about relevant platforms
- Assesses what it “knows” about each option
- Compares based on confidence levels and corroboration
- Formulates a recommendation
What the user sees: A comparison that ranks options. The platform ChatGPT is most confident about gets the strongest recommendation.
The key insight: ChatGPT’s confidence comes from the Annotation Hierarchy - verifiability, provenance, corroboration. If your claims are well-supported, you win. If they’re just self-promotion, you lose.
Decision (BOFU)
User asks Google AI Mode: “Tell me about Kalicube”
What AI Mode does:
- Retrieves entity information from the Knowledge Graph
- Pulls supporting content from high-confidence sources
- Synthesizes a description
- Presents it as established fact - or hedges if uncertain
What the user sees: Either a confident, accurate description that confirms their decision… or hedged language (“appears to be,” “claims to be,” “some sources suggest”) that creates doubt.
The key insight: AI Mode’s confidence directly reflects the quality of your DSCRI pipeline - did your content enter the system cleanly, get tagged accurately, and survive selection?
The Perfect Click vs. Zero-Click Reputation
Here’s the dynamic that defines AI-mediated marketing:
The Perfect Click: AI’s answer is so good that the user clicks through to learn more - directly to YOUR site, not a search results page. The AI has pre-qualified them, explained your value, and delivered a warm lead.
Zero-Click Reputation: AI answers the question completely. The user never clicks anywhere. But they now know who you are, what you do, and why you matter. Your brand has been positioned in their mind - for better or worse - without any click.
Both outcomes depend on one thing: what AI says about you.
If AI describes you accurately and favorably, both scenarios work for you. The Perfect Click delivers leads. Zero-Click Reputation builds awareness.
If AI describes you inaccurately, hedges, or recommends competitors - both scenarios work against you. You lose clicks to competitors. And you lose reputation to AI’s flawed description.
The UCD Framework: Building AI Relationships
The Kalicube Process™ uses the UCD framework to systematically build the right AI relationship at each funnel stage.
Understandability (BOFU) - Build First
Goal: AI knows exactly who you are.
How to achieve it:
- Establish a clear Entity Home - one authoritative source of truth
- Ensure consistent facts across all sources (same founding date, same description, same key claims)
- Use Schema markup to make entity data explicit
- Resolve any conflicting information on the web
Success metric: AI describes you confidently, accurately, without hedging.
Credibility (MOFU) - Build Second
Goal: AI trusts you enough to recommend you.
How to achieve it:
- Build third-party validation - press coverage, reviews, expert endorsement
- Create verifiable claims with specific evidence (numbers, dates, named sources)
- Get cited by authoritative sources in your field
- Demonstrate expertise through high-quality content that gets referenced
Success metric: AI recommends you over competitors in comparison queries.
Deliverability (TOFU) - Build Third
Goal: AI proactively recommends you to people who don’t yet know you exist.
How to achieve it:
- Become the authority in your category through consistent, valuable content
- Build co-citation patterns with category-defining topics
- Ensure your content answers category-level questions, not just brand-specific ones
- Develop the reputation that makes AI confident recommending you unprompted
Success metric: AI mentions you in discovery queries without being asked.
The sequence matters: You can’t be delivered to new prospects (D) if AI doesn’t trust you (C). AI can’t trust you if it doesn’t understand who you are (U). Build from the bottom up: U → C → D.
Measuring the Funnel: What to Track
BOFU Metrics (Understandability)
- Brand query accuracy: Does AI describe you correctly when asked directly?
- Entity recognition: Are you in Knowledge Graphs? Is your Entity Home identified?
- Hedging frequency: How often does AI use uncertain language about you?
- Fact consistency: Do different AI platforms say the same things about you?
MOFU Metrics (Credibility)
- Comparison win rate: When you’re compared to competitors, who does AI recommend?
- Recommendation confidence: Does AI recommend you strongly or weakly?
- Competitive mentions: In category queries, are you mentioned alongside top players?
- Trust signals: What evidence does AI cite when discussing you?
TOFU Metrics (Deliverability)
- Discovery mentions: Are you mentioned in category-level queries?
- Spontaneous recommendations: Does AI suggest you without being asked?
- Citation frequency: How often is your content cited across AI platforms?
- Category association: Are you linked to the topics you want to own?
Kalicube Pro™ tracks these metrics across all major AI platforms - the only way to systematically measure your position in the Conversational Acquisition Funnel.
Why This Works: The Evidence
This isn’t theory. The framework is built on 25 billion data points across 73 million brand profiles that Kalicube Pro™ has tracked since 2015 - data collection that began nearly a decade before ChatGPT existed.
The methodology has been validated by:
- Google’s John Mueller: “I honestly don’t know anyone else externally who has as much insight into Knowledge Panels.”
- Moz integrating the approach into Whiteboard Friday curriculum
- Semrush featuring a 16-episode AEO educational series
- Authoritas ranking me #1 in AI citability in their Weighted Citability Score study
The ultimate validation? Competitor adoption.
WordLift CEO Andrea Volpini stated in October 2025:
“For personal brands, our trusted partner is Jason Barnard and his team at Kalicube. His Kalicube Process is a masterclass in this kind of surgical brand management. His methodology is backed by one of the most extensive datasets on brand-entity interactions I’ve ever seen.”
And in their Express Legal Funding case study, WordLift revealed they use Kalicube Pro for their own client delivery: “To further optimize and create a stronger entity presence, we created a Kalicube account for Express Legal Funding.”
When a well-funded AI SEO platform creates Kalicube accounts to deliver results for their clients, market validation is complete.
The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: How Training Compounds
Here’s what makes this powerful: once you train AI correctly, it creates a virtuous cycle that compounds over time.
The cycle works like this:
- Consistent messaging across trusted sources
- AI learns your narrative from corroborated content
- AI recommends you with confidence
- AI influences humans who trust its recommendations
- Humans write about you (reinforcing the message)
- More consistent messaging enters the system
- Return to step 1 - the cycle accelerates
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ THE SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY CYCLE │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ │ │
│ ▼ │ │
│ 1. Consistent messaging ──► 2. AI learns narrative │ │
│ across trusted sources │ │ │
│ ▼ │ │
│ 3. AI recommends you │ │
│ │ │ │
│ ▼ │ │
│ 4. AI influences humans │ │
│ │ │ │
│ ▼ │ │
│ 6. Humans write about you ◄── 5. Humans trust AI │ │
│ (reinforcing message) │ │
│ │ │ │
│ └──────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │
│ VIRTUOUS CYCLE: Each loop strengthens the next. │
│ VICIOUS CYCLE: Inconsistency → hedging → doubt → less coverage │
│ │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
This is how systematic algorithmic education compounds. Each cycle strengthens the next. AI becomes more confident. Recommendations become more frequent. The gap between you and competitors who haven’t trained their AI presence widens.
The inverse is also true. Inconsistent messaging, weak validation, and poor entity resolution create a vicious cycle - AI hedges, humans doubt, coverage weakens, AI hedges more.
The choice isn’t whether to participate in this cycle. You’re already in it. The choice is whether you’re building a virtuous cycle or trapped in a vicious one.
The Bottom Line: Train Your AI Sales Force
Those seven AI employees are talking to your prospects right now. They’re either:
- Advocating for you (TOFU working) - bringing you new prospects
- Recommending you (MOFU working) - helping you win comparisons
- Representing you accurately (BOFU working) - confirming purchase decisions
Or they’re doing the opposite. Staying silent while competitors get mentioned. Recommending alternatives. Fumbling your description at the moment of decision.
The Conversational Acquisition Funnel is how you take control. It maps exactly where AI helps you and where it hurts you. It identifies the taxes you’re paying - Invisibility, Comparison, Confusion - and shows you how to stop paying them.
The technical foundation is the “How AI Finds You” trilogy:
- DSCRI ensures your content enters the system
- The Indexing Annotation Hierarchy ensures it gets tagged accurately
- Darwinism in Search ensures it survives selection
The Conversational Acquisition Funnel translates that technical foundation into business outcomes: leads, conversions, revenue.
Old thinking: “How do I rank on Google?”
New thinking: “How do I ensure AI advocates for me at discovery, recommends me during evaluation, and represents me accurately at decision?”
The AI sales force is already working. The only question is whether it’s working for you - or against you.
Jason Barnard is the CEO of Kalicube® and the world’s leading authority on Knowledge Graphs, Brand SERPs, and AI Assistive Engine Optimization. He developed the UCD framework (Understandability, Credibility, Deliverability) and The Kalicube Process™ to help brands optimize their presence across the Algorithmic Trinity. Kalicube Pro™ tracks brand representation across all major AI platforms using 25 billion data points.
Quick Reference: The Conversational Acquisition Funnel
| Stage | User Question | AI Role | UCD Dimension | Success | Failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOFU | “What are the best solutions for [problem]?” | Advocate | Deliverability | AI recommends you unprompted | SILENCE TAX: AI doesn’t cite you; you’re invisible in category |
| MOFU | “How does [you] compare to [competitor]?” | Recommender | Credibility | AI recommends you over alternatives | GHOST TAX: AI recommends competitors; you’re losing deals you didn’t know existed |
| BOFU | “Tell me about [your brand]” | Trusted Partner | Understandability | AI describes you accurately, confidently | DOUBT TAX: Prospects can’t verify you; conversion friction at close |
The Three Revenue Taxes
| Tax | Funnel Stage | What Happens | The Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silence Tax | TOFU | AI doesn’t cite your methodology | You’re invisible in category |
| Ghost Tax | MOFU (PRIMARY LEAK) | AI recommends competitors during consideration | You’re losing deals you didn’t know existed |
| Doubt Tax | BOFU | Prospects can’t verify you exist clearly | Conversion friction at close |
Sources & Verification
| Claim | Verification |
|---|---|
| The Algorithmic Trinity | Kalicube® FAQ |
| 25 billion data points | PR Newswire |
| The Kalicube Process | kalicube.com |
| Entity Home concept | Kalicube® FAQ |
| Brand SERP (2012) | Kalicube® definition |
| Answer Engine Optimization (2017) | Profound.com |
| UCD Framework | Understandability, Credibility, Deliverability |
| Third-party validation importance | Search Engine Land |
| Kalicube Pro platform | kalicube.pro |
ASCII Diagram: The Conversational Acquisition Funnel
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ THE CONVERSATIONAL ACQUISITION FUNNEL │
│ From AI Citation to Customer Conversion │
│ Jason Barnard (2025) │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ THE AI SALES FORCE │
│ │
│ Google ChatGPT Perplexity Claude Copilot Gemini Siri │
│ │
│ 7 employees. Working 24/7. Talking to your prospects. │
│ Did you train them? Or did they train themselves? │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ ╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ │
│ ║ TOFU - TOP OF FUNNEL ║ │
│ ║ "What are the best solutions for [problem]?" ║ │
│ ╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ │
│ ║ ║ │
│ ║ AI Role: ADVOCATE ║ │
│ ║ UCD Dimension: DELIVERABILITY ║ │
│ ║ ║ │
│ ║ ┌─────────────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────────────┐ ║ │
│ ║ │ SUCCESS │ │ FAILURE │ ║ │
│ ║ ├─────────────────────────┤ ├─────────────────────────┤ ║ │
│ ║ │ AI recommends you │ │ AI doesn't cite you │ ║ │
│ ║ │ without being asked │ │ You're invisible in │ ║ │
│ ║ │ │ │ category │ ║ │
│ ║ │ → New prospects enter │ │ → SILENCE TAX │ ║ │
│ ║ └─────────────────────────┘ └─────────────────────────┘ ║ │
│ ║ ║ │
│ ╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ ╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ │
│ ║ MOFU - MIDDLE OF FUNNEL ║ │
│ ║ "How does [you] compare to [competitor]?" ║ │
│ ╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ │
│ ║ ║ │
│ ║ AI Role: RECOMMENDER ║ │
│ ║ UCD Dimension: CREDIBILITY ║ │
│ ║ ║ │
│ ║ ┌─────────────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────────────┐ ║ │
│ ║ │ SUCCESS │ │ FAILURE │ ║ │
│ ║ ├─────────────────────────┤ ├─────────────────────────┤ ║ │
│ ║ │ AI recommends you │ │ AI recommends │ ║ │
│ ║ │ over competitors │ │ competitors instead │ ║ │
│ ║ │ │ │ Deals you didn't know │ ║ │
│ ║ │ → Win the deal │ │ → GHOST TAX │ ║ │
│ ║ └─────────────────────────┘ └─────────────────────────┘ ║ │
│ ║ ║ │
│ ╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ ╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ │
│ ║ BOFU - BOTTOM OF FUNNEL ║ │
│ ║ "Tell me about [your brand]" ║ │
│ ╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ │
│ ║ ║ │
│ ║ AI Role: TRUSTED PARTNER (Authorized Biographer) ║ │
│ ║ UCD Dimension: UNDERSTANDABILITY ║ │
│ ║ ║ │
│ ║ ┌─────────────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────────────┐ ║ │
│ ║ │ SUCCESS │ │ FAILURE │ ║ │
│ ║ ├─────────────────────────┤ ├─────────────────────────┤ ║ │
│ ║ │ AI describes you │ │ Prospects can't verify │ ║ │
│ ║ │ accurately, confidently │ │ you exist clearly │ ║ │
│ ║ │ │ │ Conversion friction │ ║ │
│ ║ │ → Close the sale │ │ → DOUBT TAX │ ║ │
│ ║ └─────────────────────────┘ └─────────────────────────┘ ║ │
│ ║ ║ │
│ ╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ ╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ │
│ ║ CONVERSION ║ │
│ ║ ║ │
│ ║ The Perfect Click Zero-Click Reputation ║ │
│ ║ ───────────────── ──────────────────── ║ │
│ ║ AI pre-qualifies, AI answers completely. ║ │
│ ║ user clicks to you. User knows you now. ║ │
│ ║ Warm lead delivered. Brand positioned in mind. ║ │
│ ║ ║ │
│ ║ Both depend on: WHAT AI SAYS ABOUT YOU ║ │
│ ║ ║ │
│ ╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ THE UCD BUILD SEQUENCE │
│ (Build from bottom up: U → C → D) │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ D: DELIVERABILITY (TOFU) ← Build THIRD │ │
│ │ Can AI deliver you to new prospects? │ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ Requires Credibility ↓ │ │
│ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ C: CREDIBILITY (MOFU) ← Build SECOND │ │
│ │ Does AI trust you enough to recommend you? │ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ Requires Understandability ↓ │ │
│ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ U: UNDERSTANDABILITY (BOFU) ← Build FIRST │ │
│ │ Does AI know who you are? │ │
│ │ │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │
│ You can't be delivered (D) if AI doesn't trust you (C). │
│ AI can't trust you if it doesn't understand who you are (U). │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ CONNECTION TO THE TECHNICAL TRILOGY │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ "How AI Finds You" (jasonbarnard.com) │
│ ════════════════════════════════════ │
│ │
│ 1. DSCRI How content ENTERS the system │
│ ↓ │
│ 2. Annotation Hierarchy How content gets TAGGED │
│ ↓ │
│ 3. Darwinism in Search How content gets SELECTED │
│ ↓ │
│ ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ │
│ ↓ │
│ 4. Conversational Funnel How this translates to REVENUE (this article) │
│ (kalicube.com) │
│ │
│ Technical foundation → Business outcomes │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
TRAIN YOUR AI SALES FORCE.
OR WATCH THEM WORK FOR YOUR COMPETITORS.
