Everyone's using AI to de-anonymize buyers faster.
What if that's exactly backwards?
The data is clear:
Buyers are 70% through their decision before they ever talk to sales. 81% have already picked a winner. When SDRs reach out before that 70% mark, win rates go DOWN.
Yet every AI sales tool is racing to unmask anonymous visitors, score their intent, and pounce.
I stumbled onto something different.
I built an empathy chatbot for my brother — an AI trained to listen without giving advice. No memory. No tracking. Just presence.
What I discovered: when people know nobody is watching or judging, they open up immediately. They ask the real questions. They get to the actual problem faster.
My brother still uses it daily.
Now I'm wondering: what if the same thing applies to buyers?
What if instead of using AI to capture identity faster, we used it to let prospects explore anonymously?
No forms. No tracking. No "let me get your email first."
Just an AI that answers real questions, builds trust through usefulness, and lets buyers self-select when they're ready.
The research says buyers want self-service. They want to research without gatekeepers. They're already 70% decided before they raise their hand.
Maybe the move isn't to intercept them earlier.
Maybe it's to be so useful while they're hiding that they come find you.
Anyone experimenting with this in their chat agents? I'm curious if the "let them stay anonymous" approach has legs.