The verdict in three sentences
For a funded B2B software company in Melbourne, the first shortlist is increasingly drafted by AI assistants like ChatGPT: a CFO, an operations manager or an IT lead asks for options, and three to five vendors come back. Whether you are among them depends on public, consistent and verifiable signals: a clear category, integration and security pages, pricing logic, real case studies and third-party mentions that agree with each other. This is a decision for the founders and the head of marketing, with a market budget, a measure (a dated record of answers to the same buyer questions) and no promise of being recommended.
The shortlist now starts with a question
B2B buyers in Australia still read review sites, ask peers and book demos. What has changed is the first step. Instead of ten browser tabs, the buyer asks one detailed question and gets a summarised answer. The questions are long, specific and often mention constraints that only a precise product page can answer.
| Buyer question to an AI assistant | Typical role | What it tests on your side |
|---|---|---|
| "Best Australian alternatives to a US workforce scheduling tool for 300 staff" | Operations manager | Category clarity, Australian presence, scale |
| "Which Melbourne software vendors integrate with Xero and handle multi-entity reporting?" | Finance lead | Integration pages that list what really exists |
| "Is this vendor SOC 2 certified and where is data hosted?" | IT or security lead | A security page stating certifications only as actually held |
| "How much does a mid-market procurement platform cost per user in AUD?" | CFO | Pricing page or honest pricing logic |
| "Case studies of logistics companies using this software in Australia" | Head of operations | Real, consented case studies |
| "Which B2B software startups in Melbourne raised funding recently in my category?" | Investor or partner | Accurate, sourced company facts |
| "Compare onboarding time for these three tools" | Project lead | Documented implementation timelines |
What decides whether you are named
The pattern in answers is consistent: assistants favour firms whose story is easy to verify from several sources.
| Signal | What buyers check | What an answer tends to pick up | Common gap at funded startups |
|---|---|---|---|
| Category and positioning | Do you solve my problem? | A one-line description repeated across sources | Homepage slogan that changes every quarter |
| Integrations | Does it fit our stack? | Named, documented integrations | "Integrates with everything" with no list |
| Security and compliance | Can we pass procurement? | Stated certifications and hosting region | Badges displayed before the audit is done |
| Pricing | Is it in budget? | A public range or clear model | "Contact us" with nothing else |
| Proof | Who else uses it? | Case studies and reviews that name the use case | Logos without consent or context |
| Freshness | Is the company active? | Dated changelog, recent news | Blog last updated eighteen months ago |
Two cautions for Australia. Australian Consumer Law prohibits misleading claims, so a certification not yet held, a customer logo used without permission or an inflated metric is a legal risk as well as a reputational one. And the Privacy Act 1988 applies to many businesses, with a small business exemption below AUD 3 million turnover that has exceptions; a funded company passing that threshold should review its demo and trial forms. This is not legal advice.
What the work covers and what the market charges
In broad terms: a diagnostic of how AI assistants currently describe your company and category, alignment of public facts (site, directories, review platforms, investor and press profiles), clear factual pages on integrations, security and pricing, help earning third-party mentions that matter in your category, and a recurring dated record. The ranges below are 2026 ballparks from typical agency quotes in Melbourne, converted at about 0.65 USD per AUD. It is an emerging service and quotes vary widely.
| Scope | AUD per month or one-off (approx.) | USD (approx.) | When it fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic, one-off | 4,000 to 10,000 | 2,600 to 6,500 | Before a raise, a launch or a category change |
| Focused programme | 3,000 to 6,000 per month | 1,900 to 3,900 | One product, one market |
| Broad programme | 6,000 to 10,000 per month | 3,900 to 6,500 | Several products or AU, NZ and UK markets |
| Factual page rebuild (integrations, security, pricing) | 8,000 to 20,000 | 5,200 to 13,000 | Pages missing or outdated |
| Record only, quarterly | 2,000 to 4,000 | 1,300 to 2,600 | Strong in-house marketing team |
| SEO retainer, for comparison | 4,000 to 10,000 per month | 2,600 to 6,500 | Google rankings, not AI answers |
Kolonell scopes this work on quote, after a diagnostic.
Reading the record
The measure is a dated record: 30 to 50 buyer questions, by role, asked on the same dates each month with fixed wording, answers archived. Read three numbers: the share of answers naming your company, the accuracy of what is said (category, integrations, certifications, pricing) and the competitors named alongside you. Then connect it to pipeline: demo requests where the prospect says they found you through an AI assistant, captured in a simple field on the demo form. Six months without movement in share or accuracy is a signal to change the approach, not to add budget.
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Mini case study
Illustrative example. "Yarra Ledger", a Melbourne finance automation platform after a seed round, records 40 questions. Month one: named in 5 of 40 answers (12.5%); two answers say it lacks a Xero integration it launched last year. The company commits USD 3,000 a month, 36,000 a year.
Assumption: average first-year contract value of USD 18,000 (market assumption for mid-market finance software). Covering the programme takes 36,000 / 18,000 = 2 extra contracts a year traceable to AI-originated demos. The founders first fix the integration error at its sources, then review share and accuracy at month six alongside the demo form field.
FAQ
Do AI assistants favour big US vendors over Melbourne startups?
They often name established vendors first, but questions that mention Australia, AUD pricing or local integrations open space for local firms. Being named in 5 of 40 answers is a realistic starting point for a funded startup.
Should we publish pricing to be named?
Not necessarily a full price list, but a model or range helps: for example "from AUD 45 per user per month" if that is true. Answers about cost tend to skip vendors with no public pricing logic.
Can we show a SOC 2 badge while the audit is in progress?
No, say "audit in progress" with an expected date. Displaying a certification not yet held is misleading under Australian Consumer Law and AI assistants repeat it.
How long before we see a change?
Corrections of wrong facts often show in 2 to 4 months; new mentions take longer. Plan on a 6 month review with at least 30 recorded questions.
Does this help with investors?
Indirectly. Investors also ask AI assistants about companies, and accurate, consistent facts about your category and traction avoid awkward corrections in a meeting.
Find out how AI assistants describe your firm. A dated record of 30 to 50 buyer questions shows whether you make the shortlist and what is being said about your integrations and security. Request a diagnostic quote: reply within 48 hours.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
