white-label

Make $10K/Month Selling AI to Local Businesses Using a White-Label Solution

Charles Higgins

Charles Higgins

— 11 min read
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We recently published a short video with practical, step-by-step guidance for selling AI services to local businesses, and the response was clear: this is a highly repeatable, lucrative model when done the right way. In this article we’ll walk through the exact three-step process we use to package and sell AI to local businesses using a white-label business software solution: (1) software and service setup; (2) voice AI testing and tuning; and (3) offer structure and pricing. These are the same practical steps we use with our own clients, distilled into actionable guidance you can implement this week.

We’re writing from direct experience and from the practical approach shown in the original presentation by Andrew George. Our goal is simple: give you a clear, actionable plan that helps you onboard local customers quickly, deliver value immediately, and build recurring revenue with transparency and minimal tech headaches.

Table of Contents

Why selling AI to local businesses makes sense in 2025

Local businesses are drowning in repetitive tasks and missed opportunities: phone calls that go unanswered, appointment booking that doesn’t convert, and online inquiries that never turn into customers. AI offers a tangible way to automate those tasks in a way owners immediately understand and appreciate.

  • AI voice agents answer phones, qualify callers, and book appointments—things local owners value right away.
  • A white-label solution lets us present a tailored experience to the local business owner so they don’t feel like they’re learning a complicated agency tool.
  • Usage-based billing means business owners only pay for what they use, which removes a major sales objection.

Overview: Our three-step process

  1. Software & service setup: brand the platform and limit the user interface so customers see only what matters.
  2. Voice AI testing and tuning: build and test voice agents so you can demo real calls that impress prospects.
  3. Offer structure: use a low-friction trial and usage-based pricing with ethical markups to create recurring revenue.

Step 1 — Software and service setup (make it look like theirs)

Before we sell anything, we make the software feel like the customer’s tool—not ours, and not a generic agency platform. That trust and simplicity are critical for fast adoption.

White-label branding

When a local business logs into their account, we want them to feel comfortable and confident. That starts with branding: your logo, your domain for the login URL, and colors that match the service you promise. The platform we use integrates a branding tool that generates the small code snippets needed to change colors, fonts, and UI accents. We copy that into the platform’s custom CSS area so the account immediately reflects our brand and the client’s experience.

Practical steps:

  • Use a subdomain like app.yourdomain.com for the login experience.
  • Upload your agency logo and pick a clear brand color; generate the CSS with the branding tool and paste it into the platform’s custom CSS box.
  • Consider an optional dark mode if it suits your brand—some owners prefer a professional black sidebar versus the default gray.

Remove everything the business doesn’t need

Out-of-the-box platforms expose a lot of modules: sites, payments, media, marketing campaigns, product catalogs, and so on. For a local business buying voice AI, that creates confusion. We hide everything except the AI tools we’re selling.

How we do it:

  • At the subaccount level, use the feature control panel to disable modules the business won’t use.
  • For left-menu items that remain visible despite toggles, we inject a small CSS snippet to hide specific menu links for that subaccount so the user only sees “AI agents” (or the exact product names you sell) and a simple onboarding tab.
  • Only enable CRM and the AI employee features—everything else is hidden.

Why this matters: a simplified interface reduces onboarding friction, eliminates distraction, and makes your training time a fraction of what it would be if they had access to every tool.

Subaccount setup and onboarding

Create each client as their own subaccount and customize the visible features for that account. Use the subaccount ID to selectively apply UI changes. Add a focused onboarding tab that explains exactly how to use the AI features you sold—call scripts, common questions, and a quick demo link so they can test live.

Result: when the owner logs in for the first time they see a clean, purpose-built dashboard that points them to the AI tool you promised. That clarity turns trial users into active users faster.

Step 2 — Voice AI testing: why voice is our favorite deliverable

We choose voice AI as our core deliverable for local businesses for three reasons:

  • It’s easy to demonstrate: make a live call and the owner hears the AI pick up and do the job.
  • It solves a clear, high-value problem: missed calls and booking errors cost businesses real dollars daily.
  • It’s easy to understand and sell: owners immediately grasp the upside of automated calls and bookings.

Always build a demo first

Before you take a client live, set up your own account and phone number. Make a few test calls so you can demo the AI live. Seeing and hearing it work is the fastest path to closing a sale.

Creating an AI agent

When we build a voice AI agent we keep the first version lean. Focus on core actions:

  • Pick a voice that matches the local area accent and feels natural.
  • Script the key flows: greeting, qualification, appointment booking, and a fallback to human callback.
  • Enable voicemail forwarding and CRM recording if the business wants follow-up tracking.

Key decision: choose high-quality voices from the provider’s voice library. There are hundreds of voices now—filter by accent, gender, and “high-quality only” so the voice sounds conversational.

Advanced settings that actually matter

Most people ignore the tiny advanced settings, but these control how human the agent feels. We recommend testing and adjusting the following:

Idle time and reminder frequency

This is how long the agent waits for a caller to respond before checking in. A good default is around 3–4 seconds before a gentle reminder. Too low and the AI interrupts people; too high and callers think the line dropped. Set the reminder to repeat once or twice; that helps when someone is thinking or pulling information while on the line.

Agent behavior metrics

There are a few micro-settings that define conversation quality:

  • Interruption sensitivity: controls whether the agent interrupts the caller. We typically use 0.75–0.85 for a natural balance where the agent steps in gently when the caller pauses for a long time.
  • Response speed: moderate to moderately-fast works best. Too fast feels robotic; too slow frustrates callers.
  • LLM temperature: this controls creativity. Keep it low for transactional calls (0.2–0.25). Higher temperature works for more creative, less structured conversations, but not for appointment booking.

Voice settings

Tweak these so the voice is pleasant and consistent:

  • Voice speed: 1.0–1.2 is ideal. Faster can be funny but loses clarity.
  • Voice emotion/temperature: a moderate setting avoids monotone and avoids overly dramatic fluctuations. Avoid extremes.
  • Voice volume: many voices sound quieter on first playback—boost volume to 120–145% depending on the voice to match human callers.

Background sound

One of the most powerful but underused features is background ambience. Simple options like “busy office,” “coffee shop,” or “outdoor light” create context and make calls feel like they come from a real, live assistant. For local businesses we prefer a light “busy office” ambience that suggests a professional team answering phones without sounding fake or distracting.

Call settings and limits

Set an appropriate maximum call duration (e.g., five minutes) to prevent runaway calls and to make usage predictable. Set fallback rules so calls escalate to a human or voicemail when the AI can’t complete a booking or the interaction goes off-script.

The demo we use

When we demo, we make a live call to the business number and let the owner listen. Typically the AI greets, qualifies the caller, and either books an appointment or routes the caller to a human. That live demonstration is the single most persuasive sales tool we have.

Step 3 — Structuring your AI offer for conversions and retention

Once the software is branded and the AI agent sounds great, we focus on how to get customers in the door and keep them. We design offers that remove friction and encourage usage because usage drives value—and value drives retention.

Offer mechanics we prefer

  • Start with a 30-day free trial. This low barrier gets the owner to log in and try the tool in their business context.
  • After the trial, use a simple low fixed subscription (for example, $97/month) for unlimited access, or—preferably—usage-based pricing so the client only pays for what they use.
  • Be transparent about pricing, showing both the base cost and your markup per minute/message so the owner knows exactly what they’re paying for and why.

Why usage-based pricing wins

Most local businesses don’t want a high fixed monthly fee for tools they barely use. Usage-based pricing solves that: the owner only pays when the AI actually handles a call or a message. That makes the purchase decision much easier and aligns your incentives with theirs—when they get more value from calls, they pay more; when they don’t, their cost stays low.

How the numbers work (simple, transparent math)

Below we use conservative numbers to show how markups and usage-based billing create predictable revenue without surprising clients:

  • Base cost for voice processing: approximately $0.13 per minute.
  • Base cost for conversation messages: approximately $0.02 per message.
  • Average call length: 3–5 minutes. A 5-minute call at $0.13/min = $0.65 base cost.

If we apply a 3x markup to the per-minute rate, the client pays approximately $0.40 per minute. That 5-minute call then costs the client $2.00 and nets you about $1.35 profit per call after paying base costs. Multiply by conservative daily call volume and the recurring revenue becomes meaningful:

  • 3 calls per business per day × 22 business days = 66 calls/month.
  • If each call averages 4 minutes and your charge is $0.40/min, revenue = 66 × 4 × $0.40 = $105.60 per month per client.
  • Your margin depends on base costs. With a 3x markup, margins are attractive because the business is paying for value (booked appointments) more than raw minutes.

Note: you don’t have to charge per minute only. Consider a hybrid:

  • Small monthly base fee to cover admin and setup (e.g., $15–$50).
  • Usage-based overage per minute or per successful booking.

This hybrid approach lowers sales friction while keeping pricing aligned with actual use.

Ethical markup and value-based pricing

We always recommend honest, value-aligned pricing:

  • Mark up by service and value, not by hiding costs. Show the client both the base cost and the final price so they understand and agree to what they’re paying for.
  • Price based on value—the more revenue a call creates for the business, the more you can ethically charge. Local businesses often pay $5–$50 or more for a qualified lead; if an AI call creates that lead or books a client, the value far exceeds the raw per-minute processing cost.

Onboarding and keeping clients active

Our goal is to reduce churn by ensuring the owner sees results early. Here’s our onboarding flow:

  1. 30-day free trial and simple initial setup: we build the first AI agent and connect the number.
  2. Live demo with the owner: we call their number and let them hear the AI in action.
  3. Week 1 check-in: adjust scripts based on real calls and customer feedback.
  4. Weekly reports for the first month showing calls handled, appointments booked, and estimated revenue generated.
  5. After the trial, switch to usage-based billing or the chosen subscription model and continue weekly optimization for the first quarter.

Funnel, marketing, and closing

To scale, build a simple funnel that captures interest and delivers the demo. Steps we use:

  • Landing page with a short video and a clear offer: 30-day trial and a live demo.
  • A short contact form or a booking link for an in-person demo call.
  • Automated scheduling and a pre-demo checklist so you can call live and impress the prospect the moment you meet.

Because the main differentiator is a live demo, focus your outreach on getting prospects on the phone, not on a long back-and-forth email exchange.

Practical checklist before you sell

  • White-label dashboard is set (domain, logo, colors).
  • Unused features hidden from client view—only AI tools visible.
  • At least one tested voice AI agent configured on your number.
  • Idle times, interruption sensitivity, volume and background ambience tuned.
  • Clear offer: 30-day trial, pricing structure, and a transparent per-minute or per-booking cost shown to the client.
  • Onboarding flow documented and templated for consistent delivery.

Common objections and how we handle them

“I don’t want to pay for something I won’t use.”

We offer a 30-day trial and usage-based pricing so owners only pay for actual calls handled. This removes the risk and gets them comfortable with the system.

“This sounds complicated—my staff won’t use it.”

We deliver the service as a turnkey setup. We build the first agent and train the staff with a 20–30 minute session. We also provide a simple one-page playbook so staff know what to expect when a call is routed to the AI.

“Will customers notice it’s an AI?”

Some callers will. Others won’t. With high-quality voices, thoughtful scripts, and the right background ambience, the experience is professional and helpful. We always include an easy human escalation so the person on the other end can request a live human anytime.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: How long does it take to set up a new client?

A: From initial sale to a working demo we can typically be live in 24–48 hours. Initial setup includes branding the client’s subaccount, creating the AI agent, hooking up the phone number, and doing one live test call.

Q: What’s the minimum technical skill needed to deliver this?

A: Basic comfort with copying/pasting small CSS snippets for menu hiding and filling out the platform’s subaccount settings is all that’s required. If you prefer, we can do the technical work for you while you focus on sales and onboarding.

A: Price based on value. For high-value verticals, consider a slightly higher per-minute charge or a per-qualified-lead fee because each booked consultation can be worth significantly more to the business owner.

Q: What happens when the AI can’t complete a booking?

A: We set fallback rules so the call is transferred to staff or recorded to voicemail with a notification. The owner gets a CRM entry and transcript so no lead is lost.

Q: Is a subscription or usage model better?

A: For most local businesses we recommend usage-based pricing or a hybrid plan (small monthly fee + usage). This reduces friction, increases adoption, and aligns spend with value delivered.

Conclusion — start small, demo fast, scale responsibly

We’ve found a straightforward path to building recurring monthly revenue by selling voice AI to local businesses: brand the platform so it feels like theirs, hide everything they don’t need, build and refine a high-quality voice agent, and use a transparent, usage-aligned offer to drive adoption and retention.

Focus on fast demos and real-world results. If you can get a prospect on the phone and show them a working AI that picks up, qualifies, and books customers, you’re past 80% of the objections. From there it’s optimized onboarding and honest pricing that keeps them around.

If you want help building a reproducible onboarding funnel or need a checklist to roll this out to ten clients in a month, get in touch. We’ll happily walk through the setup with you and show you how we structure offers that scale without surprise fees or complicated tech.

"When the owner hears the AI answer and book an appointment live, everything becomes simple. People buy what they understand and what solves a clear problem."

Let’s build something that saves business owners time, reduces their missed opportunities, and creates predictable income for our agencies. We’ll be upfront, practical, and focused on measurable results—because that’s what keeps clients long-term.

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