Human-First AI Marketing®
for expert-led B2B firms
Get referred by people and recommended by AI.
We capture your expertise and turn it into content, conversations, and client testimonials, building trust with humans and AI at the same time.
Sound familiar?
You get fewer chances, and they move faster than ever.
- AI is compressing the buyer’s journey, and prospects show up with a shortlist and a short window.
- AI Overviews answer the questions you used to, so the relationship starts later.
- Social feeds are too loud for a real conversation, and AI-powered competitors are crowding every channel.
- When you finally get a shot at the deal, you can’t afford to lose them.
We work with expert-led B2B firms to increase your visibility and credibility with humans and AI.
Human-First AI Marketing
High-Tech and High-Touch
Marketing success in the AI era requires a human-first strategy, technical AI marketing systems, and scalable storytelling to build the reputation you deserve. We use a simple, effective approach to maximize your impact.
Strategy
What you do, who you serve, and why they trust you.
Systems
AI tools and workflows that carry your voice and values to the right places.
Stories
Expert interviews turned into content, conversations, and new clients.
Why Avenue9
AI doesn’t create slop. People do.
You don’t have to settle for slop. Great content, powerful prompts, killer interviews, and effective go-to-market strategy all start the same way… with a great question.
We ask better questions of you, your team, your clients, and your AI tools, and then turn the answers into the stories that earn referrals and recommendations.
- Professional interviewers. Our interview method grew from 14 years of teaching professional sales interviewing and questioning skills at Sandler, conducting thousands of podcast interviews, and running hundreds of client campaigns.
- Over 100 recorded conversations with business leaders on the award-winning Human-First AI Marketing Podcast.
- 25+ years at the intersection of sales, marketing, and technology, building and optimizing 200+ websites.
Avenue9 brings sales and marketing expertise to build and protect your reputation, communication skills that hold up in a boardroom or a buyer conversation, and the technical understanding to build your AI visibility at the same time.
How we work
We build with you and work without you.
You know your business better than anyone. That’s why our Human-First AI Marketing® approach builds your strategy, systems, and stories with you through weekly interviews. Then, we handle the execution asynchronously.
Choose your level of support: fractional CMO, agency of record, or training that enables your own team. Three-month minimum, then cancel anytime with 30 days’ notice, so we earn the next month every time.
What we won’t do
- We’ll never publish anything that didn’t start with a human conversation and end with a human review.
- We don’t run automated AI outreach that pretends to be personal.
- We never take shortcuts, sell rankings, or use black-hat tricks to game AI.
Who we help
Built for expert-led firms
Consultancies, IT and technology firms, engineering practices, SaaS companies, and marketing firms that sell their expertise. Our clients have at least $1 million in revenue, usually between $10 million and $30 million, a proven offer, and a founder ready to grow beyond being the only one who can open doors.
If that’s you, let’s have a conversation.
Proof
What our clients say
“Mike was a valuable outside voice during our strategic reset. He pressure-tested our positioning and sales approach and pushed us to make decisions we’d been putting off. We’re clearer and more focused because of it.”
Dr. Roxie Mooney · Founder & CEO, Legacy DNA
“Mike stood out as someone who could fluently bridge the gap between technology, sales, and marketing. He brings insight, creativity, and a ton of energy to the table, no matter which side of it he’s on. His ability to speak both the language of business and the language of tech makes him incredibly effective, especially in the AI marketing space.”
James Bunch · CEO, Software KC
Free REPORT
Pass both reference checks.
87%of vendor shortlists start with a referral
– Wynter, 2026
96%of B2B buyers use AI in their jobs
– LinkedIn B2B Institute, 2026
See what people and AI find when they check you out. Your free Human+AI Trust Score includes the top three ways to earn more referrals and recommendations.
Thought leadership
Conversations with AI & Marketing Experts
Every week, the Human-First AI Marketing Podcast features leaders using AI without losing the human touch, and the blog shares our lessons learned.
Soul at Scale with Noah Fleming
How can businesses scale with AI while preserving meaningful customer relationships? Mike Montague talks with Soul at Scale author Noah Fleming about…
Obsessed with AI Shortcuts?
Inspired by the horror film Obsession and a 300-year-old fairy tale, this post shows why AI shortcuts backfire, why trust is the…
Hybrid Marketing & Delivering Marketing Joy with Kirby Hasseman
Kirby Hasseman joins Mike Montague to explore hybrid marketing, promotional products, and why combining digital reach with memorable human experiences can help…
Questions
Frequently asked questions about Human-First AI Marketing
Can’t we do this in-house with AI?
You can run most of it, and many of our clients do once the strategy, systems, and stories are set. The interviews are the part that needs an outsider. It’s hard to ask your own clients why you’re great and get the real answer, and your team shouldn’t have to. We bring the distance to ask the hard questions, 25 years of taste and judgment about what to do with the answers, and ideas your team and AI haven’t seen yet.
Do you use AI?
Every day, and differently. AI amplifies our humans. We use it for things people can’t do and for work it does faster and better, and we never outsource our thinking, our conversations, or our creative problem solving. Every piece gets a final edit from someone who put their name on it.
What does it cost?
Most firms start with a 90-day Human-First AI Marketing Sprint at $15,000, then move to a retainer starting at $5,000 a month. There’s a three-month minimum, then you can cancel anytime with 30 days’ notice. See every option on our Services page.
How soon will we see results?
Time savings and clearer messaging show up in the first month. Better conversations, warmer outreach, and more referrals typically show up within a quarter, and the GTM engine compounds from there.
Let’s talk