The 7 Questions That Unmask Fake 'AI Experts'
Explore the reality behind AI-driven 'vibe coding' and its impact on business technology. Discover the questions to ask a web consultant to protect your vision.
July 22, 2025
Is "vibe coding" the future, or just a flashy new way to build a dead end? 🤔
The AI hype is real. "You don't need a developer anymore!" "Just use plain-English prompts!" This new wave of AI tools promises a simple path to building an app or a site. And for a simple prototype? They're fine.
But your business isn't a prototype. It's a complex system with real challenges that can't be solved by a prompt. You're trying to integrate your sales process, streamline operations, and deliver a seamless customer experience. That's not a job for a prompt writer; it's a job for a true business technology consultant.
The market is flooded with self-proclaimed "AI experts" who are just reselling tools. To protect your vision (and your wallet), you need to know the difference between a tool-seller and a genuine engineering partner. These seven questions to ask a web consultant are your filter.
1. "Walk me through your discovery process before you suggest a solution."
This is the ultimate test. A tool-seller will immediately start talking about the features of their preferred AI or platform. They're a hammer looking for a nail.
Finding a web development partner who starts with a detailed discovery process is critical. They should ask you about your revenue goals, your customer's biggest complaints, and the operational bottlenecks that are secretly costing you money.
- 🚩 Red Flag: An immediate jump to "We can build that with [AI Tool Name]."
- ✅ Green Flag: Detailed, probing questions about the health and goals of your business.
2. "How will you handle integrations with my existing systems, like my CRM?"
Your business value is created in the connections between your systems. "Vibe coding" often creates isolated islands of data—a new app that doesn't talk to your sales database, or a form that doesn't connect to your marketing platform. It's digital duct tape.
This question tests if they think in terms of a connected ecosystem.
- 🚩 Red Flag: "We can export a CSV for you to upload," or "That's not really part of the scope."
- ✅ Green Flag: They talk about APIs, webhooks, and creating a "central nervous system" for your business data.
3. "Here's a complex problem we have. How would you approach solving it?"
Give them a real-world business problem, not just a feature request. For example: "Our sales team wastes hours manually entering data from our contact form into our CRM." This reveals if they are a problem-solver or just a task-taker.
For instance, a client in the logistics space was losing hours daily to manual data entry. A 'prompt writer' might quote a price for a simple form. We asked why and discovered the real problem was a disconnected system. The engineered solution was a custom API that pulled data automatically, saving them 15 hours a week and eliminating errors. That's the difference between buying a feature and solving a business problem.
- 🚩 Red Flag: They immediately give you a price for the feature without understanding the why behind it.
- ✅ Green Flag: They break the problem down, ask clarifying questions, and talk about the business outcome first ("So the goal is to save your sales team X hours per week and eliminate data entry errors?").
4. "How do you ensure this solution will scale with my business over the next 3 years?"
A cheap prototype built with "vibe coding" is like building on sand. It will break the moment you try to grow. According to a study by the Standish Group, over 30% of all IT projects fail, often due to a failure to plan for scale. A real solution is engineered for the future. This question separates the architects from the handymen.
- 🚩 Red Flag: "We can cross that bridge when we come to it," or "It's easy to rebuild."
- ✅ Green Flag: They discuss foundational architecture, clean code, and building a flexible system that can evolve as your business does.
5. "How will you prove the ROI of this project to me?"
This question cuts through all the fluff. It forces a conversation about what really matters: results. A key part of hiring a web strategy consultant is ensuring they are comfortable being held accountable for business outcomes, not just deliverables.
- 🚩 Red Flag: They focus on what they'll deliver, like "You'll get a 5-page website."
- ✅ Green Flag: They talk about tracking key business metrics, setting up dashboards (like Looker Studio), and connecting their work directly to your custom software ROI.
Expert Insight: The ROI of "No" The highest ROI a true partner can provide is telling you "no." A project that isn't built, based on expert advice that it's not viable, saves you 100% of your potential investment. Never underestimate the value of a partner who will protect you from your own bad ideas.
6. "Can you give me an example of a time you told a client not to build something?"
This is a powerful test of integrity. A "yes-man" will build anything for a paycheck, even if they know it's a bad idea. A true partner will protect you from your own blind spots and guide you toward a better, more viable solution.
- 🚩 Red Flag: "Our job is to build whatever the client wants."
- ✅ Green Flag: A clear story where they advised a client against a project because it wasn't the right solution for the real problem.
7. "What does our partnership look like after the project is launched?"
This final question reveals the difference between a web consultant vs agency or vendor. A vendor disappears after launch, leaving you to fend for yourself. A partner sticks around to ensure the solution delivers long-term value.
- 🚩 Red Flag: A focus on hourly rates for bug fixes or a simple maintenance package.
- ✅ Green Flag: They talk about ongoing strategy, performance monitoring, and iterating on the solution based on real data.
Your Filter for the Future
Hiring a consultant in the age of AI isn't about finding someone who can write the cleverest prompt. It's about finding a partner who can see the gaps in your business, architect a comprehensive solution, and engineer a platform that drives real growth.
These questions are your filter. Use them to weed out the tool-sellers and find the true business-first engineer who will help you build the future, not just a flashy prototype.
Ready to build a real solution?
If you're ready to partner with a business-first engineer who understands the difference, schedule a no-obligation strategy call. Let's talk about the real challenges and opportunities in your business.