Michael Browne recently shared something that caught my attention: "Your sophisticated AI prompts are actually killing your sales." He went further: if your pitch sounds like "a McKinsey partner on mushrooms," you may have an "AI Overshare" problem.

That phrase stuck with me because it describes a quiet failure mode I keep seeing in sales messaging: not the obvious AI voice, but the over-inflated AI voice. The kind that takes something simple and useful, then wraps it in strategy-speak until it feels like consultant cosplay.

In his post, Michael described receiving a pitch full of "movement building" and "cross cross promotional strategies." But when he dug past the hype, the actual service was basically: show up at local events with a table and post on social media. And the irony is, he said he would have stayed interested if they had just described it plainly, because authentic local work is real work.

"Jargon is just a cheap suit for a service that doesn't need one."

Below is my expanded take on what Michael is naming here, why it damages trust so fast, and how to use AI to communicate more clearly instead of sounding like everyone else.

What Michael Browne means by "AI Overshare"

"AI Overshare" is not the same as "AI slop." AI slop is the low-effort, generic output: bland blog posts, lifeless captions, empty adjectives.

AI Overshare is more subtle and often more harmful. It happens when:

You use deep research and sophisticated prompts to make basic services sound like a grand strategy engagement.
The language outpaces the lived experience.
The pitch reads like it was written for a different business than the one you actually run.

As Michael put it, it shows up in "pitches, proposals and LinkedIn bios" that read like a top-tier consulting firm wrote them for someone still early in their operating maturity.

Why AI Overshare kills sales (even when the service is good)

Michael’s example is perfect because the underlying deliverable was not bad. Setting up at local events, building partnerships, showing up consistently: those are meaningful, tangible growth activities.

So why does the fancy language destroy the sale?

1) The buyer feels a gap before they feel value

When you promise "movement building" and deliver "a folding table at a local market," you create a credibility gap. Even if your work is effective, the buyer’s brain flags the mismatch.

People do not only buy outcomes. They also buy a coherent story where:

The promise matches the method.
The method matches your capability.
The capability matches the price.

AI Overshare breaks that chain at the first link.

2) You collapse into sameness

Michael nailed the pattern: "YOU SOUND LIKE EVERYONE ELSE." AI-generated strategy language converges on the same phrases: frameworks, flywheels, ecosystems, synergies, omnichannel, community-led growth.

If your buyer has read three similar pitches this week, your message stops feeling like a person and starts feeling like a template.

3) Over-complication makes the real work invisible

This is the tragedy of AI Overshare: it hides what is actually valuable.

A reliable operator who shows up locally, talks to customers, builds relationships, and runs consistent outreach is rare. But if you bury that under inflated language, the buyer never gets to appreciate it.

The more you dress it up, the less it looks like work.

The telltale signs your pitch has AI Overshare

If you want a quick self-audit, look for these red flags:

Language red flags

Abstract nouns with no objects: "movement," "ecosystem," "activation," "transformation"
Verbs with unclear actions: "catalyze," "unlock," "operationalize"
Stacked buzzwords: "cross-platform cross-promotional community flywheel"

Offer red flags

Deliverables are vague or missing
Everything sounds like strategy, nothing sounds like execution
You cannot explain the offer in one sentence to a friend

Credibility red flags

Your LinkedIn bio sounds like a Fortune 50 role, but your case studies are thin
Your proposal claims certainty where you can only offer learning

Use AI the way Michael recommends: find the signal

Michael’s advice is the part I wish more teams would adopt: the best operators use AI to find the signal, not to manufacture prestige.

Instead of prompting for "a framework," prompt for clarity.

A better prompt to fight AI Overshare

Here is a prompt you can use with any AI writing tool to keep your messaging grounded:

"Describe my service in the most boring, honest way possible. Use plain language. No buzzwords. Include: who it is for, what I do weekly, what the buyer gets in 30 days, and what I do not do. Then rewrite it as a short pitch that sounds like a real person."

That prompt forces specificity. It also forces constraints, which is where trust is built.

Plain language sells because it is falsifiable

One reason simple messaging converts is that it can be tested. If you say:

"I will attend two local events per month, collect 50 qualified leads, and publish 3 posts per week summarizing what we learned," that is measurable.

If you say:

"I will build a movement and architect cross-promotional growth loops," the buyer cannot tell what happens next Tuesday.

When buyers cannot picture the work, they struggle to justify the spend.

Two examples: inflated vs honest

Here is a practical rewrite using Michael’s scenario.

Inflated version (AI Overshare)

"We deliver movement-building initiatives through cross-promotional partnerships and community activation strategies to unlock scalable awareness and conversion."

Honest version (trust-building)

"We help you get visible locally. We will set up at relevant community events, talk to potential customers, capture leads, and post weekly updates on social media so people see you showing up consistently."

Notice what changes:

The honest version names actions.
The honest version implies effort.
The honest version makes the value legible.

A simple checklist for AI-assisted sales messaging

Before you hit send on a pitch, run this checklist:

Can I explain the offer in one sentence without jargon?
Do I list 3 to 5 concrete deliverables?
Does my language match my maturity and proof?
Would the buyer feel disappointed if they interpreted the words literally?
Did I remove any phrase that could appear in any competitor’s pitch?

If you fail #4, you are in AI Overshare territory.

The point is not to sound smaller, it is to sound true

Michael’s post is not anti-AI. If anything, it is pro-AI used responsibly. AI can help you structure your thinking, tighten your writing, and surface angles you missed.

But as Michael warned, "AI is the most powerful business tool most of us have ever had access to. Don't use it to become less trustworthy." If the tool pushes you toward inflated language, the fix is not a better prompt for bigger words. The fix is a better prompt for honest ones.

When your pitch is a mirror of what you actually deliver, the right buyers lean in. And the work you do, even if it is "boring" and local and human, finally gets the respect it deserves.

This blog post expands on a viral LinkedIn post by Michael Browne, Founder & Principal @ Rise Above Partners | AI Consultant & Agent Builder | Transforming Business Operations with AI That Delivers Real ROI. View the original LinkedIn post →