The latest Inc. 5000 CEO survey hit like a thunderclap, and I could not help but grin. Half of America’s fastest-growing leaders say Ai will boost sales and marketing. Half say it is overhyped and risky. That tension is the story, and it is exactly what I have been warning about.
I watched managed print services fall into this trap years ago. What started as a smart way to cut costs and fix workflows got whitewashed into “30 percent savings” pitches. Dealers slapped MPS on their brochures without delivering substance. Buyers saw right through it, and the whole category lost its punch.
Ai in sales is at that same fork in the road. Used well, it is a lever. It finds decision makers, surfaces buying signals, and cuts research time. But it will never replace the rep who knows how to listen, question, and build trust. CEOs know this. They are excited about the efficiency, but they are wary of snake oil.
That is why my mission has always been to coach salespeople to resist hype and stay grounded in fundamentals. Ai is just a tool. It cannot save you from rejection. It cannot make you curious on a discovery call. It cannot walk into a room and make a prospect feel understood.
If you are a rep, use Ai to sharpen your prep but never your pitch. If you are a leader, push your team to tie Ai directly to outcomes, not features. Because hype erodes trust faster than toner on paper.
The Inc. survey is a reminder: Ai will not sink you and it will not save you. It will only amplify who you already are. Lazy reps will get louder in their laziness. Disciplined reps will sharpen their edge. The choice is yours.
Celeste Dame 🚀ðŸ§
No comments:
Post a Comment