The AI Sales Process Map: The Ten-Stage Sales Process Framework

The AI Sales Process Map: The Ten-Stage Sales Process Framework

By Sean O'Shaughnessey

Sales leaders today often fall into the trap of using artificial intelligence tools randomly rather than systematically. This sporadic usage is like owning a Swiss Army knife but only using the bottle opener; you miss out on ninety percent of the available value. AI’s real power comes not from isolated tools but from integrating capabilities across every stage of your sales processes. When mapped correctly, AI accelerates every interaction, shortens sales cycles, and makes revenue generation more predictable.

Random AI adoption leads to inconsistent results. Some reps use it effectively, while others revert to manual methods under pressure, resulting in uneven performance. Systematic AI integration, however, compounds improvements across the entire sales cycle. Data captured at one stage strengthens the next, creating a virtuous cycle of sales success that is scalable, measurable, and sustainable. The outcome is not just faster deals, but stronger business acumen and more consistent revenue management.

The ten-stage AI sales process framework provides a structured way to apply AI:

  1. Prospecting,
  2. Outreach,
  3. Qualification,
  4. Scoping,
  5. Presentation,
  6. Economic Buyer meetings,
  7. Validation Events,
  8. Proposals,
  9. Closing,
  10. Onboarding/expansion.

Each stage leverages AI differently, from intent data analysis in prospecting to AI-driven customer success monitoring post-close. Integration ensures that research informs outreach, discovery guides scoping, and validation improves proposals. By connecting the entire workflow, sales teams gain predictable processes and continuous optimization opportunities.

Process-based implementation builds competitive advantage. Competitors can replicate isolated AI tools, but systematic integration across sales strategies and sales management creates a differentiated approach that scales with growth. Consistency across the team reduces dependency on individual skill differences, enhances messaging, and strengthens value selling.

The measurement framework behind this approach ensures continuous improvement. Stage-specific conversion rates, velocity metrics, and data quality indicators guide refinements. Weekly reviews, monthly AI effectiveness assessments, and quarterly adjustments keep teams aligned while maximizing ROI from AI investments. Over time, these optimizations compound, creating a performance engine that drives long-term revenue generation.

The future of B2B sales isn’t choosing between humans and AI. It’s humans amplified by AI. Let’s build that future together.

If you’d like to explore this topic in more depth, there’s a podcast episode that covers all of this information and more. You can find the link to the episode here and consider subscribing to the podcast AI Tools for Sales Pros on your favorite podcast player.

AI Isn’t Replacing Salespeople, It’s Giving Them a Competitive Edge

AI Isn’t Replacing Salespeople, It’s Giving Them a Competitive Edge

By Sean O'Shaughnessey

AI isn’t replacing salespeople, it’s making them more effective. The real risk isn’t losing your job to AI; it’s losing to a competitor who uses AI better than you do. Sales professionals who integrate AI into their workflow will outperform those who don’t. 

It’s not about technology taking over but about using technology to gain an edge. The market is becoming increasingly competitive, and the most efficient salespeople will emerge victorious.

Time is a salesperson’s most valuable asset. 

Every minute spent on administrative tasks is a minute not spent selling. AI helps reclaim those lost hours. Tools that automate writing, scheduling, and research allow salespeople to focus on what matters: building relationships and closing deals. If you’re not leveraging AI to increase productivity, you’re leaving opportunities on the table.

Sales emails need to be clear and professional. AI-powered writing assistants ensure your messages are polished and effective. A poorly written email can cost you a deal. AI tools catch grammatical mistakes, improve clarity, and even suggest more effective phrasing. This isn’t just about looking professional; it’s about being understood. 

If your message isn’t clear, it won’t convert.

Presentations are another time-consuming task. AI can generate professional decks in minutes. Instead of spending hours designing slides, salespeople can focus on developing effective strategies. AI-powered tools create branded, structured presentations based on simple inputs. This ensures consistency while saving time. Sales professionals who utilize AI for presentations can focus on delivering insights rather than formatting slides.

CRM systems are the backbone of sales operations. AI enhances CRM by automating data entry, tracking customer interactions, and suggesting next steps. Salespeople often struggle with keeping CRM data updated. AI reduces this friction by automatically capturing and organizing information. A well-maintained CRM leads to better forecasting and stronger customer relationships. 

If your CRM doesn’t have AI capabilities, it’s time to upgrade.

AI-driven insights enable sales managers to make more informed decisions, rather than relying on instinct. Managers can use AI to analyze performance trends, identify coaching opportunities, and predict revenue outcomes. AI doesn’t replace leadership; it enhances it. 

Sales managers who adopt AI can build stronger teams and achieve better results. Ignoring AI in sales management is a strategic mistake.

Lead generation is another area where AI adds value. AI-powered tools can analyze vast amounts of data to identify high-potential prospects. Instead of spending hours researching leads, salespeople can receive AI-generated recommendations. This allows for more targeted outreach and higher conversion rates. AI doesn’t just find leads, it finds the right leads.

Sales follow-up is often inconsistent. AI ensures follow-ups happen at the right time with the right message. Automated reminders and AI-generated responses keep deals moving forward. 

A well-timed follow-up can be the difference between closing a deal and losing it. AI helps salespeople stay on top of their pipeline without relying on memory.

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Two Tall Guys Talking Sales – How Sales Leaders Use CRMs to Align Sales Processes, Value Selling, and Revenue Management – Episode 152

Two Tall Guys Talking Sales – How Sales Leaders Use CRMs to Align Sales Processes, Value Selling, and Revenue Management – Episode 152

By Sean O'Shaughnessey

In this episode of Two Tall Guys Talking Sales, hosts Kevin Lawson and Sean O’Shaughnessey build on last week’s discussion of qualification methodologies and take the conversation further—into how these frameworks should live inside your CRM. From aligning sales processes with the buyer’s journey to enforcing accountability at each stage, this conversation offers practical strategies that every sales leader and salesperson can implement. Expect a deep dive into sales management, revenue generation, sales processes, and how value selling thrives when marketing and sales teams work in sync.

Key Topics Discussed

  • Why your CRM is the right home for qualification methodologies (00:48)
  • Best practices for embedding qualification questions into sales processes (02:01)
  • How sales leaders enforce discipline and consistency across teams (03:18)
  • Eliminating Excel spreadsheets and consolidating data for effective revenue management (05:12)
  • Aligning marketing collateral with sales strategies to support qualification and value selling (06:00)
  • Real-world stories of late-stage deal failures caused by missing buyer-side approvals (10:21)

Key Quotes

  • Kevin Lawson (05:12): “Oh, please, oh, please evacuate Excel spreadsheets from your solution guide… For the purposes of this discussion, we want to strenuously avoid having third-party apps disconnected from your system.”
  • Sean O’Shaughnessey (10:40): “There is nothing worse than missing your quarterly number because you didn’t know how they were going to buy… Knowing the paperwork process is the difference between celebrating the win and missing your commission check.”
  • Kevin Lawson (14:10): “Having a qualification methodology mapped into your CRM, aligned with a buyer’s journey and supported by marketing resources, gives you a fully wrapped system that prevents that dreaded CEO call asking, ‘What’s the status of that deal?’”

Additional Resources

A Significant Actionable Item from this Podcast

Embed your qualification methodology directly into your CRM, tied to each stage of your sales process.

Don’t let critical deal information reside inside spreadsheets or Word docs; configure your CRM so progression requires those qualification questions to be answered. This not only improves sales accuracy but also enhances revenue management, ensures consistency across your team, and creates alignment with marketing resources to drive value selling.

Summary

This episode of Two Tall Guys Talking Sales is a must-listen for anyone serious about building sustainable sales success. Sean and Kevin reveal how sales strategies such as qualification methodologies come to life when fully integrated into CRM-driven sales processes. You’ll learn why sales management must prioritize data consistency, how business acumen prevents late-stage deal disasters, and how aligning messaging between sales and marketing fuels stronger revenue generation. If you want practical insights on improving your sales processes and elevating your organization’s performance, download this episode today and start putting these best practices to work.

Turning Around Sales Performance: Strategies for CEOs and Sales Managers to Foster Internal Alignment

Turning Around Sales Performance: Strategies for CEOs and Sales Managers to Foster Internal Alignment

By Sean O'Shaughnessey

Navigating a sales turnaround isn’t just about fixing numbers; it’s about transforming the business. It’s about realigning expectations, rebuilding internal trust, and creating a structured, sustainable path forward. 

If you’re a CEO, sales manager, or a key salesperson in your organization, the pressure to reverse a sales slump can feel overwhelming. However, the truth is that turnarounds aren’t made in a sprint; they’re built through clarity, consistency, and effective communication.

Too often, sales leaders make the mistake of focusing only on the downward trend. They get caught up in the urgency of the numbers and forget that the real challenge lies in managing upward, setting expectations with executive leadership, and aligning them with reality. 

If your sales team is underperforming, your internal stakeholders are your new audience. Just as with external prospects, you need to manage their expectations with a clear, actionable plan.

The process starts with a shift in mindset. 

Instead of viewing upper management as critics, think of them as clients. What do they need to believe in this turnaround? What information do they need to trust your leadership? Start by building a high-level outline. Avoid over-engineering the details in the early stages. Focus on where you want to go, then reverse-engineer the steps to get there.

Every turnaround starts from a rear position. That means your first job is to stop the downward momentum. Before you can scale revenue, you need to stabilize it. That requires a clear definition of success, agreed upon by everyone involved. 

  • Are you trying to double revenue in 12 months? 
  • Or just return to last year’s baseline? 
  • Is that goal realistic given your market, team, and resources? 

If not, revise it. A stretch goal is fine. A fantasy is not.

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Two Tall Guys Talking Sales – Why Consistent Sales Strategies Win: Forecasting, Messaging, and Revenue Management – Episode 151

Two Tall Guys Talking Sales – Why Consistent Sales Strategies Win: Forecasting, Messaging, and Revenue Management – Episode 151

By Sean O'Shaughnessey

In this episode of Two Tall Guys Talking Sales, hosts Kevin Lawson and Sean O’Shaughnessey delve into the crucial role of deal qualification in driving sales success. From simple frameworks like BANT to advanced methodologies such as MEDDIC and MEDDPICCC, Kevin and Sean explain how consistent sales processes, value selling, and business acumen can sharpen forecasting, strengthen messaging, and ultimately accelerate revenue generation. Whether you’re managing a sales team or selling solo, this discussion will help you refine your sales strategies and improve your revenue management outcomes.

Key Topics Discussed

  • The cooking analogy for sales qualification – how preparing a meal mirrors building consistent sales processes 
  • Why full qualification matters – reducing forecast slippage, aligning solutions to customer needs, and driving predictable revenue generation.
  • BANT explained – Budget, Authority, Need, and Timeline as a simple framework for qualifying deals 
  • Beyond BANT – an overview of advanced methodologies such as SPIN, SPICED, and NEAT for value selling in complex deals 
  • Deep dive into MEDDIC and MEDDPICCC – why metrics, the economic buyer, and champions are essential for enterprise-level sales success 
  • The importance of sales management consistency – ensuring every salesperson in an organization qualifies deals with the same discipline 

Key Quotes

  • Kevin Lawson : “When you close things better, when you have more deal intelligence or customer intelligence or relationship intelligence gained through a qualifying methodology, you end up being better able to serve a customer.”
  • Sean O’Shaughnessey : “If you have five salespeople trying to qualify deals, you want them to qualify them the same way—consistency matters because it creates repeatable sales success.”
  • Sean O’Shaughnessey : “Every deal needs a champion. If you can get a champion to sell for you when you’re not there, you are far more likely to win.”

Additional Resources

  • HubSpot Blog: A Guide to Sales Qualification Frameworkshttps://blog.hubspot.com/sales/6-popular-sales-methodologies-summarized
  • The Qualified Sales Leader by John McMahon is an essential read on MEDDIC from one of the most successful sales leaders in software history. https://a.co/d/76089W7
  • Join the B2B Sales Lab for 90 days free and access practical community discussions on sales strategies, revenue management, and messaging. https://b2b-sales-lab.com

A Significant Actionable Item from this Podcast

Select and consistently implement one sales qualification framework across all your deals.
Whether you adopt BANT for simplicity or MEDDPICCC for enterprise-level selling, consistency in qualification builds stronger forecasts, improves customer alignment, and accelerates revenue generation. Decide on one methodology, train your team, and hold yourself accountable to using it every time.

Why You Should Listen

This episode is packed with practical insights for salespeople, managers, and business leaders committed to improving revenue management and sales success. Kevin and Sean take you from everyday analogies to advanced enterprise strategies, showing why consistent qualification is the backbone of predictable growth. If you want sharper sales processes, better forecasting, and stronger messaging that supports value selling, you won’t want to miss this conversation. Download now and start applying these proven sales strategies to your own pipeline.

Two Tall Guys Talking Sales – Managing the Maverick: How to Lead Top Sales Performers Without Breaking Team Culture – Episode 146

Two Tall Guys Talking Sales – Managing the Maverick: How to Lead Top Sales Performers Without Breaking Team Culture – Episode 146

By Sean O'Shaughnessey

When a top-performing salesperson refuses to follow the rules, tensions flare, and your culture might suffer. In this episode of Two Tall Guys Talking Sales, hosts Kevin Lawson and Sean O’Shaughnessey tackle a question straight from their B2B Sales Lab community: What do you do with a sales rockstar who drives the rest of the team nuts? If you’ve ever struggled with managing high-output, low-alignment team members, this conversation is packed with valuable insights, practical strategies, and real-world advice to help you strike a balance between performance and healthy team dynamics. Tune in for battle-tested tips on sales management, building a high-integrity sales culture, and protecting your company’s long-term revenue generation strategy.

Key Topics Discussed

  • Establishing Clear Norms in Sales Teams – Why your “top dog” needs to play by the same rules as everyone else, and how undefined expectations damage sales processes (Approx. 02:00)
  • The Power of Documented Standards and Culture Alignment – How lack of structure in small businesses creates room for chaos—and what to do about it (Approx. 03:30)
  • Tactical Solutions for Managing Lone Wolves – Real examples of how to realign high performers through mentorship and responsibility (Approx. 09:00)
  • Creating a Unified Sales Culture Without Crushing Performance – Why culture eats strategy for breakfast, especially in sales teams (Approx. 04:30)
  • Using Silence, Expectations, and Consistency to Set Boundaries – Kevin shares how saying “no” and standing firm protects team cohesion and customer relationships (Approx. 12:00)

Key Quotes

  • “Culture is probably the most important thing you possibly can have—and it starts with setting clear expectations.”
    — Sean O’Shaughnessey (Approx. 06:05)
  • “Sales culture will eat strategy for breakfast. Culture always wins in the long run.”
    — Kevin Lawson (Approx. 04:39)
  • “Sometimes you have to accept a little current pain to create future gain for your entire organization.”
    — Kevin Lawson (Approx. 13:00)
  • “If you’re the person who colors outside the lines and won’t adjust… maybe you just don’t belong here.”
    — Sean O’Shaughnessey (Approx. 08:30)

Additional Resources

  • Learn more about the B2B Sales Lab community: https://b2b-sales-lab.com

A Significant Actionable Item from this Podcast

Assign a High-Performer as a Mentor to Drive Culture Alignment
If you’re dealing with a rule-breaking top performer, try this: assign them as a mentor to a junior rep. This strategic move puts them in a leadership position where they must model the very behavior they’ve been resisting, updating the CRM, following your sales strategies, and representing your company messaging. This peer responsibility often encourages cultural realignment without confrontation.


Why You Should Listen to This Episode

This episode is a must-listen for sales managers, business owners, and team leaders wrestling with the dilemma of performance vs. process. Sean and Kevin don’t just talk theory—they give real, implementable strategies that can help you protect your sales culture, enforce consistent sales management practices, and drive long-term revenue success. If you’re aiming for scalable growth without sacrificing team cohesion, this episode delivers practical wisdom and a few gut-check moments. Hit play and discover how to bring even the most independent salespeople back into the fold—without losing their fire.

The Three Pillars of Sales Success: Ideal Client Profiles, Effective Messaging, and Aspirational Offers

The Three Pillars of Sales Success: Ideal Client Profiles, Effective Messaging, and Aspirational Offers

By Sean O'Shaughnessey

Let’s start this article with a rhetorical question to the sales professionals, sales managers, or CEOs: Have you ever found yourself guilty of sending messages to prospects without fully considering their specific needs or how your offer aligns with them?

If so, you’re not alone—this is a common pitfall in sales. The good news is, it’s entirely fixable by developing a straightforward, strategic approach.

An effective sales strategy hinges on three core components: defining your ideal client profile (ICP), crafting a resonant message, and presenting a compelling offer. These elements are interconnected. Mastering their alignment will significantly enhance your sales effectiveness.

Ideal Client Profile

Let’s start with the ideal client profile. How well do you know the companies you’re targeting? Identifying your ideal customer is foundational to your entire sales approach. It’s not enough to say that your market is “small businesses” or “tech companies.” Instead, think about your best clients—the ones you genuinely enjoy working with, who value your product, and who generate profitable, sustainable business. Think about companies that rarely devalue your product or service by asking for a discount. What do these clients have in common?

Now that you have your favorite customers from above, reflect on your top five or ten accounts. Are they in the same industry? Do they share similar challenges or company structures? Perhaps they all have common goals that your product consistently solves. Pinpoint these commonalities. This process will help you create a precise and actionable ideal client profile.

But don’t stop at company-level characteristics. Remember, even in B2B sales, you’re ultimately selling to individuals. Identify the specific roles or buyers within these organizations that are responsible for making buying decisions. Who are these decision-makers? What motivates them personally and professionally? Do they all have the same kind of college education? Do they all have similar career paths? Understanding the people behind the logo makes your outreach more personal, targeted, and effective.

What is your message?

Once you’ve developed a clear picture of your ideal client and the people within those companies, the next step is crafting a message that reflects your value-selling message. This message is how you communicate your value proposition—it’s the bridge between your product and your prospect’s needs. Too often, sales messaging falls flat because it focuses heavily on the seller rather than the buyer. Statements that emphasize “we,” “I,” or “our product” rarely resonate deeply. Instead, effective messaging highlights the customer’s perspective, clearly communicating the benefits they will experience.

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Stop Guessing, Start Growing: How Strategic Sales Assessments Drive Real Revenue

Stop Guessing, Start Growing: How Strategic Sales Assessments Drive Real Revenue

By Sean O'Shaughnessey

You’ll eventually hit a wall if you’re running a sales organization—or wearing multiple hats as founder, CEO, and sales manager. That wall is often invisible until growth stalls, key deals slip through the cracks, or your top salesperson burns out. So, what’s the next move? It’s not more hustle. It’s assessment.

A sales assessment isn’t about checking boxes. It’s about understanding where you are, how you operate, and what’s holding you back. Too many small business leaders assume they’re doing fine because revenue is growing or the team is hitting their quotas. But are you growing at the rate your market allows? Are your sales activities aligned with your long-term goals? Are you building a repeatable system, or are you just getting lucky?

Let’s get tactical. A sales plan isn’t just a revenue target. It’s your go-to-market strategy. It defines your audience, your message, and your motion. It answers why you’re talking to those prospects and what value you’re bringing to them. Without a plan, you’re reacting instead of executing. You’re chasing leads instead of building a pipeline.

If you’re a small company—perhaps under $30 million in revenue—and selling into a national market, chances are your market potential is hundreds of millions, maybe billions. That means your market share is a rounding error, which means there’s room to grow. The question is: Are you operating in a way that allows you to capture that growth?

Even if you’re running lean, you should benchmark your performance against top-tier organizations. Not because you’re competing with them directly, but because they set the standard. What are they doing that you’re not? Where are they more efficient? How do they structure their teams? You’re leaving money on the table if you’re not asking those questions.

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Two Tall Guys Talking Sales – Tom Gottlieb of Berkshire Hathaway Explains How Buyers Want Growth- How Sales Leaders Can Increase Company Worth – E131

Two Tall Guys Talking Sales – Tom Gottlieb of Berkshire Hathaway Explains How Buyers Want Growth- How Sales Leaders Can Increase Company Worth – E131

By Sean O'Shaughnessey

In this insightful episode of Two Tall Guys Talking Sales, hosts Kevin Lawson and Sean O’Shaughnessey welcome business intermediary Tom Gottlieb of Berkshire Hathaway. Tom brings decades of experience in buying, selling, and valuing businesses across the Midwest. The conversation dives deep into what truly drives the value of a company—and how sales leaders and business owners alike can prepare their organizations for a future transition. Whether you’re a business owner considering a sale or a sales executive interested in how sales performance impacts company valuation, this episode delivers invaluable guidance. It’s part education, part strategy session, and all high-value insight.

Key Topics Discussed

  • The Three Core Approaches to Business Valuation – Asset, income, and comparative market methods explained simply and practically. (04:22)
  • Preparing a Business for Sale: Lessons from Real Estate – Why “curb appeal” matters for companies and how to improve it over time. (07:36)
  • What Buyers Want: Sales Growth, Consistency, and Processes – How prospective buyers assess the health of a business beyond profit margins. (09:00)
  • The Hidden Red Flag: When the Owner Is the Only Salesperson – Risks for buyers and strategies for mitigating dependency on the founder. (13:31)
  • Leveraging AI to Gain Competitive Market Intelligence – How technology is transforming buyer and seller knowledge in M&A. (11:32)

Key Quotes

Tom Gottlieb: “Every buyer wants the same thing: a business that works without the owner. That means strong processes, steady sales growth, and predictable profitability.” (09:01)
Sean O’Shaughnessey: “So if you don’t want to stick around after the sale, then train your sales team now—and watch the value of your company go up.” (14:16)
Kevin Lawson: “Tom, every time we talk, I walk away with something new. This episode is no exception.” (11:31)
Tom Gottlieb: “Buyers rarely show up with a bag of cash. There’s a timeline. A deal doesn’t close in a weekend—it’s often a year-long journey.” (07:00)

Additional Resources

A Significant Actionable Item from this Podcast

Start documenting your sales process today.
If you are a business owner—or advise one—and the majority of revenue hinges on a single salesperson (often the owner themselves), that’s a red flag for any future buyer. Begin formalizing your sales process, distribute responsibilities among team members, and track sales metrics consistently. This improves operational resilience and significantly enhances company value in a potential sale.

Why You Should Listen to This Episode

Selling a business isn’t just about profit, perception, process, and preparedness. In this episode, Kevin and Sean extract wisdom from Tom Gottlieb that applies to any B2B organization considering an exit in the next 3 to 10 years. It’s packed with strategic takeaways, sales insights, and behind-the-scenes truths about what makes a business attractive to buyers. Whether you’re a founder, an investor, or a sales leader, this episode will reshape how you think about long-term value creation. Tune in and learn how to make your business sell-ready—starting now.

To understand if your company is doing a great job in sales, take this quick and easy assessment: https://newsales.expert/b2b-sales-capability-assessment/