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 – Breaking the Silos: Aligning Sales and Marketing for Real Revenue Growth – Episode 147

Two Tall Guys Talking Sales – Breaking the Silos: Aligning Sales and Marketing for Real Revenue Growth – Episode 147

By Sean O'Shaughnessey

In this episode of Two Tall Guys Talking Sales, Kevin Lawson and Sean O’Shaughnessey dive deep into one of the most misunderstood dynamics in business: the relationship between sales and marketing. Pulled directly from a thought-provoking question inside the B2B Sales Lab community, this conversation explores how sales teams can contribute meaningfully to marketing efforts and why that collaboration drives better revenue generation. Whether you lead a sales team, run marketing campaigns, or wear both hats in a small business, this episode gives you practical strategies to align your teams, sharpen your messaging, and enhance sales success.

Key Topics Discussed

  • The Role of Sales in Marketing & Content Development (00:00)
    How sales leaders can become strategic contributors to content and campaign direction.
  • Being the Voice of the Customer Across the Business (00:02)
    Why sales must act as a conduit of market intelligence, not just for marketing but across production, delivery, and operations.
  • Sales Behavior That Builds or Breaks Internal Trust (00:04)
    The importance of accountability and humility when offering feedback to other departments.
  • Making Marketing a Regular Part of Sales Meetings (00:08)
    A tactical breakdown of how to engage marketing in the sales rhythm without derailing productivity.
  • Field Collaboration: Invite Your Internal Teams to Ride Along (00:10)
    Why taking engineers or operations managers on customer calls creates stronger cross-functional empathy and better customer experiences.
  • Marketing Assets: Create Them, Use Them, Give Feedback (00:12)
    How to close the feedback loop on content effectiveness and ensure sales uses what marketing builds.

Key Quotes

  • “Sales is accountable for driving the revenue, but sales is also accountable for working with marketing to get to a market-facing message that addresses current needs.”
    — Kevin Lawson (00:00)
  • “Your job in sales is to be the best-run department in the company. If you’re not, your opinion probably doesn’t matter.”
    — Sean O’Shaughnessey (00:08)
  • “Please, oh please, use the tools your marketing team creates for you. If you don’t, that’s on you.”
    — Kevin Lawson (00:12)
  • “There’s no better way to get internal teams aligned with customers than to take them on sales calls. Let them breathe your air and eat at Burger King between meetings.”
    — Sean O’Shaughnessey (00:11)

Additional Resources

  • B2B Sales Lab Community: A peer group for sales professionals focused on sharpening sales processes, messaging, and revenue management. www.b2b-sales-lab.com

A Significant Actionable Item from this Podcast

Hold a joint sales-marketing meeting each quarter.

Schedule a dedicated 30-minute session within your sales team’s recurring meeting where your marketing counterpart joins to review current messaging, upcoming campaigns, and voice-of-the-customer insights. Let marketing ask questions, present new content, and gather sales feedback. Use this as a structured loop to align both teams on business acumen, sales strategies, and revenue goals.

Why You Should Listen Now

If you’ve ever wondered why your sales messaging isn’t landing or why marketing feels “out of touch,” this episode is for you. Kevin and Sean pull back the curtain on how high-performing sales organizations dissolve silos, share real-time customer feedback, and co-create assets that drive revenue. Whether you’re a VP of Sales, a marketing leader, or a business owner trying to scale effectively, you’ll walk away with ideas you can implement this week to align your teams for better revenue generation and sales success. Tune in now and start building the team your customers deserve.

Two Tall Guys Talking Sales – Empowering Non-Sales Employees to Boost Customer Value – E109

Two Tall Guys Talking Sales – Empowering Non-Sales Employees to Boost Customer Value – E109

By Sean O'Shaughnessey

In this episode, hosts Kevin Lawson and Sean O’Shaughnessey, take listeners on a journey to understand the power of non-sales roles in supporting a sales-centric culture. Expanding on prior discussions about sales planning and execution, they explore how professionals outside the sales department—think programmers, customer service reps, delivery drivers, and even truckers—can play a pivotal role in enhancing client satisfaction and identifying new opportunities. Kevin and Sean dive into practical steps sales leaders can take to foster a collaborative environment where everyone contributes to sales success, making this an unmissable episode for business leaders, sales professionals, and anyone looking to understand the value of cross-functional synergy in achieving enterprise growth.

Key Topics Discussed

  • The Sales Quadrant Framework [00:01:00]: Kevin and Sean introduce a framework for effective sales planning, dividing it into four quadrants: Strategy, Process, People, and KPIs. This framework guides leaders on fostering a holistic sales ecosystem.
  • Sales for Non-Salespeople: Defining the Role [00:01:40]: The hosts discuss how non-sales team members, from programmers to quality agents, can pass along valuable customer insights without selling directly. It’s about listening and relaying information to sales, not cold calls or quotas.
  • Leveraging Customer Interactions for Insight [00:03:14]: Sean shares a vivid example from his software background, where consultants gathering customer feedback created substantial upsell opportunities. He emphasizes the value of customer-facing team members in providing sales with a view from the trenches.
  • Building Relationships Across Teams [00:07:00]: Kevin discusses strategies to align cross-functional team goals with sales objectives, creating a supportive network that encourages the entire team to spot potential sales opportunities.
  • The Importance of Gratitude and Recognition [00:12:07]: Sean underscores the value of acknowledging and thanking team members who help sales, reinforcing their role in supporting company-wide goals and deepening relationships across departments.

Key Quotes

  • Kevin Lawson: “We’re not asking non-salespeople to sell, but we are asking them to raise their hand when they see something we might need to know about to help our customers better.” [00:01:59]
  • Sean O’Shaughnessey: “In every company, people need help achieving their goals. And often, the folks who see where we can help the most aren’t in the sales department—they’re on the front lines, interacting with customers daily.” [00:04:11]
  • Kevin Lawson: “Be a better person in business. Support your teammates, your vendors, and your community, and that support will circle back, lifting everyone’s success.” [00:14:04]
  • Sean O’Shaughnessey: “A simple ‘thank you’ can be the most valuable recognition, and it builds bridges with your team. Make it a habit.” [00:12:46]

A Significant Actionable Item from this Podcast

Empower Non-Sales Team Members to Listen for Opportunities
Sales leaders should hold short training sessions or casual discussions with non-sales staff, educating them on key signals that may indicate an opportunity. Encourage these team members to feel comfortable sharing insights with sales and clarify that they won’t be pressured to sell—just to observe and communicate.

Summary: This Two Tall Guys Talking Sales episode delivers essential insights for any sales-driven organization. Kevin and Sean emphasize the untapped potential within non-sales teams, showing how they can indirectly yet powerfully support sales efforts by sharing customer feedback and needs. With practical strategies for fostering collaboration and recognizing the contributions of non-sales staff, this episode is a must-listen for sales leaders looking to unlock every possible avenue of client satisfaction and revenue growth. Tune in and discover how even a small tweak in team communication can significantly impact your bottom line.