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What An MBA Didn’t Teach You About Sales

The sales profession is challenging. You need to work hard at it to succeed. You need to learn from the best. You need to improve your skills continuously. If you think you can sell since you are a hit at parties and have a lot of friends, you may soon find that you are a failure as a salesperson. Blunt truth:

because the sales profession is so hard, you have to focus on doing everything in sales very well, or you will be considered a failure.

I call this blog, Skinned Knees because I try to relate all of the learning that I have done over the past 4+ decades (while skinning my knees in the learning process).

I hope that you learn from my mistakes so that your business will grow!

Sales Management in the Age of AI: Aligning Marketing, Messaging & Revenue Generation

When it comes to modern B2B revenue generation, the conversation is shifting: it’s no longer just about cycle time or activity metrics, it’s about intent, predictive insights, and sharpening your approach to lead engagement. In this post, we unpack how artificial intelligence (AI) can reinforce your sales management discipline, refine your sales processes, and elevate your team’s business acumen.

Many sales organizations still rely on traditional lead-scoring models: “five points for a white-paper download, ten points for visiting the pricing page.” These rules-based frameworks sit at the heart of countless debates over marketing-qualified lead (MQL) vs. sales-qualified lead (SQL). Yet research shows that such arbitrary scoring systems often perform little better than chance.

By contrast, predictive lead scoring powered by AI changes the game: algorithms ingest data from your CRM, marketing automation, website activity, firmographics and behavior patterns. They then compute each lead’s statistical probability of converting, turning your outreach efforts from scatter-shot to precision-targeted.

In value selling, the objective is to engage high-potential buyers with meaningful differentiation—messaging that resonates with their specific business challenges. When your team is handed leads that reflect a 90 %+ probability of conversion, the conversation changes: it becomes strategic, not just transactional. Your reps spend less time chasing noise and more time facilitating high-impact dialogues.

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From Leads to Clients: How Aligning Sales and Marketing Fuels Sustainable Growth

There’s a common sentiment among sales teams this time of year: a sense of urgency. The calendar flips, Q4 starts, and suddenly it feels like you’re already behind. Sound familiar? That mid-Q4 pressure is real. But before you sprint into outreach and activity, step back and assess what’s actually fueling your pipeline? More importantly, is it aligned with long-term growth?

Sales leaders and CEOs often default to lead generation as the focal point. It’s understandable. More leads, more conversations, more deals, right? But that mindset skips a critical first step. You can’t scale what isn’t aligned. If your marketing message doesn’t match your sales conversations, you’re wasting time and budget. If your sales team is chasing poorly qualified leads, you’re burning cycles. And if your customers can’t articulate why they bought from you, you’ve got a positioning problem.

The foundation starts with clarity. What value do you truly deliver? Why do customers choose you over alternatives? If you can’t answer that in a clear, 50-word statement, your team is likely improvising in the field, and that’s costing you revenue. This is where sales and marketing alignment becomes more than just a buzzword. It’s operationally necessary.

Sales enablement isn’t only about tools and training. It’s about empowering sales with the right message at the right time. That starts with defining three core customer states:

  1. leads,
  2. prospects,
  3. clients.

Each phase requires different messaging, timing, and expectations. Most organizations blur those lines. That’s where inefficiency creeps in.

Leads sit at the top of the funnel. They are either unaware or only lightly aware of your offering. At this stage, marketing owns the responsibility. However, marketing without sales feedback is akin to shooting in the dark. Sales needs to inform marketing what makes a lead qualified.

  • What signals intent?
  • What common objections surface early?

Without that feedback loop, marketing tends to optimize for volume rather than quality.

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Differentiating Through Value: Mastering the Art of Consumable Sales

Navigating the competitive landscape of consumable sales calls for a thoughtful and kind-hearted approach. Salespeople, sales managers, and CEOs of small companies should remember that their role is about more than just making transactions. In a market where products often seem very alike in quality and price, what truly sets you apart is your ability to consistently show value. So, how can you create lasting relationships with your customers, even when many options are available?

Consider the analogy of fast-food giants like Burger King and McDonald’s. Both offer similar products, yet they each have a dedicated customer base. The key lies in creating a unique selling proposition that resonates with your target audience. 

As a salesperson, your goal is to become indispensable to your customers. This means transforming from a mere vendor to a trusted advisor who is deeply integrated into the customer’s business operations.

Become Part of Their Team

A critical part of this integration is understanding what a “gatherer” is. A gatherer is more than just an account manager. They build a close, almost inseparable bond with the customer. They become a trusted part of the customer’s team, often turning to them for advice and solving problems together. Building this kind of trust requires a genuine understanding of the customer’s business, enabling you to offer insights and solutions that extend beyond the products you provide.

In the realm of consumable sales, where products are used and replaced regularly, the salesperson’s value lies in their ability to maintain and continually grow the relationship. This involves not just selling a product but also selling yourself and your company. Your expertise, reliability, and ability to anticipate and solve problems become the key differentiators. When customers face challenges, they should instinctively think of you as the go-to person for solutions, regardless of minor price differences or delivery times.

To attain this trusted advisor status, you must focus on three core elements: 

  1. the product, 
  2. the company, 
  3. yourself. 

While the product and the company are essential, the most significant value often comes from you as the salesperson. Your ability to understand the prospect’s needs, guide their purchasing decisions, and challenge them to think differently about their business can set you apart from the competition.

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Stop Researching, Start Connecting: An AI-Powered System for Warm Introductions

Most sales teams begin the week by opening a dozen browser tabs and grinding through scattered research, LinkedIn, Google News, company websites, and databases. Hours later, they emerge with a few generic talking points and a cold list that still feels cold. The deeper issue isn’t inefficiency; it’s invisibility. Warm introductions already exist across your company’s network, in email histories, calendars, and executives’ LinkedIn connections, but you can’t see them on Monday morning.

The Relationship-First approach changes that default. Before a single cold call or email, you perform a deliberate “Warm Path Check.” You ask, “Who do we know who knows them?” This question transforms prospecting from random outreach into a repeatable, data-driven process that prioritizes relationships. When you start as a referred conversation rather than an interruption, skepticism drops, credibility rises, and the sales cycle compresses dramatically.

The Hidden Network You’re Not Using

Every organization has an untapped network, a web of past colleagues, vendors, and clients who could open doors to your dream accounts. The problem is that this network is hidden in plain sight. It lives in the collective memory of your company’s communication patterns, but there’s no easy way to access it manually. That’s where KnowledgeNet comes in.

KnowledgeNet serves as your organization’s “relationship intelligence” layer. It analyzes communication data (emails, meetings, messages) to reveal who knows whom, and how strong those connections really are. Instead of guessing, you can instantly see that a colleague in engineering once worked closely with the CFO of a target account. That’s a warm path waiting to be used.

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Mastering Sales Channels: How to Align Your Strategy for Maximum Impact

Understanding the dynamics of sales channels can transform how businesses approach their markets. Many sales professionals, whether they are salespeople, managers, or CEOs, often miss a critical distinction: the difference between the product they are selling and the value it provides. 

This gap in understanding can lead to suboptimal sales performance, particularly in environments where products are sold through intermediaries, such as distributors, referral partners, or dealer networks. The challenge is not just about knowing your product, but also about understanding how to position it in a way that resonates with every player in the sales chain.

Sales success starts with recognizing who your true customer is. In sales management or channel sales, the end customer is often not the person you interact with directly. Instead, your “customer” might be the intermediary, your distributor, reseller, or even your own sales team. These intermediaries are the ones who ultimately connect your product to its final user. If you don’t understand their challenges, motivations, and context, you risk failing to equip them with the necessary tools to succeed. Are you selling a product’s features, or are you helping them understand how to sell it effectively? This distinction is vital.

When selling through intermediaries, the emphasis should shift from “what the product does” to “how the product can be sold.” Your distributors or referral partners don’t need every technical detail of your product. They need clarity on how it solves problems for their customers, how it fits into their existing offerings, and how they can position it to drive sales. 

The goal is not to overwhelm your partners with information but to provide actionable insights that align with their specific needs. If you’re focusing solely on product features, you’re likely missing the mark.

Salespeople and sales managers must also recognize the game they are playing. Are you selling a commodity, a widely available product, or an exclusive offering? Each scenario demands a different strategy. 

Commodities often compete on price, necessitating bulk sales or value-added services to differentiate themselves. Widely available products often rely on relationships, service quality, or unique add-ons to differentiate themselves. Exclusive products, on the other hand, can often avoid price wars by emphasizing their uniqueness and superior quality. Knowing which game you’re in allows you to tailor your approach and avoid misaligned strategies.

For small businesses and solopreneurs, the challenge lies in effectively managing referral partners. Referral partnerships are a powerful way to generate leads, but they require careful management and oversight. 

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

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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B2B Sales in the Age of AI: Why Top Salespeople Will Thrive While the Repetitive Roles Disappear

The buzz surrounding artificial intelligence has left many professionals wondering about the future of their careers. For B2B sales professionals, the rise of AI presents a fundamental question: Will AI replace salespeople?

The short answer is no, but it will replace some of their work. More accurately, AI will redefine the B2B sales landscape by eliminating lower-value activities, consolidating support roles, and enhancing the capabilities of top performers. In doing so, it will widen the gap between average and great salespeople.

Several years ago, I wrote a similar explanation about the fear that “the internet” would replace salespeople. That didn’t happen. You can find that article on the blog that supports my first sales book. Are salespeople necessary in the Internet age?

This blog post explores how B2B sales is positioned relative to AI disruption, referencing key insights from Benjamin Todd’s article, “How Not to Lose Your Job to AI” (80,000 Hours, 2025). Todd’s framework on skill types that increase in value in the age of AI helps us understand how high-functioning sales teams should evolve and how sales professionals can future-proof their careers.

Understanding AI’s True Impact: Augmentation, Not Replacement

A common misconception about AI is that it simply replaces humans. This isn’t true. AI devalues tasks it can perform while increasing the importance of the skills it cannot. Todd explains this dynamic through examples like the ATM: while the ATM reduced the need for transactional teller tasks, it actually increased demand for bank branch workers by allowing banks to open more branches. AI follows a similar pattern.

In B2B sales, AI will handle the most automatable tasks, such as data entry, follow-ups, list-building, and basic prospecting emails. However, this doesn’t eliminate the sales role; it sharpens its focus.

Instead of dialing hundreds of prospects daily, sales professionals will focus more on strategic engagement, account planning, and using AI-generated insights to elevate conversations. The result? Sales has become a more thoughtful, human, and strategic discipline for those who can keep up.

Four Categories of Skills That AI Will Make More Valuable

In Todd’s excellent article, he identifies four skill types that increase in value in an AI-enhanced workplace:

  1. Hard-to-automate skills
  2. Deployment-related skills
  3. Scarce, high-utility skills
  4. Skills hard for others to learn or replicate

Each of these aligns tightly with the demands of modern B2B sales.

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Two Tall Guys Talking Sales – The Four Buckets of Sales Growth with Steve Wittal

In this dynamic episode of Two Tall Guys Talking Sales, hosts Kevin Lawson and Sean O’Shaughnessey welcome Canadian SalesXceleration expert Steve Wittal for an in-depth look into the foundations of effective sales strategies. Steve brings decades of experience in startup advisory, sales management, and business growth, sharing a robust framework that simplifies complex growth challenges into four digestible buckets: desirability, clarity, predictability, and deliverability. If you’re a business leader looking to strengthen your sales processes,… Two Tall Guys Talking Sales – The Four Buckets of Sales Growth with Steve Wittal

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

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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