AI fluency in B2B Sales
I read earlier a post on LinkedIn about a Sales VP who won't hire AE's if they aren't AI-capable.
But isn't that just a "Duh" question at this point? If you are selling tech solutions with some complexity, it makes sense to leverage everything you can.
I'm seeing this thing where common table-stakes sales skills are now considered "extra".
The other issue I see is some teams are hamstrung by what the company will allow. Like some can only use CoPilot, which is the worst. And the guidance they get is asking it to write emails 🙄 ... so it is a self-inflicted wound of disabling them from being power-users.
But this whole idea of being "extra" is really what has always been the truth. Really strong reps always leverage everything they can to increase influence/knowledge/insight into accounts.
The thing of making it new is just branding.
Gartner uses terms like:
* Adversity Quotient (AQ): Resilience and Adaptability
* High-Level "Executive Presence"
* "Sense Making" and Decision Facilitation
* Technical and Tactical Proficiency
* Adaptability: Thriving in a changing environment
But this is really:
* Know the stuff you are selling so you can talk about it like a peer
* Know how to read the room and adapt in real-time so prospects don't check out
* Do your homework on the account/team/etc.
* Don't say stupid things in the meeting
Are any of you restricted in what AI you can use with your meeting prep?