Brewing Success with Ben Henson: Reimagining the Buying Journey with AI

Can AI make B2B buying more human? Ben Henson, Co-Founder and CRO of Peel AI, thinks so. On this episode of Pipeline Brew, he shares how his team is using AI to flip outdated sales motions on their head and create genuinely helpful, buyer-first experiences.

Matt and Ben talk about what’s broken in the traditional buying journey, and where sales and marketing teams can look to fix it. Drawing from decades of experience leading revenue teams, Ben sheds light on the rise of offline buying behavior, the limits of content formats such as PDFs and white papers, and why the phrase “nobody wants to be sold to” has never rang more true.

You’ll hear why Ben believes that Voice Experience (VX) is the next step in leveraging AI to create real connection throughout a buyer’s journey alongside the lessons he’s learning as a founder operating in today’s rapidly changing climate. If you’re under pressure to do more with less or rethinking how your team actually helps buyers buy, this conversation is packed with smart, tactical insights you can apply today.

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Guest Bio

Ben Henson is a seasoned B2B revenue leader and entrepreneur, having co-founded Peel AI in 2024. Serving as CRO, Ben is helping to redefine how buyers engage with brands by bringing AI-driven conversational experiences to static content and sales motions.

Prior to Peel, Ben spent over two decades leading sales, marketing, and GTM strategies to drive growth in B2B. Throughout his career, he has focused on creating more effective ways to connect and communicate, blending practical GTM experience with consistent innovation.

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Guest Quotes

“Nobody wants to be sold to. I think that in our consumer lives, I think that in our professional lives, I think if you feel like you're being sold to, your antennae pick up and you're like, wait a second, what's happening? Conversely, everybody wants help buying. So if they know that they want to do the thing, then it's like, okay, well let's figure this thing out.”

“If you don't know the answer to a question, ask your customer. You want to adjust your pricing? Ask your customer. You want to add a new product? Ask your customer. The basics, the fundamentals, still come into play here in a very meaningful way.”

“Go try [AI]. Go get better at it. Have fun with it. Don't get rigid. We're in a brave new world, and marketers have the flexibility and the ability to try new things and figure out how we can communicate well to somebody else. How can we give them good customers, and this is the place that you really get to play, that you really get to stretch your legs.”

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Time Stamps

00:00 Episode start

01:25 Icebreaker

04:05 Ben’s background

06:20 What inspired Peel

10:00 Enabling buyers at the moment of curiosity

13:35 Asynchronous research and content clarity

16:20 Rethinking content hubs and deal rooms

19:45 Building a GTM engine with limited budget

23:50 The power of real thought leadership

25:15 UX to CX to VX

28:45 AI, voice, and the rise of interactive selling

33:00 What success looks like at Peel

34:45 What’s on Tap for Ben Henson

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Links

• Connect with Ben Henson on LinkedIn
• Check out Peel
• Connect with Matt Hummel on LinkedIn
• Check out Pipeline360