Death of the Average Sales Reps: The Future Sales Rep = Ironman/Ironwoman | John Barrows - 1701

What can you expect regarding AI technology and the sales industry? Is it going to replace sales representatives? How can you coach your sales reps with the use of AI?

In this episode of The Sales Evangelist Podcast, host Donald Kelly speaks with John Barrow on the future of AI and the sales industry. Discover how leaders can leverage AI tools within the sales profession.

John Barrows Background

• John Barrow owns the JB sales company, offering sales training to tech companies.
• He started his career when the internet was still in its fancy and saw the changes it made within the sales industry during this time.
• Now, he is seeing the industry change once again due to the development of artificial intelligence tools, such as Chat GPT.
• John knows with the changes made by AI technology, the sales industry will have to evolve with the tools to be successful.

Teaching People to Be Robots

• Learning the sales process is becoming more difficult because leaders teach representatives how to use AI tools rather than the fundamentals. The sales reps have nothing to fall back on and are getting replaced by robots.
• Currently, he is working with AI tools for learning language models. It’s helping him gather a large pool of data and use only the information he approves in the LLM system. The AI tools help cut back research time for him and his team.
• John believes using AI technology will help coach sales reps more effectively. If a person cannot receive coaching from their boss, they can rely on the coaching from an AI tool.

The Problem With Coaching in the Sales Industry

• While listening to a 45-minute sales call with a representative, it can be challenging for a coach to pull out every context of the call during a conversation. AI can transcribe the call and allow a coach to pinpoint a specific point where a sales rep needs improvement.
• Another area for improvement with LLM is teaching the sales reps how to sell a product correctly. Using an AI bot can help coach sales reps to sell products. John provides an example of using Salesforce and coaching sales reps.

Do You Want to Be a Part of the Solution?

• AI is an evolution, like the Industrial Revolution, where companies need to think about how to use humans to operate AI. Learn how to leverage AI tools to stay afloat within the industry.
• Sales reps need to meet the customers where they are in support needs and educate them on how to use products. It will require sales reps to go further than full-cycle sales and know the product well.

What Should Sales Leaders Do Right Now?

• John recommends that sales leaders turn their sales order into a sales lab, identify a component of the sales process, and do a sales hackathon. Listen to the podcast on how a sales leader can do this with the help of AI technology.
• Understand the importance of using AI within the sales industry. It increases employee satisfaction and engagement and reduces tech stack and spending. There will be a rebirth of everything in two to five years, and it could go really good or bad.

John provides insight into using AI technology within the sales industry. Subscribe to the Sales Evangelist podcast and listen to how to use AI tools to help coach your team of sales representatives.

“And I think what happened with Chad GPT and those tools that came out earlier this year is a fundamental shift. We are at Pandora's box right now. And it got opened, and we're not going back.” - John Barrows

Resources

www.jbarrows.com

John Barrows LinkedIn

John Barrows Instagram

JB Make It Happen Mondays Podcast

Sponsorship Offers

• This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.

With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.

• This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.

Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.

• This episode is brought to you in part by Calendly.

Calendly is the leading meeting scheduling software that automates your scheduling, speeds up your sales cycle, and closes more deals. Get started for free or learn more at calendly.com

• This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.

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