Common AI Pitfalls in Sales and How to Overcome Them, Ep #490
Release Date: 01/21/2026
How to Win at Prospecting, Ep #519
Sales Reinvented
Sales prospecting and lead generation are the lifeblood of any thriving sales career—but they’re also some of the most misunderstood and mismanaged aspects of the job. Carole Mahoney, Darryl Praill, and Tim Hughes share insights that challenge traditional mindsets and equip listeners to approach prospecting with precision, empathy, and creativity. We explore the necessity of ongoing learning, time-blocking for prospecting, and seeking support from peers. My experts also discuss the risks of overvaluing a single champion in the sales cycle and the power of humanized content to...
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Building Connections that Convert, Ep #518
Sales Reinvented
We’re digging deep into the essentials of prospecting and lead generation with guests Brynne Tillman, Jeff Bajorek, and Caryn Kopp this week. They share their top actionable do's and don'ts, revealing prospecting strategies that they have found to work. You’ll hear real-world success stories—from making warm connections on LinkedIn to the power of consistent, quality touchpoints and the importance of solving your client’s real challenges, not just following the standard playbook. Outline of This Episode [05:53] Challenges of prospecting and leads [07:09] Taking...
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Unlocking the Science of Prospecting, Ep #517
Sales Reinvented
This episode of Sales Reinvented dives deep into the essential do’s and don’ts of prospecting and lead generation with advice from three industry trailblazers. I host Bill McCormick, Mary Grothe, and Tony Hughes to help you transform cold outreach into meaningful connections and qualified leads. You'll hear their top do's and don'ts for successful lead generation, compelling real-world sales stories, and get their lessons learned from overcoming challenges in the field. Outline of This Episode [01:49] Nurture prospects on LinkedIn by providing value and insight...
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Spinning Sales Gold—Why Stories Sell, Ep #516
Sales Reinvented
Today’s “Best Of” episode brings together top minds in storytelling for sales success. In this episode, you'll hear practical do’s and don’ts from Philip Humm, Doug Keeley, and Patti Pokorchak, who share how to craft stories that engage, connect, and create real value for clients. Whether it’s making your customer the hero, keeping stories concise and relevant, or demonstrating the undeniable power of value-driven storytelling, this episode is packed with actionable insights to elevate your sales conversations and results. Get ready to be inspired by compelling examples and...
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How to Captivate Customers, Ep #515
Sales Reinvented
Storytelling isn’t just a buzzword in the world of sales, it’s a transformative tool that can turn mundane pitches into memorable, persuasive conversations. This week, I bring together industry experts Mark Smyth, Kristie Jones, and Park Howell to share their top storytelling do’s and don’ts for sales professionals. Whether you struggle to keep your stories concise, want to captivate your audience, or wonder how to make your data more compelling, this episode will give you actionable advice and inspiring real-world examples. Outline of This Episode [01:40] Guide the...
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Don’t Just Tell—Engage, Listen, and Share Stories that Stick, Ep #514
Sales Reinvented
Sales isn't just about products, features, or numbers, it's all about forging genuine human connections. The best way to do this is by mastering the craft of storytelling. In this episode, I speak to some phenomenal sales experts, Mike Adams, John Livesay, and Kyle Gray, who share their favorite storytelling do’s and don’ts, and their personal strategies for winning business and building trust. Listen in as they share their wisdom and practical tips to help you refine your own sales storytelling. Outline of This Episode [00:00] Importance of knowing what a story is and isn't...
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Mastering Sales Storytelling, Ep #513
Sales Reinvented
This week, my three expert guests, Mary Jane Copps, Paul Smith, and Roy Furr, cover everything from injecting humor and vulnerability into your stories to crafting narratives that move prospects closer to a sale. They discuss the importance of using stories with purpose: tailoring them to your audience, keeping them concise, and ensuring they support your sales process. They also share their thoughts on the dangers of boastfulness, going off topic, or using stories without a clear connection to your sales goals. Tune in for practical advice, real-world examples, and memorable lessons to help...
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Mastering Referral Selling: Strategies, Stories, and Lessons from the Pros, Ep #512
Sales Reinvented
Referral selling remains a game-changer in modern sales, not just for filling pipelines with high-quality leads, but for building lasting business relationships rooted in trust. My guests, Stacey Brown Randall, Steve Hall, and Dr. Ivan Misner shared their most impactful referral selling strategies, missteps to avoid, and stories that deliver invaluable lessons for any sales professional looking to maximize their impact through referrals. The lessons shared in this episode will help you elevate your referral selling game to new heights. Outline of This Episode [01:04] Identify and revisit...
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How to Build Powerful Referral Networks, Ep #511
Sales Reinvented
Referrals are the lifeblood of high-performing sales organizations, yet many teams overlook their full potential. In this Best Of episode of Sales Reinvented, I bring together three dynamic referral selling experts, Steve Benson, Lori Richardson, and Joanne Black, to share actionable strategies, hard-hitting do’s and don’ts, and memorable stories from their own careers. Outline of This Episode [0:00] When to ask for referrals [00:55] Importance of tracking referrals [02:03] Making the referral process fun and personal [05:48] Creating value leads to natural,...
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Referral Rocket Fuel: Real Stories and Unbeatable Tactics from Top Sales Leaders, Ep #510
Sales Reinvented
In this “best of” episode, I’m sharing some golden nuggets from sales trailblazers, Jamie Crosby, Nick Kane, and Liz Heiman. They share the secrets behind scalable, trust-based referral selling to help you ditch haphazard “who do you know?” asks and start building referral systems that deliver. Today’s show is packed with actionable advice on referral selling—the dos, the don’ts, and lessons learned from real-world sales situations. Outline of This Episode [00:41] Jamie Crosby's top three referral selling do's and don'ts [05:12] Importance of organically building...
info_outlineJulie Holmes is a renowned AI expert, inventor, and tech entrepreneur who’s with me on the show to discuss how AI is reshaping the buyer-seller dynamic. She shares her expertise on how to manage when AI-empowered buyers are more informed (and sometimes misinformed), making the salesperson’s role as both educator and “un-educator” more vital than ever. Julie breaks down how sales pros can leverage AI to boost efficiency and personalize their approach while preserving the irreplaceable human skills of motivation, determination, and empathy.
Julie reveals her “20-60-20” framework for becoming AI empowered, not just an AI user, and gives real-world examples of how blending AI with human expertise creates better outcomes for both buyers and sellers.
If you’re looking to embrace AI while maintaining integrity, humanity, and the consultative spirit of great selling, this episode is for you!
Outline of This Episode
- 00:00 AI's impact on buyer behavior.
- 07:21 AI tools for sales impact.
- 11:53 Collaborating effectively using AI.
- 14:15 AI misconceptions and questions.
- 16:25 Maintaining your sales edge.
- 19:57 Balancing AI and human connection.
- 25:08 Building trust through AI.
AI Can Mirror Sentiment, But It Can’t Mean It
One of the most striking shifts in the sales process is that buyers now arrive more informed, often armed with research and recommendations generated by AI tools. However, with this information comes a greater risk of misconception. Today’s sales professionals must not only educate but also “uneducate” buyers, correcting misinformation before moving forward.
This increases vendors' responsibility to provide clarity and guidance, effectively making the salesperson both a subject-matter expert and a myth-buster. While AI can enrich the initial dialogue, it’s up to humans to ensure accuracy and build genuine trust.
AI-Powered Preparation and Human Skills That Still Matter
AI isn’t just changing buyer behavior, it’s revolutionizing how sellers prepare for conversations. Rather than spending hours collecting information, sales professionals can now use AI for pre-call intelligence, rapidly gathering relevant data on prospects and industries. Julie shares how she uses a chatbot for a six-factor framework, analyzing what’s happening before, after, inside, and outside, and identifying what the prospect needs more or less of. This allows for more meaningful conversations, less time lost to research, and greater focus on strategy.
Human skills remain irreplaceable, particularly when we think about motivation and empathy. Sellers must take the initiative to use AI as a tool, not a crutch, and most importantly, empathy enables salespeople to read emotional nuances, office politics, and subtleties that AI can’t quite capture, proving that the emotional layer of every deal is still fundamentally human.
Leveraging AI Without Losing Yourself
Julie outlines three powerful strategies that sales teams use AI to boost efficiency and effectiveness without sounding robotic or impersonal.
- Pre-Call Intelligence: Harnessing AI to analyze prospects and markets before meetings, so sellers are prepared and focused.
- Proposal Enhancement: Using AI to break through “blank page syndrome” with draft emails or proposals, then tailoring content for tone and context based on transcripts and prior interactions.
- Real-Time Practice: Employing AI to role-play sales conversations, allowing reps to rehearse handling objections and refine messaging before high-stakes calls.
The secret isn’t in delegating authenticity to AI, but rather in using technology to amplify your own understanding, creativity, and responsiveness.
Human Judgment is the Deciding Factor
Even with advanced AI tools, human judgment plays a central role in guiding insights, making strategic decisions, and building relationships. The distinction between being an “AI user” and being “AI empowered” hinges on critical thinking. Empowered sellers don’t outsource decision-making, they use AI to supplement their intuition and discernment, applying context where it matters most.
Her 20/60/20 rule puts it succinctly: spend 20% of your time thoughtfully prompting and guiding AI, let it do 60% of the heavy lifting, then use the final 20% to filter, personalize, and enhance the output.
Sales teams often stumble with three core misconceptions about AI:
- Believing it’s “plug and play” and mistaking quantity of data for quality.
- Worrying that AI will make their work less authentic (when, in fact, bad prompting is the real culprit).
- Fearing the loss of their competitive edge or creativity.
The antidote is hands-on AI literacy, combined with ongoing development of relationship-building, communication, and problem-solving skills. Sales leaders should focus on balancing automation with moments of critical human connection to maximize both speed and impact.
AI should be viewed not as a replacement for human expertise, but as an empowerment tool that elevates sales professionals. As Julie says, “Be great at what you do, use AI to support that, become AI empowered, and be a better salesperson who is delivering better service with the use of technology.”
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