Your Prospect Asked AI About You: Win the Sales Call
You have a sales call scheduled. You're excited about the opportunity. But before you've even said hello, your prospect asked AI about you, researched your services, compared your pricing, and started deciding whether you're worth the investment.
And here's the problem: Some of what AI told them might be wrong.
So now what? How do you lead a sales conversation when your potential customer thinks they already know everything about your business?
I've had more than 90,000 sales conversations, and here's what I want you to know: AI is changing how people prepare to buy, but it hasn't changed what makes a great sales conversation.
You still have an opportunity to help someone make a confident decision. You just need to know how to read and lead that conversation.
Your Prospect Asked AI About You. What Happens Next?
Think about how quickly someone can research your business today.
In two or three minutes, a potential customer can ask ChatGPT, Gemini, or another AI tool about your company, your services, your competitors, and what they should expect to pay.
They might even ask AI to generate a list of questions to ask you during your sales call.
That's a lot of information to gather before ever speaking with you!
And here's what makes it challenging. AI is giving them information, but that information may or may not be accurate. Your prospect is starting to form opinions and make decisions based on what they've learned.
You might be tempted to think that because they've done their research, they're ready to buy.
Don't confuse being informed with being ready to make a buying decision.
One of the biggest mistakes I see business owners make is assuming they can skip parts of the sales conversation because a prospect already understands their services.
But if you only know how to sell to people who are ready to buy before they get on the call, you're missing sales.
There's a difference between someone knowing what you offer and understanding whether what you offer is right for them.
Your job is to help them work through that difference.
Someone Who Schedules a Sales Call Is Giving You an Opportunity
Here's the encouraging part.
Your prospect didn't have to schedule that conversation with you.
They could have continued researching, looked at competitors, or decided to do nothing.
But they scheduled a call.
When someone takes the time to research your business and still wants to talk, that's a good indication they have some intention of making a decision.
Now, that doesn't mean they've decided to buy from you.
But it does mean you have an opportunity to help them move forward.
And that's what a great sales conversation is supposed to do.
What to Do When AI Gives Your Prospect Wrong Information
Let's say you're a business owner who offers a high-value professional service.
During a sales call, your prospect says something like:
"I asked AI how much this service should cost, and it told me the average is $500. Why are you charging so much more?"
What do you do?
You could explain why AI is wrong. You could immediately list everything your service includes. You could start defending your prices.
Please don't.
The biggest thing I want you to avoid is getting defensive.
When you get defensive, your potential customer is likely to become defensive, too. Now you're having an argument instead of a conversation.
And that's not going to help either of you make a good decision.
I want you to approach this situation differently.
1. Ask Permission to Discuss What They've Learned
Before you start correcting information or explaining your offer, ask whether you can talk about what they found.
This is something I teach my coaching clients because it changes the tone of the conversation.
You're not trying to prove someone wrong. You're inviting them into a conversation where you can understand their thinking.
And that creates an opportunity for both of you to learn something.
2. Acknowledge That They Did Their Homework
I love when potential customers take their decisions seriously.
They're considering investing their money, time, and resources. They should do some research!
So rather than getting frustrated about what AI told them, acknowledge the effort.
You can thank them for taking the time to understand their options. Let them know you appreciate that they're trying to make a good decision for their business.
That communicates something important.
You're not just interested in making a sale. You're interested in helping them make the right decision.
And that's an important distinction.
3. Clarify What They Believe and Why
Now it's time to ask some questions.
Let's go back to the example of AI telling your prospect that sales coaching should cost $500.
Instead of explaining why your coaching costs more, I would want to understand what they're comparing.
What did AI say was included in that $500? What type of coaching were they researching? What results are they hoping to achieve?
You can't assume you understand what someone means just because they've shared a number or a conclusion.
There is a huge range of services available at different price points.
But until you understand what your potential customer is looking for, you can't help them determine what makes sense for their situation.
4. Put the Information Into Context
This isn't a brand-new sales problem.
When I worked in senior living, people would come into conversations having already researched other communities.
Sometimes they would assume that because one community charged a certain price, another community should charge the same amount.
Or they would assume every company provided the same services.
AI didn't create those assumptions. It just made gathering information much faster.
What matters is how you respond.
Once you understand what your prospect has learned, you can help them compare that information to their specific needs.
Maybe the price they found is accurate for a different level of service. Maybe they're comparing two approaches that solve different problems. Or maybe the information is simply incorrect.
You can work through those possibilities together.
The conversation should always come back to what they're trying to accomplish and what will help them get there.
Remember, AI is not the enemy.
It's giving people access to information. That's not a bad thing.
Your opportunity is to help them understand what that information means for their business.
The Two Conversations Happening During Every Sales Call
This is something I talk about all the time with my sales coaching clients.
In every sales conversation, there are two conversations happening.
The first is the one you can hear.
You're asking questions. Your prospect is answering. You're learning about their business, discussing problems, and exploring possible solutions.
But there's another conversation happening.
It's the conversation going on inside your potential customer's mind.
They're thinking about whether they trust you. They're wondering whether your service will work. They're considering the investment and whether now is the right time.
And here's the important part.
The buying decision happens in the conversation you can't hear.
When a prospect asked AI about you before your call, that internal conversation may have started long before you connected.
They might be comparing your answers to what AI told them. They might be questioning an assumption. They might have a concern they're not ready to share.
You can't hear all of that.
But you can learn how to recognize the signals that tell you there's more going on.
That's what I mean when I talk about learning how to read and lead a sales conversation.
Four Things Your Prospect Still Needs From You That AI Can't Replace
AI is a useful tool. I use it, too.
But I don't believe that having more information eliminates the need for great sales conversations.
In fact, the ability to research so much information can make the human side of sales even more valuable.
A Gartner survey published in May 2026 found that 69% of B2B buyers prefer to validate AI-generated insights with sales representatives.
That makes sense to me.
People can gather information on their own. But when they're making an important investment, they often want someone who understands their situation to help them make sense of it.
Here are four things I focus on when I coach business owners to improve their sales conversations.
1. Understand the Context Behind the Problem
AI can provide a tremendous amount of information.
But it depends on the information someone gives it and the questions they know to ask.
And here's the challenge: Your potential customer doesn't always know which questions they should be asking.
That's part of your role as a sales professional.
You bring knowledge and experience from working with other customers. You recognize patterns. You understand common challenges.
And you can ask questions your potential customer may never have considered.
After more than 90,000 sales conversations, I've learned how important it is to understand the individual person in front of me rather than simply relying on broad information.
I don't want to give someone general advice when they need a solution for their specific situation.
That's the difference between sharing information and leading a great sales conversation.
2. Recognize What Your Prospect Isn't Saying
Have you ever had someone tell you to send them a proposal?
Sounds encouraging, right?
Maybe.
But maybe not.
How did they say it? What was happening in the conversation right before they asked? Did they seem excited? Did they hesitate? Were there questions or concerns that hadn't been addressed?
Those details matter.
Your prospect's words are only part of what you're working with.
Tone, pauses, hesitation, and changes in how someone responds can tell you there's something you need to explore.
AI can analyze words and suggest possible interpretations. But it doesn't know everything a person is thinking or feeling.
Neither do you!
The difference is that, as you're participating in the conversation, you can recognize a hesitation and respond to it. You can ask another question. You can explore what might be keeping that person from making a decision.
This is a skill.
And it's one I spend a lot of time helping my coaching clients develop.
Because missing those signals can mean missing opportunities to make sales.
3. Help Your Prospect Identify the Right Next Step
Sometimes your prospect doesn't need another proposal.
Sometimes they need clarity about their problem.
Sometimes they need to understand how a solution would work for their business.
And sometimes they're ready to move forward.
AI can generate a list of possible next steps. It can even recommend one.
But a good sales professional combines what they've learned about the customer with their own experience and judgment to help determine what should happen next.
That's why I don't want you to rush through your sales conversations.
When you understand the context and recognize what's happening during the conversation, you're in a much better position to help someone decide what comes next.
And that's not always going to be a purchase.
The right next step should make sense for the customer.
4. Give Your Prospect Confidence to Make a Decision
This might be the most important one.
When someone is making a significant investment in their business, they're not always wondering whether they have enough information.
They may have more information than they know what to do with!
What they're wondering is whether they're making the right decision.
Will this work for my business? Is this the right investment? Will this solve the problem I'm facing? Can I trust this person to help me?
Those are important questions.
And when someone feels that you understand their situation, recognize their challenges, and have the experience to help, that can give them confidence.
Not because you've pressured them.
Not because you've convinced them to ignore their concerns.
But because you've helped them understand their options and make an informed decision.
That's what I want my clients to learn how to do.
Confidence doesn't come from pressuring someone into a yes. It comes from helping them understand why a decision makes sense for them.
Stop Competing With AI and Start Leading Better Sales Conversations
If you've been wondering whether AI is going to replace the need for salespeople, I want to encourage you.
You don't need to compete with AI's ability to produce information.
You need to become better at the things that make a sales conversation valuable.
Learn how to ask questions that uncover what's driving your customer's decisions.
Learn how to recognize the concerns they're not saying out loud.
Learn how to help someone see the right next step for their situation.
And learn how to give your potential customers the confidence they need to make good decisions without becoming pushy or manipulative.
Whether your prospect asked AI about you, read every page on your website, or came to you through a referral, your responsibility in the sales conversation is the same.
Understand what's going on in their business, learn what they need, and help them determine how to move forward.
The tools people use to research businesses will keep changing.
But the ability to lead a great sales conversation will continue to matter.
Want to Get Better at Reading and Leading Your Sales Conversations?
One of the things I love about coaching business owners is helping them recognize what's happening in their own sales conversations.
Sometimes it's a question they're not asking. Sometimes it's a hesitation they're missing. Sometimes it's an opportunity to help their customer move forward that they don't recognize.
And sometimes it's learning how to respond when a potential customer comes into the conversation with assumptions that aren't accurate.
These are skills you can develop.
When we work together, we focus on your sales conversations, your customers, and the challenges you're facing in your business.
Because I don't want to give you another generic sales script.
I want you to learn how to lead conversations that help your customers make confident decisions and help you make more sales.
If you're ready to improve your sales conversations, schedule a call with me.
Let's talk about what's happening in your business and how you can start having better sales conversations.
Want to hear more? Listen to Make More Sales with Brooke Greening for more practical advice on leading sales conversations, serving your customers, and growing your business.
Your prospect spent three minutes asking AI about your business, and now they’re showing up to your sales call thinking they know your services, your pricing, and what you should be offering them. There’s just one problem. Some of that information might be wrong.
So what do you do when your prospect trusts AI more than what you’re telling them? And how do you lead the conversation without getting defensive or losing the sale?
Episode Summary
AI is changing how B2B buyers research service providers before scheduling a sales call. But having more information doesn’t mean your prospects are ready to make a buying decision.
In this episode of Make More Sales with Brooke Greening, Brooke and Scott discuss how AI is influencing sales conversations and why skilled sales professionals are more valuable than ever.
Drawing on her experience from more than 90,000 sales conversations, Brooke shares a practical approach to handling prospects who arrive with incorrect information or unrealistic expectations. She explains why acknowledging their research, asking permission, and getting curious are far more effective than trying to prove them wrong.
You’ll also discover four things a skilled salesperson can bring to a conversation that AI can’t replace: understanding the customer’s unique circumstances, reading what’s happening during the conversation, helping identify the right next steps, and building the confidence to make a buying decision.
Because when you’re selling high-value B2B services, your prospect doesn’t just need more information. They need someone who can understand their situation and help them make a decision they feel good about.
What You’ll Learn
- How AI is changing B2B sales conversations: Why your prospects may have already formed opinions about your services, pricing, and value before talking with you.
- Why an AI-informed prospect is an opportunity: What their research tells you about their interest and why you shouldn’t assume they’re ready to buy.
- How to handle incorrect information without getting defensive: Brooke’s practical approach to acknowledging research, asking permission, and clarifying assumptions.
- Why context matters more than information:Â How asking better questions helps uncover what AI-generated answers may have missed.
- How to recognize the conversation happening in your prospect’s head: Why hesitations, pauses, and subtle cues can reveal more than the words they’re saying.
- Four advantages human sales professionals have over AI:Â How context, conversational awareness, discernment, and confidence help customers make buying decisions.
- How to lead sales calls that result in more sales: Why helping customers understand their problems and identify their next steps is more valuable than simply presenting information.
Resources Mentioned
- Google Gemini: gemini.google.comÂ
An example of how prospects use AI to research businesses and prepare for buying decisions. - Zillow: zillow.comÂ
Referenced as an illustration of how online estimates can miss important context that a knowledgeable professional provides. - Amazon:Â amazon.comÂ
Mentioned in Brooke and Scott’s opening conversation about AI-generated product images. - The SERVICE Sales Framework: Building Momentum ResourcesÂ
Learn more about Brooke’s approach to leading sales conversations that help customers make confident decisions.
Want to get better at reading and leading your sales conversations?
If your prospects are coming to sales calls armed with information but leaving without making decisions, it may be time to rethink how you’re leading those conversations.
Brooke helps B2B service business owners learn how to uncover what’s driving their prospects, communicate their value, and confidently lead sales conversations without being pushy.
Schedule a Call with Brooke → https://buildingmomentum.info/meet
Join the Conversation & Subscribe
AI may be changing how people buy, but great sales conversations still matter.
What are you noticing about prospects who research your business before scheduling a call? Are they showing up better informed, or are you spending more time addressing assumptions?
We’d love to hear your experience!
Subscribe to Make More Sales with Brooke Greening for practical sales advice that helps you lead better conversations, make more sales, and have a greater impact.
Listen, subscribe, and explore past episodes: buildingmomentum.info/podcast
Connect with Brooke on LinkedIn
Want more practical advice on B2B sales conversations, handling objections, and helping customers make confident buying decisions?
Connect with Brooke Greening on LinkedIn →
Here’s to valuing your customers and making more sales!
Your Prospect Asked AI About You. Here’s How to Win the Sales Call | Chapters
00:00 What Happens When Prospects Research You With AI?
01:13 Introduction: Make More Sales With Brooke Greening
02:56 How AI Is Changing B2B Sales Conversations
03:45 What AI-Informed Buyers Know Before Your Sales Call
04:40 The Sales Mistake That Could Cost You Clients
05:38 Why a Researched Prospect Is a Buying Opportunity
06:49 How to Handle Prospects With Incorrect AI Information
07:53 The First Step: Ask Permission Before Correcting Buyers
09:59 How to Respond to AI-Driven Pricing Objections
10:39 Why Getting Defensive Can Kill a Deal
12:22 What Human Sales Professionals Can Do That AI Can’t
13:21 Advantage #1: Understand the Buyer’s Context
15:30 Advantage #2: Read Buying Signals and Hidden Objections
18:22 Advantage #3: Guide Buyers Toward Clear Next Steps
20:11 Advantage #4: Build Confidence in High-Value Decisions
21:00 How to Improve Your Sales Conversations With Brooke
21:55 Final Advice: Lead Better Sales Calls to Grow Revenue
22:41 Next Episode: Build Buyer Confidence Without Being Pushy
Your Prospect Asked AI About You. Here's How to Win the Sales Call | Full Transcript
Brooke Greening: Congratulations. You have a sales call scheduled, and you're excited to be able to talk to them. They've also AI'd you, and now they think they know everything about you and all about your offerings. So how do you actually lead that sales conversation? And what do you do if what they've given you and saying that they believe is true is actually incorrect?
How do you handle that?
So now, before you've even started the conversation, they are already making the decisions in their mind about who you are, what you offer, before you've had any type of conversation, because AI is now telling them what is true and what is not true.
The biggest thing that we don't wanna do is get defensive. When we get defensive, then all walls go up.
Just don't get defensive. Just, it's a regular, it's a regular conversation. AI is not the enemy. AI is just giving them a boatload of information, and that's- that's okay.
Those are the things that we know, and because of the 90,000 sales conversations that I've had, to know how to be able to look at it particularly to that person and where they're at instead of just broad strokes.
The buying decision is over in the half that we can't hear, and that is the case 100% of the time in every sales conversation that you have.
Hey, everyone. Welcome to Make More Sales with Brooke Greening, where in about the time that it takes you to enjoy your matcha or coffee break, Brooke gives us some great advice on sales conversations. Because the reality is, if you have to talk to people to make sales, how well you lead those sales conversations is going to make or break your revenue.
Scott Greening: And today, Brooke, we are starting a conversation, we're having a conversation on AI. So the robots- Dun, dun, dun ... are taking over the world. Yeah. AI is so prevalent that even our kids know all about it and are very high proficient at spotting AI.
Brooke Greening: So our daughter likes to say, "Holy AI," when she sees something that is AI.
Sometimes she's not accurate, but a lot of times she is. So we're actually going to be doing a trunk or treat with the community with the police station, uh, this Friday, and we needed to buy something, 'cause I am not creative and crafty at all when it comes to those types of things. And so we have a beehive kit, and we got it off of Amazon, and I was showing it to Tora, and she was like, "Mom, that's totally AI.
I, you don't even know if that's gonna be what it is when you get it." I was like, "Well, that's why we order it a week in advance, so ..."
Scott Greening: Right. We
Brooke Greening: can- "... we can see."
Scott Greening: We can exchange it or, or get something else. But, uh, yeah. Yeah. And I think, like, you drive around town, and you see the little, like, yard signs now that everybody's got, and they all look strangely familiar because AI, they've put a prompt into AI.
And so the colors may be different, but they all kind of look the same. AI is impacting our sales conversations, and we're, we're not gonna talk today about tools and all of that. And actually, at the end, we've got some encouragement for you in regards to AI, and there's still a place for salespeople, so, so do that.
Mm. But it is impacting how we have these sales conversations because as we've kind of been tracing this thread for the last couple of weeks, people can get all sorts of information about us before they even talk to us. And now, AI is rapidly becoming a way that customers do this. And even if you just Google something, the first several lines are AI Gemini responses.
Brooke Greening: Oh, yeah. Mm-hmm. 100%.
Scott Greening: So let's, let me ask you a couple of questions about that. So the first one is, like, how does AI change what happens before a sales conversation?
Brooke Greening: The biggest piece is, is people can do research like you had shared, and they can do it really quickly, and they can start asking questions, and they can even come, come up with questions that they want to be able to ask, and AI is gonna give them a boatload of information, and some of that may be true, and some of it may not be true.
So now, before you've even started the conversation, they are already making the decisions in their mind about who you are, what you offer, before you've had any type of conversation, because AI is now telling them what is true and what is not true.
Scott Greening: Yeah, and again, the, the s- the scary part or the difficult part is it may or may not be the right answer, either about you or the advice that may be best for them
Brooke Greening: Yeah, and what happens is then you might think, "Okay, well maybe I don't need to ask that many questions," or, "Maybe then we're good.
Like, if they've done all of this research, then we're just ready to, to close the sale." And that is gonna be a dangerous position because then all we're gonna be doing is selling to those who are absolutely ready to go right now. Those are great conversations to have, but if you only sell to people who are absolutely ready to buy before they even talk to you, you are going to be .Missing sales.
Scott Greening: Yeah, and I think you often talk about this idea of there's two conversations happening in every sales conversation. The one that's, that you're having with the customer, and then the one that's going on in their head. And the, the reality is, is even if somebody is just like you're the only one, they're the only business owner, it's just one person that you're talking with, they might also now have sort of AI in their head and- Mm-hmm
may or may not even realize it.
Brooke Greening: Yeah, absolutely. Now, the positive side is if someone has actually done all of this research on you, and it doesn't take very long, it can literally take two or three minutes, the positive side is even if they've done all of that and they still wanna talk to you, there is a strong intention that they're wanting to make some sort of decision.
And so that's encouraging for you, and I say this all the time, just having a sales conversation is an incredible opportunity to be able to move things forward. 'Cause people don't have to and people don't really want to, so if they are actually talking to you, it's a really good sign that they are intending to make some sort of decision.
They may not be ready to buy from you yet, but we know that they're ready to make a
Scott Greening: Yeah, and so we, we don't have to like overreact. We don't have to just throw everything out and say, "Well, we'll just put a chat bot on our website and they'll take care of it." Mm-hmm. Uh, for most service provider businesses, that probably is not the best ch- choice to do.
Mm-hmm ... we, there still is this place for these sales conversations. So that was kind of the, the first question is what do we do when they've researched us b- ahead of time? You mentioned in there that sometimes maybe they don't have the right information. So what happens? What should we do in our sales conversations when somebody has the wrong information, whether it's about your business specifically or what they think is industry standards or the way things are done?
Brooke Greening: Yeah. This actually is not a new problem. So I just wanna say that right off the bat. Before AI came into play, people were still coming into sales conversations maybe misinformation or their thoughts or assumptions were not correct. So, like, learning how to handle this part of a sales conversation is not brand new.
When I used to work at Sunrise, people would come in and they would have all sorts of assumptions in regards to like, "Well, I talked to this senior living company, and this is what they charge, so this is what you should charge." "Well, I talked to so and so, and this is what they do to care for their residents, so you should be the exact same."
None of... Having bad information before you walk into a sales call is not happens on a regular basis. And so, but there are things that we can do to be able to handle that, and the very first thing is, is just being able to ask permission to even talk about it. Sometimes people are gonna come and they're gonna say something, or say someone could say, "Well, yeah, but Brooke, I think the standard sales coaching is, like, AI tells me it's $500." okay. We're not trying to get offensive. Not offensive. We're not trying to get defensive at this point or trying to, like, change their mind. Like, that's not what we're trying to do at all. The very first thing is, is just being able to ask permission if we can talk about it.
That's the very, very first
Scott Greening: Yeah, I think, Brooke, the, the same type of thing happens when we think, like, "Oh, I wonder what our house is worth." And so we look it up on Zillow, and Zillow comes back and says, "Your house is worth $500,000." And we think, "Great, maybe it's time to sell, and maybe I could even list it myself, and I've got all this information."
And then the realtor comes and is like, "Well, sure, yeah, that might be true, but you haven't updated your bathroom since the 1970s." "And your kitchen is... needs some work. And if you did those things, yes, you could get that price, but, you haven't, and so this is what it's worth." And so sometimes I think that's sort of like what can happen with our, our customers.
And so you, you suggested, like, when people come in with that to ask permission. Yeah ... where, where do we go? Like, what... How do we do that then if they've said, "Okay, yeah, we can talk about it." Or do you have any other advice for us?
Brooke Greening: Yeah. So because this is gonna happen. Someone is going to say, "Yeah, but this is the way that it is," or just to give an example, like we were saying, "Yeah, but I Googled, I AI'd, and they're telling me that the mean, the medium rate for a sales coach is $500," or, "They're telling me that this is what I should be asking." and those things can happen, and that's, that's perfectly fine. What we're going to do is we're just gonna do a couple of different steps. First, we're going to acknowledge that they were doing research before the call. That's what we're gonna do. We're gonna say, "Hey, you know what? I really appreciate that you were even checking these things out before we had a conversation.
That means a lot to me that you're, you wanna take this seriously, and also that it's really important that you're able to feel like you're making the best decision. I completely respect that. Thanks for doing that." That's the first one. Then we're gonna clarify. Then we're just trying to figure out, "Okay, help me to understand a little bit.
When you were saying that it, the median is 500, can you give me an idea of what they were saying that looked like?" Like, we're trying to understand what they're saying. The biggest thing that we don't wanna do is get defensive. When we get defensive, then all walls go up. But if we're acknowledging it, if we're thanking them for taking this conversation seriously and doing their homework, and the last thing you want is for them to feel like that they're not gonna get the return of their investment, then we can actually have a little bit more of a conversation.
And so if you get defensive, it's gonna go completely the wrong direction. you can't necessarily just argue with AI and say, "Well, they're wrong." no that's okay. I mean, if you, you wanna be a little funny or whatever, you can be like, "Well, that, that's true. Some cars are $500. Some are 60,000."
Like, there's a wide range.
Scott Greening: Yeah, you might, you might not wanna
drive the $500 one
Brooke Greening: But before you even do that, we're acknowledging, we're thanking them, and we're just trying to understand what it is that they're- they're looking for and just what they're, where they're coming from and- and what's happening. And when they understand that we're saying, like, I don't want you to- to invest in something you don't feel like you're gonna get a good, like, a return on. I don't want you to feel like you've poured too much money into this piece of your business and you- you don't want to or you don't think that that's necessary.
Like, I don't- I don't want any of those things to happen for you." And then we start clarifying a little bit more of what they're looking for and- and how to be able to help. Just don't get defensive. Just, it's a regular, it's a regular conversation. AI is not the enemy. AI is just giving them a boatload of information, and that's- that's okay.
We just work through it from
Scott Greening: All
Brooke Greening: right. It's not a new problem.
Scott Greening: Yeah. And I appreciate a little, uh, sales coaching nugget that Brooke dropped in there for you so, uh, you can, uh... That's what she does and helps people think through these conversations. So this is, we- the first two questions have been like, "Hey, AI is changing things, and this is sort of how we need to- to think about that, be ready for it, and deal with it." let's just, like, end on a positive note here and affirm, people and humans are awesome. Right? There's still a place for human salespeople. And in fact, studies- Mm-hmm ... have shown, we won't get- we can maybe post the link to the study or whatever, but, like, people still prefer confirming and making sure that they trust with a real person, even if they know- Yeah
perfectly all the information, and they still wanna- to have that human connection. And for service providing businesses, I would assume it's, like, even more so. Um, so Brooke, remind us, help us, uh, celebrate the awesomeness of people. What are some of the things that a human salesperson can do AI cannot?
Brooke Greening: So the first one is context. AI is only as good as what you're putting and a good salesperson is able to understand where the customer is coming from and asking them things that they may not have even thought about. And so that means that if they're talking to AI, they don't even necessarily know sometimes what questions to ask or what to prompt it.
That is where the sales conversation We're really good at being able to understand the context and having questions that relate to that.
Scott Greening: Yeah, I think you have this just wealth of information, and other service providers in their areas of expertise, they've talked with so many customers.
They have, friends in other fields. Like, they bring all these things in, and it's not that AI doesn't necessarily have that information, that it couldn't find it- Mm-hmm ... but it just, it's only as good as the prompt that you type in. And if you don't know what to put in-
Brooke Greening: Right ...
Scott Greening: it's, it's kind of limited.
Brooke Greening: And on top of it, it's not only that, but it's just... So yes, and AI has grabbed all of my stuff in regards to like our service framework and different things like that, but everything starts to really sound the same after a while if it's not that context behind it. And so that's where it comes into play, that we're understanding more of what's going on and really being able to understand like what's driving them, what's motivating them.
Those are the things that we know, and because of the 90,000 sales conversations that I've had, to know how to be able to look at it particularly to that person and where they're at instead of just broad strokes. And AI is amazing at broad strokes, and they can go detailed, but they're only going detailed to as much of what they're being prompted to do, and that's the whole point.
You can't expect someone to prompt the right questions. That's literally one of the roles of the sales professional. What types of questions can I ask that are gonna help uncover what's driving and motivating
Scott Greening: so let's talk about another reason why, why humans are awesome. What's the, the second one that have you got?
Brooke Greening: You can't read them. AI cannot read you at this point. They can read your words. You could even say, "Hey, I'm frustrated about this," but they can't truly read you, and so this is what we share on a regular basis. in every sales conversation, you have two conversations that are going on, the one that you're leading and the things that you're saying, the questions you're asking, all of that is happening over here, and the second conversation is going in regards to what's going on in your potential mind.
What are they thinking? What are they feeling? What questions do they have that are helping them come to the buying decision? The buying decision is over in the half that we can't hear, and that is the case 100% of the time in every sales conversation that you have. AI cannot read that. When you're a sales professional, you can learn how to read and lead the sales conversation, and AI has no ability to do that.
They can only go with what's given to them. They don't have any ability to read any of the cues, the hesitations, the pauses. They can't read any of it.
Scott Greening: Yeah. I think about like on the rare occasion that we may be struggling to be on the same page about one matter or another thing. You might, I might make a suggestion, and you might say, "Fine, that's okay with me."
And if AI was listening in or looking at the transcript of the conversation, they would think, "She's on board. She's ready to go." But the, the cues may, may indicate something slightly different, right?
Brooke Greening: Right. So apparently if I say, "Fine, it's okay with me," it doesn't mean fine, it's okay with me.
Scott Greening: I was using that example 'cause I don't think you've ever said that exact phrase.
No, I haven't. But, but we do it, and I can say the same thing. Like, like uh, when I say certain things or, or that it's a sign or the way that I say it or the inflection in my voice or- Mm-hmm ... how painful it was for me to get the actual words out. Like, all of these are, are things, and you're not necessarily having those types of conversation with customers, but, they might say like, "Send me a proposal."
And- Right ... that may or may not be a buying signal, and AI can't necessarily help you with it.
Brooke Greening: No. There are so many things that we miss in sales conversations that I teach my clients, and that makes a huge difference in regards to whether they make the sale or they don't make the sale, but AI cannot do it at all.
So this is something humans can learn, and they can learn it and it c- they can continue to excel in their sales conversations. This is not something that AI can pick up on right now.
Scott Greening: So what's another reason that human salespeople can still do things that AI cannot?
Brooke Greening: When you're able to understand the context better, when you're able to read the conversation better, then actually giving them next clear steps is really important, and you're able to discern what needs to happen next.
AI does not do that as much. They give you multiple possibilities, but they cannot say, "Okay, this is the best next step," and have it be correct in what is needed in that situation. They give you a lot of information, and then you're able to decide. And you can even ask and say, "Hey, tell me what to do." And AI can give you options, and they can give you one option, but again, when you're not able to do those first two things, doesn't really mean a lot.
And so that's the other thing that we can do. We can know the context. We can read and lead the conversation well, and that way, we're able to give them clear next steps of what needs to happen, and we can discern what would be the best next step for them, and they can discern that as well. Yeah. And AI just doesn't have a lot of discerning factors.
Scott Greening: Yeah, I think I, I just had a conversation earlier this morning with somebody on a, on the team that I'm connected with in the organization, the church, uh, where I have a role, it was a tax question. And I said, "Well, like, you know, we can have all the information." I said, "But you need to go talk to a CPA before you, like, make this final decision."
Like, they had a whole menu of, of things, and can I do this, or should I do this, or what are the ramifications? But I just kept reiterating to the person like, "Hey, great. Talk to somebody that can do that and provide the judgment that you need to make." 'cause it's not just about the information.
It's about helping you know the right thing is, which then brings us to the, the last reason I think that we're talking about today, which is what?
Brooke Greening: the last thing is we can give them confidence. AI can. AI can say, "Yes, this is the right decision. Good job, Brooke. Go get yourself a matcha." Like, it talks to me, and it tells me I'm doing things right. in a sales conversation, especially when people are making higher investments, a lot of times they're not trying to figure out, okay, do I have all of this information figured out? They're literally trying to figure out, is this going to be the best decision? Should I be making this decision? And you can ask AI, and they can give you the information, but when you're talking to someone face to face and you truly believe they understand my situation, not only do they s- understand my situation and where my problems are at, I believe that they can help me.
That gives them a huge amount of confidence that AI cannot give them to be able to move forward and solve the problems that they need.
Scott Greening: All right, everyone. Brooke has once again encouraged us a couple of times in this conversation about the importance of being able to read and lead your sales conversations. 'Cause this reality of the two conversations that's happening, the one that you're having and then the one that's going on in your customer's mind, is going to, to have a big impact on your sales.
So if you think maybe I'm not reading or leading the sales conversations in the way that I need to, I'd encourage you to take the step of scheduling a call with Brooke. She'll learn more about where you're at in your business and give you some great advice to move forward. You can always do that at buildingmomentum.info/meet.
If you're ready to make more sales, schedule a call and meet with Brooke. Buildingmomentum.info/meet
What encouragement or advice would you leave us with today?
Brooke Greening: just want to encourage you, one, if you know someone has AI, Joe, this... Our whole goal is not trying to figure out, okay, what did they find? What did they find? Is it right? Is it wrong? It's still the same conversation. They asked AI all these questions, but it's your job to be able to uncover what's really going and that's what that whole conversation should be focused on and then how you can be able to help them.
That's what you want to continue to keep talking about and to keep encouraging them to do. I just want to encourage you as well, when you are having sales conversations, how well you're going to lead those sales conversations will make or break your revenue. So let's lead them well. Let's learn how to read and lead our sales conversations so we can make more money and have a greater impact.
Scott Greening: All right. Next time, we're continuing this series on sort of the changing buying realities, and we're gonna focus in on giving people confidence like we were talking about here at the end today, but not becoming pushy with that or not forcing people into a decision. And so if you want to be part of that, if you want to listen into that conversation and get that advice, we encourage you to subscribe, to follow, to like, to review, to comment, all of those things.
You can find the links to your podcasting platform of choice and the past episodes at buildingmomentum.info/podcast. And remember, if you're ready to make more sales.
Recent Comments