This interview is with Richard Harris, Founder at The Harris Consulting Group.

Richard Harris, Founder, The Harris Consulting Group

Richard, can you tell us a little bit about your background in sales and what led you to become interested in the intersection of AI and sales?

As my mom says, I've been in sales all my life. I am one of the rare birds that always knew it would be my profession. I've been a student and a teacher of sales for quite some time. So, it is natural that I pay attention to what's happening in the landscape. The thing that intrigues me most about A.I. in sales is understanding how humans want to learn. In what format do they like to learn? In what format do they actually learn and retain the best? A.I. is not about scaling the sales motion; it's about scaling the human being while maintaining a sense of humanity in the sales process and conversations.

What pivotal moments in your career have shaped your perspective on how technology can be leveraged to improve sales outcomes?

As I like to say, I've been selling since the 1900s. :) The biggest shift in technology that has improved sales is the mobile device. Everything we do, we can do on a cell phone or tablet. That alone has made us accelerate our capabilities beyond the specific software we use on the devices. It has come with some negative consequences as well, and that cannot be ignored either.

From your experience, what are some of the most impactful ways AI is currently being used in sales, and what benefits have you witnessed firsthand?

The single biggest benefit to AI in sales has been the ability to reduce the ramp time of new reps and quickly improve the skills of a veteran rep. More specifically, AI can help a new rep do 20, 30, 40+ cold calls before they ever get on the phone. That is unique and unprecedented until now. It used to be you memorized your scripts and then role-played just a little bit, but you never got that many chances to practice. Additionally, you can now role-play specific scenarios in the sales funnel. People can practice their demo skills. People can practice negotiating pricing conversations. This is where a huge boost to sales will have the greatest impact.

We often hear about AI's potential to automate tasks. Can you share an example of how you've successfully used AI to automate a sales process, and what advice would you give to others looking to do the same?

I have had AI automate email responses. It can condense long emails into shorter, more digestible pieces without losing value. I've also had AI help write blog posts and responses to blogs. In relation to a sales process, AI can now help predict the weather rather than letting your CRM simply report the weather. It can take all the conversations from various communication channels and provide insight and prescriptions on what to do, how to say it, and when to say it. This is the future of AI: helping us automate important conversations, not simply responding through a simple workflow.

Looking beyond automation, how do you envision AI changing the role of a salesperson in the future, and what skills will be essential for success?

The single biggest benefit of AI in sales has been the ability to reduce the ramp time of new reps and quickly improve the skills of a veteran rep. More specifically, AI can help a new rep do 20, 30, 40+ cold calls before they ever get on the phone. That is unique and unprecedented until now. Furthermore, the reason this will work better is that it will engage the salesperson in a way that they want to actually learn. For some people, they will like typing, others will like talking, and still, others will prefer reading or listening. Engaging a person in the way they like to learn is what makes learning easy.

What advice would you give to sales professionals who are hesitant or unsure about incorporating AI into their workflows?

The honest answer would be to get out of sales. It's coming whether you like it or not. We've seen this happen in the farming industry with machinery and technology. And we have seen it in the automotive industry with robotics and production. People will need to adopt—or die. Adapting is not going to cut it.

Many companies are eager to implement AI but struggle to get started. What steps can sales leaders take to successfully integrate AI into their existing sales processes?

Here are the steps I recommend:

1) Just start reading and researching. See what others are doing in the space.

2) Find the gaps in your own sales process or within the team's sales skills.

3) Define what "better" would look like.

4) Now, go out and see what you can find in the marketplace to help.

If people skip #1, they are hurting themselves. Most people do not walk onto a car lot without doing research, even if it's basic—for example, Ford or Toyota. People do research first. Yet when they want to improve sales performance, they think they know what they need. In most cases, they do not.

What ethical considerations should businesses be mindful of as they adopt AI in their sales strategies?

I think we still need to have a human overlook any messaging being created by AI. There needs to be a human factor as part of making the decision to hit the send button. In relation to other ethical issues topics that game the system to one's favor cannot be allowed.

Looking ahead, what are you most excited about regarding the future of AI in sales, and what developments do you think will have the biggest impact on the industry?

I think the future is very bright. The smartest and those willing to engage AI will be the ones that survive. I am excited to see how AI helps in multi-threaded and team-decision-making deals. This is still a nut that has not been cracked by AI. I also am curious about the jobs and roles we don't even know will need to exist in sales in 18–24 months, not to mention 5 years.