Over the past two decades, I’ve seen every sales transformation imaginable, mobile CRMs, outbound automation, ABM platforms, PLG. But nothing, and I mean nothing compares to the shift that’s underway right now. The arrival of truly intelligent, always-on, AI-native revenue engines is dismantling the way we’ve structured go-to-market motions for 20 years. Let me be clear: AI is not the death of sales. It’s the rebirth of what great sales always should have been, instant, accurate, helpful, and available when the buyer is ready, not when the rep finally checks their inbox. And I’m not talking about slideware. I’m talking about the operating layer, how sales actually happens, who does it, what’s measured, and who gets paid. Here’s the reality: most of what we’ve historically called “sales” is already being done faster, more reliably, and more scalably by AI agents. And it’s a good thing: Your AI Will Know the Product Better Than Your Top Rep In every company I’ve worked with or advised, there’s always been a knowledge gap. Reps struggle to answer edge cases. Support misroutes basic questions. Customer success doesn’t always know what was promised. Your AI Will Know the Product Better Than Your Top Rep In every company I’ve worked with or advised, there’s always been a knowledge gap. Reps struggle to answer edge cases. Support misroutes basic questions. Customer success doesn’t always know what was promised. Your AI Will Know the Product Better Than Your Top Rep In every company I’ve worked with or advised, there’s always been a knowledge gap. Reps struggle to answer edge cases. Support misroutes basic questions. Customer success doesn’t always know what was promised. AI changes that. When trained properly, a product-specific AI knows every document, every policy, every support transcript, and every use case instantly. It doesn’t “get back to you.” It gets it right. That knowledge becomes your most consistent performer. And it doesn’t churn. The BDR Role Is Fading fast. When someone reaches out through your website, do they wait three days for a generic reply from a junior SDR who doesn’t know your pricing? The BDR Role Is Fading fast. When someone reaches out through your website, do they wait three days for a generic reply from a junior SDR who doesn’t know your pricing? The BDR Role Is Fading fast. When someone reaches out through your website, do they wait three days for a generic reply from a junior SDR who doesn’t know your pricing? Or do they get an answer, a tailored offer, and a follow-up sequence, on demand, 24/7, from an AI that never sleeps? In my experience, 70–80% of inbound lead handling today can be automated better than it’s currently handled by human teams. In some orgs, it’s already happening. What used to be a person with a script is becoming a system with context. Sales, Support, Success: It’s All One AI Thread Now Traditional org charts are breaking down. Customers don’t care whether they’re routed to sales, success, or support, they just want clarity, fast. Sales, Support, Success: It’s All One AI Thread Now Traditional org charts are breaking down. Customers don’t care whether they’re routed to sales, success, or support, they just want clarity, fast. Sales, Support, Success: It’s All One AI Thread Now Traditional org charts are breaking down. Customers don’t care whether they’re routed to sales, success, or support, they just want clarity, fast. And now, a single interface can deliver that. I’ve seen AI systems route leads, answer technical questions, process renewals, and flag upsell moments,all in one seamless thread. There’s no handoff delay. No confusion. No “that’s not my department.” It’s one pipeline. One intelligence layer. One experience. AI Is Delivering 3–4x Gains in Sales Efficiency In teams I’ve led and benchmarked, we’ve seen AI unlock 25–30% more revenue-generating activity time per rep. That’s not theoretical it’s happening through: AI Is Delivering 3–4x Gains in Sales Efficiency In teams I’ve led and benchmarked, we’ve seen AI unlock 25–30% more revenue-generating activity time per rep. That’s not theoretical it’s happening through: AI Is Delivering 3–4x Gains in Sales Efficiency In teams I’ve led and benchmarked, we’ve seen AI unlock 25–30% more revenue-generating activity time per rep. That’s not theoretical it’s happening through: Automated call prep | CRM enrichment | Follow-up sequencing | Objection handling In real terms, this means reps spending more time on qualified conversations and less time updating Salesforce. It means fewer headcount additions to hit the same revenue targets. And it means scaling without scaling inefficiency. AI-Native Leadership Will Define the Next Decade There’s a hard truth that many in GTM leadership need to hear: if you’re not AI-native, you’re already falling behind. AI-Native Leadership Will Define the Next Decade There’s a hard truth that many in GTM leadership need to hear: if you’re not AI-native, you’re already falling behind. AI-Native Leadership Will Define the Next Decade There’s a hard truth that many in GTM leadership need to hear: if you’re not AI-native, you’re already falling behind. I don’t mean dabbling with ChatGPT to write a few emails. I mean building your sales stack around AI orchestration. Automating workflows that previously took hours. Rethinking roles entirely. Hiring for adaptability, not routine execution. In every exec hiring process I run now, I ask: How are you using AI today? What have you automated in your function? What would break if we turned your tools off? The gap between AI-aware and AI-native leaders is already wide, and growing. This Isn’t Optional What’s happening in GTM is not a tool change. It’s a paradigm shift. The companies winning today are not just moving faster, they’re operating differently. AI has already proven it can outperform average performers. What’s coming next will challenge even the best. The smart revenue leaders aren’t asking, “Should I integrate AI?” They’re asking, “What’s still being done manually and why?” That’s the right question. And in 12 months, it may be the only one that matters.

Salesforce

AI Didn’t Kill Sales. It Made It Unrecognisable and Better

About Author

Comments

TOPICS

THIS ARTICLE WAS FEATURED IN

Related Stories

Untitled Story

GEAR: The Mental Model That Separates Scalers from Strugglers

The Noonification: How Often Do NFTs Pass The Howey Test? (1/13/2023)

Darwin's Hybrid Intelligence to Align AI & Human Goals for Startups & VCs

The Noonification: White Man (11/26/2022)

The Noonification: The Metaverse is a Sh*tshow (11/2/2022)

GEAR: The Mental Model That Separates Scalers from Strugglers

The Noonification: How Often Do NFTs Pass The Howey Test? (1/13/2023)

Darwin's Hybrid Intelligence to Align AI & Human Goals for Startups & VCs

The Noonification: White Man (11/26/2022)

The Noonification: The Metaverse is a Sh*tshow (11/2/2022)

Light-Mode

Classic

Newspaper

Dark-Mode

Neon Noir

Minty

HN StartUps