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Dennis Collins: I’m late to the game. It’s passed me by. I’m not techie enough. I can’t figure this out. I know I gotta do this. I don’t have any idea what to do. They did it finally by getting honest with themselves of what they didn’t know and decided to do something about it. So today, in today’s episode, we want to talk about one particular element of AI, and we are blessed to have as one of our co-hosts, the one and only Paul Boomer. He wrote the book on AI, Secret Formulas of Artificial Intelligence, and he is the man that we’re gonna rely on today to help us through this question.

Paul Boomer. I came out of the sales world. I’ve been a sales manager, a sales trainer, a sales coach for years. How soon is AI coming for sales? How soon will AI be able to replace sales?

Paul Boomer: It’s already happening.

Dennis Collins: Oh, I’m late. See, I told you I was late.

Paul Boomer: It’s already happened.

Dennis Collins: I’m late.

Paul Boomer: The challenge with AI is it’s so freaking fast.

Dennis Collins: Yeah, I’ve noticed that. 

Paul Boomer: Yeah, it is fast. It’s already in sales in many different aspects.

Dennis Collins: So as a small business owner, First of all, there’s a people issue here. I’ve got salespeople that I love, I’ve trained. I don’t wanna lose them. But right now, when I start messing around with AI, the first thing they ask me, “Hey, boss, is this it for me? I’m outta here?” How do we deal with the people problem as well as the technical problem?

Paul Boomer: That is a really good question because I’ve seen it so many times that an owner goes in and starts playing with AI and doesn’t have a conversation with their employees first, saying, “Hey, I’m just playing around with this right now, guys.” Because when you don’t have a conversation, when you don’t communicate, people think the worst. Of course. So before you even jump into AI as in implementing it in your business, have a conversation with your staff of what you’re gonna be doing. And you might actually have some feedback from them, and they might give you an idea of how to use AI even more.

Leah Bumphrey: And let’s remember that AI is limited in its responses, in what it can do. I’ve been a professional salesperson for most of my career, and there are aspects of it I loathe. What I don’t loathe is the opportunity to talk to people. I don’t loathe the opportunity to sit down and figure out what it is that they need, have a conversation, dig deep, get to know them. But the parts that I don’t like are probably the parts that AI can be given to free me up for what I’m really good at.

Dennis Collins: But let me tag on to what you just said, Leah. I am of the opinion that as we speak today, and Paul just kind of said this, AI is having conversations with real customers. It is having intelligent conversations, it’s responding to what they say, and it sounds like a human being, right or wrong.

Leah Bumphrey: I disagree. I just disagree. I think it’s trying, and I think that if… And I’m not suggesting that it won’t get there, but it will only get there based on me or Paul or you or you who’s listening feeding it the information that it needs to. And that information changes all the time.

Paul Boomer: So Home Depot has recently started a program that they’ve been testing in 30 markets where they’re actually using AI as the receptionist, so to speak, for people calling into a store. And the reason, and they had this conversation with their employees, the reason why they’re doing it is to allow the consumer to get information quicker. And you know what the employees are saying? They’re actually enjoying it more, the fact that there is an AI between them and the consumer, because it does free them up internally, the employees, to do the things that matter with people who are right in front of them.

Dennis Collins: So, yeah, I’m aware, and you guys are aware too, of an HVAC company that actually uses AI as their intake. When the phone call comes in from a lead, there’s an AI bot that’s having that conversation. And I’ve heard it and I’ve listened to it. It’s pretty damn good. [chuckle] It’s very, it sounds very believable. So that’s a small step from that to having the AI actually… You know, we’ve all written sales role plays with AI, and I believe AI can do a live role play with a salesperson. Am I right? You can train an AI bot to have a role play. So who needs a sales coach anymore? Who needs a trainer? Just use AI.

Paul Boomer: Everybody needs one because AI… There is a tipping point where AI cannot do something, cannot go beyond. The thing that we have as humans is intuition and love. Those two things play a critical role in communications. AI will never have that. So without intuition and love, how is it gonna be able to read somebody’s body language? How is it gonna be able to read what actually needs to be said next and not what’s mathematically correct?

Dennis Collins: Interesting.

Paul Boomer: And that’s what goes into another episode that we had, which talks about the information you feed it matters. If you don’t feed it information, it’s gonna pull it from whatever and whatever it thinks, or whatever it thinks.

Dennis Collins: Yeah. You say that on every podcast, Leah. 

Dennis Collins: Yeah.

Dennis Collins: So let’s dive one step deeper here. So it may not ever replace the actual human salesperson, but both of you referenced there are things sales-related that it can and should do. Let’s get specific with our small business owners here. What part… For instance, can it design a sales process? Can it evaluate your sales process? Can it evaluate your KPIs? What should we be asking AI to do for us?

Dennis Collins: Well, that’s a whole other question. Yeah, that’s a whole other question. But now you’re assuming though that the calls are recorded. Paul and I know for sure that if you record actual sales conversations, Paul Boomer has actually designed prompts that can dissect that conversation by any manner you like. Paul, be more specific. I’m just giving a… You know what I’m talking about.

Paul Boomer: Well, Dennis, I’m trying to think of what angle to come at this from because there are so many. And that’s the challenge. So yes, you can use AI to analyze any phone conversation, any recorded conversation. And there are different levels of recording… Or not recording, but of analyzation. And so many companies right now… And this is a trap for any size business. There are many companies out there who are claiming, “Hey, we use AI to analyze our sales process.” I’m sorry, but anybody who has been using AI for six months can probably design that.

Dennis Collins: Right.

Paul Boomer: And it’s very easy to market that. And people who don’t understand what’s behind the curtains can get sucked into something that really just sucks. It looks like it’s great and such. It looks like it operates, it looks like it gives you the information that you want, but is it actually analyzing it, thinking about it, looking at the whole picture as you see it as a human? You have a sales process. Does this analyzation AI bot, whatever, actually understand how you sell, why you sell? So just as a fair warning, be careful who you get in bed with when it comes to AI, especially sales analyzation.

Dennis Collins: Fair warning. Question, tell our small business owners here, what should they be looking for in that regard? How do they determine? They’re all out there. Who should we be partnering with? How do we know?

Paul Boomer: Ask the primary question, how much customization do I have as a business owner? That is the number one thing. If you only have one or two things that you can customize, or if you’re limited to a certain amount of characters in the “about us” or “about this company” field, run. Run for the hills. Because what that AI is going to do, it’s going to assume so many things that you’re going to get false positives or false negatives or negatives, false… Whatever. You’re going to get a lot of crap.

Dennis Collins: You’re just gonna get falsehoods.

Paul Boomer: Yes.

Dennis Collins: Yeah. Yeah. Well, and I notice a lot of people doing it for defensive purposes. “I’m gonna purchase an AI system for defensive purposes just to say I did it.” And they have no idea what to do with it. [chuckle] So again, words of wisdom that we must be aware of. Paul Boomer, how… When I start talking about AI and sales, most of my salespeople get very nervous. What should I tell them? What should I tell them would be the benefit to them? What’s in it for them for me to adopt AI in certain areas of the sales process?

Paul Boomer: Time, money. What can you give to AI that’s repeatable that will save you time before you go out and touch somebody in a phone conversation or one-on-one? That didn’t sound right. Touch somebody? No, that didn’t sound right at all. Whoa. Wow.

Dennis Collins: That may be illegal. Oh, yeah. Well, yeah, that… Boy, you can’t say that anymore. That’s illegal. 

Paul Boomer: No, you can’t. So, yeah. Reach out and touch. So…

Dennis Collins: We know what you mean, Paul.

Paul Boomer: I know. I, you know, I’m thinking in my head, going a few steps ahead. What was the question again?

Dennis Collins: The question was, how do we properly and effectively clue our sales team into the fact that we are looking for AI assistance in the sales process without having their heads explode?

Paul Boomer: Right. Well, first you have to… You as an owner have to get comfortable with why are you wanting to do it? That’s the first thing.

Dennis Collins: Well, time and money, I think, as you said. I believe it can save me time and save me money.

Paul Boomer: And then have the conversation. Just have an honest conversation, folks, with people and ask them, “Hey, I think we need… I know we need to start using AI to help save us time and money. How do you, as sales coach, as sales trainer, as sales manager, as… All those titles… How do you see AI working for you?”

Dennis Collins: There’s a good… I like that question. Yeah.

Paul Boomer: Put it on them.

Dennis Collins: Of course, a lot of people, again, it’s still very new to a lot of people. They may not have an answer to that, but the fact that you asked the question is really where the payoff is. You cared. Yeah.

Dennis Collins: Okay. That’s a great summary, Leah. Paul, your summary of today’s episode.

Paul Boomer: You know, I had one earlier and I forgot it.

Dennis Collins: It’ll come to you. I’ll give you mine. As a guy who has been in the sales picture for decades, I of all people would be one you might suspect would push against AI. But I have learned to make friends with AI. I have seen how it can work in sales applications. I have used it almost every day to solve some type of a sales issue that either I was having or a client was having. And I like what I see. And the more I learn about AI, the more I trust it and the more I know how to use it to solve some very tough sales problems, but also to automatize, as Leah said, those things none of us like to do. And we’ve got a long list of those. So maybe we start as a business owner, start with those things that nobody wants to do that are repetitive, and figure out how AI can help you with that. And now, Paul Boomer.

Paul Boomer: I just want to try and say this word. Automatize. Hey, I can say it. My goodness.

Dennis Collins: Automatize.

Paul Boomer: Automatize. I didn’t think I could say it. Hey, we automatize.

Dennis Collins: Let’s make a song about automatize. Yeah.

Paul Boomer: There you go. Hey, why don’t you use AI to create that song?

Dennis Collins: There you go. Another use of AI.

Paul Boomer: There you go. Perfect.

Dennis Collins: By the way, it writes some pretty damn good lyrics.

Paul Boomer: They can. It can.  For any business who wants to jump in with AI, which I think should be everybody, if you have any doubts or any concerns or any questions and you don’t have time, either A, hand that project, ongoing project off to an employee who wants to learn and wants to use AI. Treat them as your business intelligence employee. You need somebody internally to be that person who’s going to be thinking about AI and how to use it or how not to use it. Or hire somebody, a consultant who can do the same thing. You need to have somebody on your team in whatever capacity who has your best interest in mind and understands how AI can and cannot work.

Dennis Collins: Great advice. There’s the one tidbit that everybody ought to listen to, what Boomer just said. That is stupendous advice. So, hey, that’s gonna wrap for this episode of Connect & Convert. Yes, it’s been all about AI and how sales will be impacted, is being impacted by AI. Please listen to other episodes that we’ve had about AI. We have a whole category of stuff on AI, so you’ll be interested in hearing some of our other episodes of Connect & Convert. We’ll see you next time.

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