The sales landscape is undergoing a major transformation, moving from structured CRM data to unstructured, contextual insights powered by AI.
AI-native systems are capturing customer interactions in real-time, automating early-stage processes like prospecting and qualification. This frees up sales reps to focus on higher-value tasks, with AI even providing live coaching.
These systems capture a rich, multimodal "system of record" - emails, Slack, social, surveys - providing the context needed for better decision-making. It also has the potential to align sales, marketing, CS, and product around a shared view of the customer.
The result? Personalization at scale, with AI-generated insights. And a feedback loop between customers and innovation, with product roadmaps directly informed by comprehensive customer data.
Is this the "Death of a Salesforce"? Perhaps this is an overstatement. But a major transformation is underway. The winners will be those who leverage data and AI to drive decisions, not just activities.
To explore more, read the original post: https://a16z.com/ai-transforms-sales/
Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
00:37 - How Has Sales Changed
01:04 - The Evolution Of Sales
01:25 - Salesforce Technology Revolutionizes
01:40 - Sales Tech Teutonic Shift
02:20 - AI Native Systems
02:39 - Systems Of Record
03:02 - Death Of A Salesforce
06:17 - Voice Agents
07:25 - Personalization
08:15 - Sales Startups
09:27 - Adoption
10:45 - Sales Teams Evolve Using AI
12:05 - Systems of Record
Resources:
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