261. Showing Your Work in the Age of AI w/ Ethan Beute

Caution: be thoughtful about what you and your team outsource to generative AI, and what you continue to do yourself.


When it comes to human and machine, the best solution is “both/and”, not “neither/or”. The dreaded follow up email isn’t just about the bullet pointed takeaways; it's not just about the summary. That follow up is about YOU. It's about your ability to listen, learn, understand, guide and recommend. It's about your ability to earn trust and to move things forward. As of now, only humanity can fulfill this emotional component. Most of us can agree that AI is not associated with authenticity, however it’s authenticity that our customers crave.


Solution: “Show your work” by rehumanizing with recorded video messages, perhaps in conjunction with AI generated bullet points. Thus, “both/and”.


More information about Ethan Beute and today’s topics:

• LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethanbeute/
• Company Website: https://bombbomb.com/
• Other Relevant Links: How Generative AI Changes Creativity (HBR IdeaCast); Don Allen Stevenson III on LinkedIn; Jacqueline Ng Lane on LinkedIn; David De Cremer on LinkedIn; Consumers Crave Authenticity (Forrester)

Related Episodes

• CX 150 with Dr Nick Morgan “Why Your Virtual Relationships Degrade Over Time”
• CX 155 with Dr Roland Rust “How Artificial Intelligence is Driving the Feeling Economy”
• CX 254 with Jeff Shore “Embracing a Psychology-Based Approach to Sales”

Episode Transcript

(00:04):
The single most important thing you cando today is to create and deliver a
better experience for your customers. Learnhow sales marketing and customer success experts create
internal alignment, achieve desired outcomes,and exceed customer expectations in a personal and
human way. This is The CustomerExperience Podcast. Here's your host, Ethan

(00:25):
butte Hey, thanks so much forchecking out this episode of The Customer Experience
Podcast, episode two sixty one,showing your work in the age of AI.
In this episode, a caution anda reminder to be thoughtful about what
you and your team outsourced to generativeAI and other machines and what you continue

(00:46):
to do yourself. That's the keytheme here, and I'll walk into it
from a few different angles, includingrecent Forrester research and exceptional episode of the
Harvard Business Review Idea Cast, andtwo great episodes of this The Customer Experience
Podcast. Of course, the bestsolution here is both and not either or

(01:07):
human with the machine or machine withhuman. If you're a regular listener to
the show, you know that we'vebeen having this conversation for some time now,
but the trigger for this episode wasan ad I heard about using generative
AI to create preform added personalized followup emails after sales calls and meetings.
Interesting idea, But the two versionsthat I've heard of this AD refer to

(01:32):
that follow up email as dreaded andannoying, Right like, Hey, salesperson,
isn't an annoying or hey, it'stime for that dreaded follow up email.
Here's a spoiler. It's not justabout the bullet pointed takeaways. It's
not just about the summary. Thatfollow up is about you, and it's

(01:52):
about your ability to listen, learn, understand, guide, and recommend.
It's about your ability to earn trustand to move things forward. Another spoiler,
Generative AI, at least for now, is operating exclusively off the transcript
alone. Most sentiment analysis is alsogoing just off the transcript alone. As

(02:14):
a consequence, AI is completely blindto two critical things because these two critical
things are missing from the transcript.Those two things are how something was said
and what wasn't said. Was somethingsaid urgently with some excitement tinged with concern.

(02:35):
Was something said after a long pause, with someone on the verge of
saying something but they held it back. These are the things that you know
intuitively if you're a basically good listener, and that listening and giving back,
that listening and helping move forward,that remains your unique human value. And

(02:55):
to the degree that there's no uniquehuman value in the sale process, in
the onboarding process, in the accountmanagement process, and the recruiting or onboarding
of employee process, in the teambuilding, vision or culture processes, where
there is no unique human value,there probably shouldn't be a human So we

(03:17):
need to be thoughtful. And bythe end of this episode, you'll not
only have a few new filters tohelp you understand what to outsource to AI
and automation and what to keep foryourself or for your team, but you'll
also have a very specific prescription forturning this annoying and dreaded sales follow up
email into real revenue. Last year, Forrester released or report called the Algorithm

(03:43):
of Authenticity, and one of theleads into it is a summary post called
Consumers Crave Authenticity, and that shortpost makes three key points. The first
one I'll just quote authenticity communicates brandvalue, strengthens the relationship between cosumers and
brands, and measurably improves customer experiencequality. So it communicates value strengthens relationships

(04:08):
and improves customer experience. Point twoagain a quote seventy one percent of consumers
say that they can relate to authenticbrands and therefore want to back them,
And seventy percent report that authentic brandsgive them a quote stronger feeling of confidence.
So there's preference and confidence where peoplefeel authenticity, And there are three

(04:30):
components of authenticity. This is thethird point our continuity, credibility, and
character. So again, authenticity iscomposed of continuity, stability, and the
likelihood to persist. Credibility, thefulfillment of the promises we make, and
character customers perceptions of our values andintentions. And that character intention piece is

(04:53):
key. People need to know ourintent They're looking for it subconsciously in every
interaction. Can we be trusted?Do we seem to believe what we're saying
and therefore can they seem to believewhat we're saying? Do we have their
best interests in mind? Do weunderstand them or want to understand them?
These are things that humans need andwant and where it is felt, we

(05:15):
assign some degree of authenticity. Sowhy am I talking about authenticity? Well,
first, again, it improves customerexperience per Forrester we just heard it.
But also because humans do not associateAI with authenticity and more on that
in just a few minutes, Andbecause we're trying to figure out the right
roles for people and the right rolesper machine per many conversations on this podcast

(05:39):
and per our day to day realityas working professionals. And by the way,
that Forrester Report and some of theother things I'm referencing are all linked
up. If you go to bombombdot com slash podcast and look for episode
two sixty one on showing your workin the Age of AI, it's all
right there for you, and it'sall really good stuff. So customer crave

(06:00):
authenticity and it's something we associate withhumanity. So now a couple takeaways from
that HBr Idea Cast episode. It'sa little fun fact on it. It's
episode nine one one. Its titleis how Generative AI Changes Creativity and it's
part of a series called how GenerativeAI Changes Everything. So this episode nine

(06:23):
one one on generative AI and creativity, super interesting, tons of great information
in there, and it's broken intotwo parts. The first is an interview
with creator designer animator Don Allen Stevensonthe third. The second is with Jacqueline
ing Lane, an assistant professor atHarvard Business School, and David D.
Kremer, a professor and dean atNortheastern University. So I'll speak to a

(06:46):
couple of points in the second half. First, in it, David Dkremer
reports that people still see authenticity asa human quality. It is a quality
that AI and automation cannot possess.We do not assign that value to machines
and machine output. And to quotehim, it will still be important from
an economic point of view that customerstakeholders see that the final product is one

(07:12):
that has handpicked, so to say, by the individual, by a human
being. Customers want to know thatthere was a human touch in that passage.
In that section, he also reallyhits home the idea of the both
and model of machines and humans workingtogether. And it's not as simple as
efficiency and emotion or efficiency and authenticity, but those are definitely key themes.

(07:36):
The first half was as specially interestingas Don Allen Stevenson. The third breaks
apart the output from the process.You heard that a little bit from Decremer
as well, but specifically Don AllenStevenson. The third emphasizes the importance of
quote showing your work in a worldwhere the output is not going to be

(07:58):
enough to understand the value end quote. This is the line that the title
of the episode comes from, showingyour work. His delivery to his clients
now is as much about the processabout showing his work as it is about
the output itself, the final deliverable. This is a total flip, and
it's driven by the idea that peopleneed and want to see human input,

(08:24):
human fingerprints, the human touch.This helps us understand the value. This
is in fact where we assign alot of the value. Again, I
encourage you to check out that fullepisode, episode nine hundred eleven of the
Idea Cast from Harvard Business Review excellentpodcast. Now back to the annoying and

(08:45):
dreaded follow up email. The valueof this email is at least as much
about showing your work as it isabout all the bullet points and the details
that AI can rip out of thetranscript. Your work is listening, understanding,
and having a plan to help themmove forward. This piece of communication
has a human component, an emotionalcomponent. So to do here is to

(09:11):
try this follow up email, perhapswith AI generated bullet points, but also
with a truly personal video message.I teach dozens of video use cases.
Hit me up on LinkedIn. I'mhappy to talk about presale, post sale
prospects, customers, recruits, employees, partners, vendors. Of all the
different times and all the different waysthat we're communicating with these people, we

(09:35):
would do a much better job inmany of them if we used a video
message. But when I'm teaching andtraining on video email and video messaging to
improve CX and EX, I callthis video, in particular, the one
after the initial phone call or videocall, after the initial meeting, wherever
it takes place, I call thisthe money video. There are all these

(09:58):
different things you can do, butI like this one as well as any
video, except perhaps the thank youvideo. The reason you want to include
a video is it allows you tomeet them where they are. You know
whether they came to you out ofexcitement to turn a good thing into a
great thing, or whether they cameout of concern or desperation. Everything's on
fire, and you can emotionally meetthem where they are. In that video,

(10:22):
you can readdress any concerns or objectionsthat came up, as well as
anything that was exciting or interesting tothem. You can reiterate salient points and
of course the next steps, andmost importantly, you can convey a basic
vision for the future, one thatis better than a future that doesn't include
you, one that's better than thefuture that they face alone. And of

(10:43):
course you can refer to the bulletpoints down below. Both and but this
is showing your work. You're notjust a bot cranking through details and cranking
out activities. You're there to buildtrust, build relationship, provide guidance,
demonstrate expertise and help them move forward. And if you're not doing that,

(11:05):
or you can't do that, perhapsyou shouldn't be in that role. Another
key reason you want to do thisin a video is this allows you to
create presence within the account, withinthe company. Let's say one or two
people were in the meeting around thecall, there were probably one or two
more, if not eight or twelvemore other people who will influence or perhaps

(11:28):
even make the decision. When yousend a video along with the bullet points,
perhaps AI generated bullet points, youget to position and characterize the entire
opportunity. You get to demonstrate yourexpertise. You get to provide that guidance,
and you're now someone that is easilyforwarded by the recipient of that message

(11:50):
to other people inside that company.Inside that account, they get to feel
like they know you before they evermeet you. You don't have to rely
on the person who is in themeeting to be your proxy inside that account.
It's so much easier just to forwardyou than it is for them to
kind of capture and convey all theinformation. They'll probably do their own version
of that too, but this addsa distinct layer of authenticity, value,

(12:13):
trust, and confidence to the processat a critical stage of the journey.
This idea applies at many critical pointsalong the journey. I just wanted to
speak to this one in particular becauseit helps us think about what jobs are
right for people, what jobs areright for machines. Just because something is
dreaded or annoying doesn't mean it's notthe right thing to do. Our job

(12:37):
is not to find the easiest thingto do, or the fastest thing to
do, or the most efficient thingto do. All the time, we
do need to consider those things.They need to factor into our decision,
but ultimately, what is the bestthing for the customer. What's best for
you in moving the relationship and theopportunity forward. What's going to drive the

(12:58):
best outcome for every one? Twoquick recommendations if this theme or topics interesting
to you. Two episodes of theCustomer Experience podcast that released very close to
one another episode one hundred and fiftywith doctor Nick Morgan. We called why
your Virtual Relationships Degrade over Time?That language around intent and motivation came from

(13:20):
doctor Nick Morgan. He provides tonsof insight there about digital, virtual and
online connection and relationship, and asyou can tell by the title, we
need to supplement it with some humanto human moments, including asynchronous recorded video
messages like the one I just described. So it's episode one hundred and fifty
with doctor Nick Morgan, and thena little bit more recently episode one hundred

(13:41):
and fifty five with doctor Rowland Rustfrom the University of Maryland. We call
that one How artificial intelligence is drivingthe feeling Economy. He characterizes the types
of tasks that are being taken overby AI and describes the role the unique
human value that each of us stillhas as we move into the feeling economy.

(14:05):
One of the things we talk aboutin that episode again, Episode one
fifty five with doctor Roland Rust ishis list of the ten Feeling Economy jobs
and sales and related is on theresales and related including any situation where we
need to create, advance, activateor reactivate, sustain, or even save

(14:28):
a commercial relationship or an opportunity.And now that I'm thinking about it,
another one you might like is episodetwo fifty four embracing a psychology based sales
approach with Jeff Shore, and wego back and forth quite a bit on
doing what's easiest or doing what's mostefficient versus doing what's right, specifically what's

(14:48):
right for the customer. As wethink about implementing AI, automation and other
machine driven activity. The solution isboth, and we need to be thoughtful.
It's not just about efficiency alone.CX and EX are both enhanced by
unique human value, especially when thetime and effort required is considered in determining

(15:13):
the best spots to make it happen. My name is Ethan Butte hit me
up on LinkedIn. Last name isspelled b Eute. Would love to know
what you think about any of theseideas, and again I'm happy to talk
with you about ways to rehumanize thecustomer journey rehumanize the employee journey with recorded
video messages. It's something I've beenworking on for more than a dozen years

(15:35):
now. I've written two books onthe topic, including a Wall Street Journal
bestseller that's absolutely free at bombomb dotcom slash free book. That one is
called Human Centered Communication, and Iwelcome your feedback on that book, on
this podcast or anything else Again.Ethan Butte on LinkedIn. I appreciate you,
Thank you for listening, and havea great day. A marketing futurist

(15:56):
from Salesforce, the first person atHubSpot, an emotional intelligence expert with seven
US patents in the analysis of facialcoding data. These are just three of
more than a dozen experts featured inthe Wall Street Journal bestseller Human Centered Communication,
a business Case against Digital Pollution.The purpose of the book to give

(16:19):
you frameworks, strategies, and specifictactics to create human connection across the digital
divide. Learn to break through thenoise, build trust, and enhance your
reputation and revenue despite the ever increasingdigital noise and pollution that separates us all.
Get your copy of Human Centered Communicationabsolutely free at Bombomb dot com slash

(16:45):
free book. That's bomb bomb dotcom slash free book. Thanks for listening
to the Customer Experience Podcast. Rememberthe single most important thing you can do
today is to create and deliver abetter experience for your customers. Continue learning
the latest strategies and tactics by subscribingright now in your favorite podcast player,

(17:07):
or visit bombomb dot com slash podcasts