February 13, 2025 • 19 mins
In this episode, we’re discussing the key differences between “closed” and “open” AI tools. We’ll also break down how Sales Accelerator AI, CSS’ own closed AI system, is designed to address the unique challenges salespeople regularly face.
And helping Matt explore it all is Stephanie Downs, SVP/Senior Consultant at The Center for Sales Strategy.
Stephanie offers so many awesome things to think about, like:
- How closed AI tools can offer more tailored responses by working solely from the information that you teach it
- How, when open AI tools don’t know an answer, they often produce “hallucinations,” filling in the gaps with inaccurate information
- And, finally, why sellers who are leery about embracing these tools need to understand that AI is not the future, it's the present
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Matt Sunshine (00:05):
Welcome to Improving Sales Performance, a
podcast highlighting tips andinsights aimed at helping sales
organizations realize, and maybeeven exceed, their goals.
Here we chat with thoughtleaders, experts and gurus who
have years of sales experiencefrom a wide range of industries.
I'm your host, matt Sunshine,ceo at the Center for Sales
Strategy, a sales performanceconsulting company.
(00:27):
In this episode, we'rediscussing the key differences
between closed and open AI tools.
We'll also break down how SalesAccelerator AI CSS's own closed
AI system is designed toaddress the unique challenges
(00:50):
salespeople regularly face, andhelping me explore it all is
Stephanie Downs, svp, seniorConsultant at the Center for
Sales Strategy.
Stephanie offers so many awesomethings to think about, like how
closed AI tools can offer moretailored responses by working
solely from the information thatyou teach it.
(01:12):
How, when open AI tools don'tknow an answer, they often
produce hallucinations, fillingin the gaps with inaccurate
information with inaccurateinformation.
And finally, why sellers whoare leery about embracing these
tools need to understand that AIis not the future, it is the
present.
With that, let's dive into theconversation.
(01:34):
So first, for those who may notbe familiar, can you explain
the difference between what'scalled a closed AI tool versus
an open AI tool?
Stephanie Downs (01:55):
Yeah, yeah.
So the simplest way to explainthat, when you think about open
AI tools, they're publiclyavailable right Now.
When you think about open AItools, they're publicly
available, right.
Anything and everything isavailable.
Anyone can view, anyone canmodify, benefit of that is that
they foster collaboration.
Right, because people can buildoff other people's work because
(02:17):
of it being an open environment.
A closed environment is moreaccess is more restricted.
It's more proprietary.
There's a security measure withclosed walls because it doesn't
pull from the outsides right,it's just from within your
organization.
There's also benefits of thatright.
We'll talk more about that,though, but that's just the high
(02:38):
level differences between thetwo.
Matt Sunshine (02:40):
So a closed environment only knows what it's
been taught what it's told.
Stephanie Downs (02:46):
That's right.
Matt Sunshine (02:47):
And an urban environment will go out and look
for answers and Cross allthings, that's right.
Got it.
All right, so let's talk nowabout the CSS AI tool.
It's called the SalesAccelerator AI.
It is a closed system, so as aclosed AI system specifically
(03:11):
designed, in this case, forsales and all the parts of the
sales process, how does thatdiffer from something like
ChatGPT in terms of bothcapabilities and the types of
problems it can solve?
Stephanie Downs (03:29):
Yeah, for sure, and some of it was how you were
repeating back to me about theclosed system.
I mean, in concept, theyfunction very similar, right?
They function the same way.
The biggest difference fromlike the sales accelerator AI is
because it only knows whatwe've taught it.
It knows our intellectualproperty.
(03:50):
It knows you know ourexperience around sales process
because we've told it everythingthat it knows.
It also offers more tailoredresponses as a result of that
specific to sales process.
You know.
You think about if asalesperson is doing an input
(04:11):
that they're trying to get anappointment with a prospect
using that as an example,they're trying to get an
appointment.
You know.
If they're using chat, gpt,it'll still write an email.
It'll still do the outreach,it'll still create the sequences
.
The difference about salesaccelerator AI is it pulls from
our institutional knowledge.
(04:31):
It pulls for what we teachrelated to that part of the
sales process of using validbusiness reasons and making sure
that it's all about theprospect and not the
organization that thesalesperson represents.
So there's a big difference inthat.
Matt Sunshine (04:49):
Yeah, I had someone explain it to me.
Well, I was explaining it tosomebody and they listened to
what I said and they said, can Igive you a sports analogy?
And I said, sure, lay it on me.
And they said it's kind of likefootball teams.
They all have their own playsand you can ask a football
(05:15):
expert hey, what's the best playto run in this situation?
Lots of right answers,depending on what type of system
you're running.
Right, and one team system isdifferent than another team
system is different than anotherteam system.
So they were selling they wereactually selling me on why sales
(05:37):
accelerator AI is so valuablefor their own company, because
it's consistent with the systemthat they run.
Stephanie Downs (05:45):
It's a good word for it.
Matt Sunshine (05:46):
And I was like, ah, you know what, I had not
thought about it that way, butyou're right, it is consistent.
It's maybe no better or worsethan something else out there,
but it's all consistent witheach other.
Stephanie Downs (05:58):
It's a great analogy.
Matt Sunshine (05:59):
So what are some specific examples of how the
sales accelerator AI can helpsalespeople to overcome those
common challenges that might bedifficult to address with and we
keep saying chat GPT, but itcould be copilot.
Stephanie Downs (06:18):
It could be any AI tool.
Matt Sunshine (06:20):
Or any of them, that's right.
Stephanie Downs (06:22):
Yeah, yes.
So I think there's a couple ofthings, but one thing that
really resonates with me, whenyou think about more of a closed
system like Sales AcceleratorAI, is you avoid issues like
with hallucinations.
Yeah, I mean, that would be one.
There's a lot of benefits, butthat's a biggie because you
(06:42):
think about open AI tools ofbenefits, but that's a biggie
because you think about open AItools when they don't know the
answer or they don't have anexact example.
It fills in the gaps, right.
It generates outputs.
It could be false, it could bemisleading, it could just be
wrong information, maybeoutdated information, and you
(07:02):
avoid that when you have like asales accelerator AI, because it
doesn't pull from outsideacross all platforms, across
other things.
It only knows what it knows andwhat we've taught it.
Matt Sunshine (07:14):
For example, yeah , those hallucinations are real
right.
Stephanie Downs (07:19):
Oh, they're very real, but that's why so
many companies are scared abouthaving their sales teams other
than the security factor I mean,that's another part of this
conversation but that's why somany companies are really
concerned about having theirteams use open source AIs.
Matt Sunshine (07:37):
Yeah, because the response that it gives is
delivered quickly andarticulately right.
If you don't know, you don'tknow, and if you don't know you
read it, You're like well, itmust, must be right.
Stephanie Downs (07:52):
Must be true.
Matt Sunshine (07:53):
Because it says it so, and even sometimes we'll
give examples, and but I meanthere's the famous, you know the
famous flub, I guess, of thelawyer that used chat GPT or one
of the open AI sources I don'tknow if it was chat GPT or not
and quoted a case, madereference to a case that didn't
(08:18):
exist.
Stephanie Downs (08:19):
Yeah.
Matt Sunshine (08:20):
And I think that person was yeah lost his law
license, so yeah, I get it, yeah.
So let's go back to this.
How, how does you know?
I think, when people thinkabout AI, and I think what
they're trying to do is thatthey're trying to be more
(08:41):
productive, yeah, createefficiencies.
Yeah, sure.
So how does the salesaccelerator AI help salespeople
to improve efficiencies, becomemore productive, all without
sacrificing the fact thatthere's a human here that's
doing the work?
Stephanie Downs (09:00):
Yeah, yeah, a few different things on that.
Ai should be seen as asupportive tool, like that.
It is helping create thoseefficiencies.
It is helping us do our jobfaster and even better in some
cases.
But it's a supportive tool,it's not a replacement tool.
I guess it can be, but itshouldn't be seen that way.
(09:23):
Right, it definitely improvesefficiencies, but you have to
have the human element.
So you think about salesaccelerator AI.
It can draft tailor emails andmessages that save time, but the
seller, the salespeople orsales leaders or whoever you
still need to add the personaltouch.
(09:44):
You still have to add theclient-specific research.
You still have to add you knowthe information you know based
off the research you've done onthe prospect or the research
that you just have from thehuman side still brings the
relationship.
It still brings the engagingwith clients and that
(10:13):
interaction.
The tool just helps us do itbetter.
But you still have to have thepeople piece of it.
Matt Sunshine (10:21):
Yeah, I would hate to lose the people element,
for sure.
But equally, it'd be wrong notto use AI.
Right, it'd be wrong to not useit and wrong to overuse it.
You got to find that sweet spot.
Stephanie Downs (10:37):
That's right Salespeople in today's
environment.
Shame on them if they're notusing it.
I actually was on the phone.
I was actually on the phonewith a salesperson just in the
last couple of weeks and we werehaving a conversation about AI.
It was something very similarto this and she actually said to
me I've never used it, I don'twant to use it, and I I was
(11:03):
pretty direct in my response toher in saying I appreciate why
she feels that way.
She's looking at what sheinterprets as the negative
consequence of using AI.
She's not seeing the benefitsof how it really can help us do
our job and our work and it canhelp us be better at it too, not
just efficiencies.
Matt Sunshine (11:24):
Yeah, I agree.
So while we could go on and onabout all the ways that AI can
be incredibly helpful,incredibly useful help with
efficiencies, help with ideationso many different things that
AI can do, and I know we boththink that smart salespeople and
(11:44):
smart sales teams are using iteffectively let's pause for a
second and think about thelimitations.
Let's just let's slow down justfor a second and think about
the limitations of open AI toolsthat we've mentioned before,
when it comes to things likewriting those highly
(12:07):
personalized emails ordeveloping any sort of a nuanced
strategy.
Give some discussion.
Let's talk a little bit aboutthat.
Stephanie Downs (12:19):
Yeah, it really raises concerns when you think
about that.
Personalized, I mean, if you'rein an open AI situation and
you're entering that, you'recalling on a specific account
and you're using a specific nameof an individual that you're
trying to reach out, it raisesthe concerns about data privacy.
I mean there are securityissues.
(12:42):
I mean AI uses what we tell it.
Right, it uses the informationthat is shared.
It can also feel impersonal.
You know AI can feel impersonal.
It doesn't have that emotionalintelligence to really that
sellers can bring to things andthis isn't specific to
(13:07):
personalized emails, you know,based off, you know what you
were asking me with that but AIcan also.
Really it doesn't do well withcomplex sales scenarios.
It really doesn't I don't knowwhat the right word is for it,
but it doesn't deal well withthose quite so much.
It's not as nuanced as we wouldlike it to be in sales.
Matt Sunshine (13:27):
Not yet.
Stephanie Downs (13:28):
Not yet.
It's a matter of time, that'sprobably true, but sellers are
more equipped to deal with thosesituations in real time and all
of that.
But the biggest thing to me isreally the data privacy issue
and the security issues that areout there.
Matt Sunshine (13:43):
When it comes to that, and I think I'm right when
I say this the majority of thecompanies that we work with,
they care a lot about that.
Stephanie Downs (13:55):
Oh, I think that is 100% accurate, right.
Matt Sunshine (13:59):
I know that every company, almost every company
that we work with, the legaldepartment has had to review our
sales accelerator AI to makesure that it is okay and passes
their standards and all of that.
And I do know that some haverestrictions on what they will
let their people use, even atthe office, because of the
(14:21):
security, and that's reallyimportant you got to look at
that.
Stephanie Downs (14:25):
That's the biggest thing.
Matt Sunshine (14:27):
So last question for you.
This has to do with.
So there are people that arequick to jump on the bandwagon,
like me, like I am, I am Right.
I am first on the on the.
Let's try it, let's see.
If it doesn't work, it doesn'twork, who cares?
We'll give it a shot.
(14:47):
Let's exclude those people fromthis conversation.
First, what would you say toanyone, specifically in sales,
who still might be leery or theyhaven't embraced AI?
They're not using it as part oftheir daily routine?
What's your message to thesefolks?
Stephanie Downs (15:11):
Regardless of how they feel about it, it is
not going away.
It's not going away.
It behooves them to leverage it, to understand it, to utilize
it, to be able to discuss it, tofind ways to incorporate it
(15:32):
that works for them.
It behooves them.
If not, they're going toquickly get left behind.
The things they're worriedabout for them personally is
going to become a reality ifthey don't learn how to use the
tool.
Actually, one of our coworkersI just saw this on LinkedIn
yesterday One of our coworkersused the phrasing that AI is not
(15:53):
the future, it's the present,and I thought no truer words.
I mean it really is, it's today,it's not coming, but truly I
mean salespeople or anyone thatis not really utilizing the tool
for the ways that it canbenefit them.
(16:14):
They need to figure it outbecause it truly can help them
create efficiencies.
It can help them, you know,understand trends and look at
data, insights and all thethings that can just make them
better at their job and moreproductive and have better you
know customer relationships andimprove their sales performance.
(16:36):
They just need to figure outhow to use it to benefit them.
Matt Sunshine (16:41):
Yeah it's.
You know, these things comealong from time to time like the
Internet, right Computers,Computers, right Computers, the
Internet, the smartphone, right,and you said, oh, I'm not going
to do that, I don't need that,I don't want.
I mean, I would imagine whenthe car first came around, there
(17:01):
were people like I'm not goingto get in that, no way.
It's not going away.
Yeah, it's not going away.
It's not going.
I mean, there's a scene in oneof the prequels to to
yellowstone I can't rememberwhich one one of the prequels to
yellowstone.
They, uh, they're walking downmain street and there's a brand
new washing machine being demoedand they say to each other,
(17:26):
like who, who would want that?
I mean, look what it's going todo to your clothes, who would
ever use a washing machine?
But that's probably true, right?
That's the way I think about AIand all of those things.
It's like people probably lookat that and go, why would we
ever do that?
I can just do it myself and Iget that thinking.
I get it at surface level butit's not going anywhere and if
(17:49):
you don't embrace it.
So then the question justbecomes which AI do I use and
how do I use it?
And I think that gets back towhat you started off by
explaining at the top of thispodcast, explaining at the top
(18:10):
of this podcast the differencebetween open AI tools and closed
AI tools and the value of eachof them, because they each bring
unique value.
Stephanie Downs (18:15):
They do yeah.
Matt Sunshine (18:17):
You got to pick and choose.
When do you want to use whichone, and both have benefits.
Exactly, I think that's a greatplace for us to wrap up.
We could actually probably do afive-hour podcast on all of
this.
It could be all day, but I thinkwe touched on some of the
really important main topics.
I have a feeling that anyonewho listens to this is going to
(18:40):
have some additional questions.
So, stephanie, thank you forjoining us.
I'm going to drop your contactinformation, your LinkedIn
information, into the show notesso that anybody that wants to
reach out to you can reach outto you and for everyone that
listened to this.
Thank you so much for listeningto the Improving Sales
(19:01):
Performance Podcast and we'lllook to see you on the next
episode.
Thank you so much, podcast, andwe'll look to see you on thecom
(19:29):
.
There, you can find helpfulresources and content aimed at
improving your sales performance.
Welcome to Improving Sales Performance, a
podcast highlighting tips andinsights aimed at helping sales
organizations realize, and maybeeven exceed, their goals.
Here we chat with thoughtleaders, experts and gurus who
have years of sales experiencefrom a wide range of industries.
I'm your host, matt Sunshine,ceo at the Center for Sales
Strategy, a sales performanceconsulting company.
(00:27):
In this episode, we'rediscussing the key differences
between closed and open AI tools.
We'll also break down how SalesAccelerator AI CSS's own closed
AI system is designed toaddress the unique challenges
(00:50):
salespeople regularly face, andhelping me explore it all is
Stephanie Downs, svp, seniorConsultant at the Center for
Sales Strategy.
Stephanie offers so many awesomethings to think about, like how
closed AI tools can offer moretailored responses by working
solely from the information thatyou teach it.
(01:12):
How, when open AI tools don'tknow an answer, they often
produce hallucinations, fillingin the gaps with inaccurate
information with inaccurateinformation.
And finally, why sellers whoare leery about embracing these
tools need to understand that AIis not the future, it is the
present.
With that, let's dive into theconversation.
(01:34):
So first, for those who may notbe familiar, can you explain
the difference between what'scalled a closed AI tool versus
an open AI tool?
Stephanie Downs (01:55):
Yeah, yeah.
So the simplest way to explainthat, when you think about open
AI tools, they're publiclyavailable right Now.
When you think about open AItools, they're publicly
available, right.
Anything and everything isavailable.
Anyone can view, anyone canmodify, benefit of that is that
they foster collaboration.
Right, because people can buildoff other people's work because
(02:17):
of it being an open environment.
A closed environment is moreaccess is more restricted.
It's more proprietary.
There's a security measure withclosed walls because it doesn't
pull from the outsides right,it's just from within your
organization.
There's also benefits of thatright.
We'll talk more about that,though, but that's just the high
(02:38):
level differences between thetwo.
Matt Sunshine (02:40):
So a closed environment only knows what it's
been taught what it's told.
Stephanie Downs (02:46):
That's right.
Matt Sunshine (02:47):
And an urban environment will go out and look
for answers and Cross allthings, that's right.
Got it.
All right, so let's talk nowabout the CSS AI tool.
It's called the SalesAccelerator AI.
It is a closed system, so as aclosed AI system specifically
(03:11):
designed, in this case, forsales and all the parts of the
sales process, how does thatdiffer from something like
ChatGPT in terms of bothcapabilities and the types of
problems it can solve?
Stephanie Downs (03:29):
Yeah, for sure, and some of it was how you were
repeating back to me about theclosed system.
I mean, in concept, theyfunction very similar, right?
They function the same way.
The biggest difference fromlike the sales accelerator AI is
because it only knows whatwe've taught it.
It knows our intellectualproperty.
(03:50):
It knows you know ourexperience around sales process
because we've told it everythingthat it knows.
It also offers more tailoredresponses as a result of that
specific to sales process.
You know.
You think about if asalesperson is doing an input
(04:11):
that they're trying to get anappointment with a prospect
using that as an example,they're trying to get an
appointment.
You know.
If they're using chat, gpt,it'll still write an email.
It'll still do the outreach,it'll still create the sequences
.
The difference about salesaccelerator AI is it pulls from
our institutional knowledge.
(04:31):
It pulls for what we teachrelated to that part of the
sales process of using validbusiness reasons and making sure
that it's all about theprospect and not the
organization that thesalesperson represents.
So there's a big difference inthat.
Matt Sunshine (04:49):
Yeah, I had someone explain it to me.
Well, I was explaining it tosomebody and they listened to
what I said and they said, can Igive you a sports analogy?
And I said, sure, lay it on me.
And they said it's kind of likefootball teams.
They all have their own playsand you can ask a football
(05:15):
expert hey, what's the best playto run in this situation?
Lots of right answers,depending on what type of system
you're running.
Right, and one team system isdifferent than another team
system is different than anotherteam system.
So they were selling they wereactually selling me on why sales
(05:37):
accelerator AI is so valuablefor their own company, because
it's consistent with the systemthat they run.
Stephanie Downs (05:45):
It's a good word for it.
Matt Sunshine (05:46):
And I was like, ah, you know what, I had not
thought about it that way, butyou're right, it is consistent.
It's maybe no better or worsethan something else out there,
but it's all consistent witheach other.
Stephanie Downs (05:58):
It's a great analogy.
Matt Sunshine (05:59):
So what are some specific examples of how the
sales accelerator AI can helpsalespeople to overcome those
common challenges that might bedifficult to address with and we
keep saying chat GPT, but itcould be copilot.
Stephanie Downs (06:18):
It could be any AI tool.
Matt Sunshine (06:20):
Or any of them, that's right.
Stephanie Downs (06:22):
Yeah, yes.
So I think there's a couple ofthings, but one thing that
really resonates with me, whenyou think about more of a closed
system like Sales AcceleratorAI, is you avoid issues like
with hallucinations.
Yeah, I mean, that would be one.
There's a lot of benefits, butthat's a biggie because you
(06:42):
think about open AI tools ofbenefits, but that's a biggie
because you think about open AItools when they don't know the
answer or they don't have anexact example.
It fills in the gaps, right.
It generates outputs.
It could be false, it could bemisleading, it could just be
wrong information, maybeoutdated information, and you
(07:02):
avoid that when you have like asales accelerator AI, because it
doesn't pull from outsideacross all platforms, across
other things.
It only knows what it knows andwhat we've taught it.
Matt Sunshine (07:14):
For example, yeah , those hallucinations are real
right.
Stephanie Downs (07:19):
Oh, they're very real, but that's why so
many companies are scared abouthaving their sales teams other
than the security factor I mean,that's another part of this
conversation but that's why somany companies are really
concerned about having theirteams use open source AIs.
Matt Sunshine (07:37):
Yeah, because the response that it gives is
delivered quickly andarticulately right.
If you don't know, you don'tknow, and if you don't know you
read it, You're like well, itmust, must be right.
Stephanie Downs (07:52):
Must be true.
Matt Sunshine (07:53):
Because it says it so, and even sometimes we'll
give examples, and but I meanthere's the famous, you know the
famous flub, I guess, of thelawyer that used chat GPT or one
of the open AI sources I don'tknow if it was chat GPT or not
and quoted a case, madereference to a case that didn't
(08:18):
exist.
Stephanie Downs (08:19):
Yeah.
Matt Sunshine (08:20):
And I think that person was yeah lost his law
license, so yeah, I get it, yeah.
So let's go back to this.
How, how does you know?
I think, when people thinkabout AI, and I think what
they're trying to do is thatthey're trying to be more
(08:41):
productive, yeah, createefficiencies.
Yeah, sure.
So how does the salesaccelerator AI help salespeople
to improve efficiencies, becomemore productive, all without
sacrificing the fact thatthere's a human here that's
doing the work?
Stephanie Downs (09:00):
Yeah, yeah, a few different things on that.
Ai should be seen as asupportive tool, like that.
It is helping create thoseefficiencies.
It is helping us do our jobfaster and even better in some
cases.
But it's a supportive tool,it's not a replacement tool.
I guess it can be, but itshouldn't be seen that way.
(09:23):
Right, it definitely improvesefficiencies, but you have to
have the human element.
So you think about salesaccelerator AI.
It can draft tailor emails andmessages that save time, but the
seller, the salespeople orsales leaders or whoever you
still need to add the personaltouch.
(09:44):
You still have to add theclient-specific research.
You still have to add you knowthe information you know based
off the research you've done onthe prospect or the research
that you just have from thehuman side still brings the
relationship.
It still brings the engagingwith clients and that
(10:13):
interaction.
The tool just helps us do itbetter.
But you still have to have thepeople piece of it.
Matt Sunshine (10:21):
Yeah, I would hate to lose the people element,
for sure.
But equally, it'd be wrong notto use AI.
Right, it'd be wrong to not useit and wrong to overuse it.
You got to find that sweet spot.
Stephanie Downs (10:37):
That's right Salespeople in today's
environment.
Shame on them if they're notusing it.
I actually was on the phone.
I was actually on the phonewith a salesperson just in the
last couple of weeks and we werehaving a conversation about AI.
It was something very similarto this and she actually said to
me I've never used it, I don'twant to use it, and I I was
(11:03):
pretty direct in my response toher in saying I appreciate why
she feels that way.
She's looking at what sheinterprets as the negative
consequence of using AI.
She's not seeing the benefitsof how it really can help us do
our job and our work and it canhelp us be better at it too, not
just efficiencies.
Matt Sunshine (11:24):
Yeah, I agree.
So while we could go on and onabout all the ways that AI can
be incredibly helpful,incredibly useful help with
efficiencies, help with ideationso many different things that
AI can do, and I know we boththink that smart salespeople and
(11:44):
smart sales teams are using iteffectively let's pause for a
second and think about thelimitations.
Let's just let's slow down justfor a second and think about
the limitations of open AI toolsthat we've mentioned before,
when it comes to things likewriting those highly
(12:07):
personalized emails ordeveloping any sort of a nuanced
strategy.
Give some discussion.
Let's talk a little bit aboutthat.
Stephanie Downs (12:19):
Yeah, it really raises concerns when you think
about that.
Personalized, I mean, if you'rein an open AI situation and
you're entering that, you'recalling on a specific account
and you're using a specific nameof an individual that you're
trying to reach out, it raisesthe concerns about data privacy.
I mean there are securityissues.
(12:42):
I mean AI uses what we tell it.
Right, it uses the informationthat is shared.
It can also feel impersonal.
You know AI can feel impersonal.
It doesn't have that emotionalintelligence to really that
sellers can bring to things andthis isn't specific to
(13:07):
personalized emails, you know,based off, you know what you
were asking me with that but AIcan also.
Really it doesn't do well withcomplex sales scenarios.
It really doesn't I don't knowwhat the right word is for it,
but it doesn't deal well withthose quite so much.
It's not as nuanced as we wouldlike it to be in sales.
Matt Sunshine (13:27):
Not yet.
Stephanie Downs (13:28):
Not yet.
It's a matter of time, that'sprobably true, but sellers are
more equipped to deal with thosesituations in real time and all
of that.
But the biggest thing to me isreally the data privacy issue
and the security issues that areout there.
Matt Sunshine (13:43):
When it comes to that, and I think I'm right when
I say this the majority of thecompanies that we work with,
they care a lot about that.
Stephanie Downs (13:55):
Oh, I think that is 100% accurate, right.
Matt Sunshine (13:59):
I know that every company, almost every company
that we work with, the legaldepartment has had to review our
sales accelerator AI to makesure that it is okay and passes
their standards and all of that.
And I do know that some haverestrictions on what they will
let their people use, even atthe office, because of the
(14:21):
security, and that's reallyimportant you got to look at
that.
Stephanie Downs (14:25):
That's the biggest thing.
Matt Sunshine (14:27):
So last question for you.
This has to do with.
So there are people that arequick to jump on the bandwagon,
like me, like I am, I am Right.
I am first on the on the.
Let's try it, let's see.
If it doesn't work, it doesn'twork, who cares?
We'll give it a shot.
(14:47):
Let's exclude those people fromthis conversation.
First, what would you say toanyone, specifically in sales,
who still might be leery or theyhaven't embraced AI?
They're not using it as part oftheir daily routine?
What's your message to thesefolks?
Stephanie Downs (15:11):
Regardless of how they feel about it, it is
not going away.
It's not going away.
It behooves them to leverage it, to understand it, to utilize
it, to be able to discuss it, tofind ways to incorporate it
(15:32):
that works for them.
It behooves them.
If not, they're going toquickly get left behind.
The things they're worriedabout for them personally is
going to become a reality ifthey don't learn how to use the
tool.
Actually, one of our coworkersI just saw this on LinkedIn
yesterday One of our coworkersused the phrasing that AI is not
(15:53):
the future, it's the present,and I thought no truer words.
I mean it really is, it's today,it's not coming, but truly I
mean salespeople or anyone thatis not really utilizing the tool
for the ways that it canbenefit them.
(16:14):
They need to figure it outbecause it truly can help them
create efficiencies.
It can help them, you know,understand trends and look at
data, insights and all thethings that can just make them
better at their job and moreproductive and have better you
know customer relationships andimprove their sales performance.
(16:36):
They just need to figure outhow to use it to benefit them.
Matt Sunshine (16:41):
Yeah it's.
You know, these things comealong from time to time like the
Internet, right Computers,Computers, right Computers, the
Internet, the smartphone, right,and you said, oh, I'm not going
to do that, I don't need that,I don't want.
I mean, I would imagine whenthe car first came around, there
(17:01):
were people like I'm not goingto get in that, no way.
It's not going away.
Yeah, it's not going away.
It's not going.
I mean, there's a scene in oneof the prequels to to
yellowstone I can't rememberwhich one one of the prequels to
yellowstone.
They, uh, they're walking downmain street and there's a brand
new washing machine being demoedand they say to each other,
(17:26):
like who, who would want that?
I mean, look what it's going todo to your clothes, who would
ever use a washing machine?
But that's probably true, right?
That's the way I think about AIand all of those things.
It's like people probably lookat that and go, why would we
ever do that?
I can just do it myself and Iget that thinking.
I get it at surface level butit's not going anywhere and if
(17:49):
you don't embrace it.
So then the question justbecomes which AI do I use and
how do I use it?
And I think that gets back towhat you started off by
explaining at the top of thispodcast, explaining at the top
(18:10):
of this podcast the differencebetween open AI tools and closed
AI tools and the value of eachof them, because they each bring
unique value.
Stephanie Downs (18:15):
They do yeah.
Matt Sunshine (18:17):
You got to pick and choose.
When do you want to use whichone, and both have benefits.
Exactly, I think that's a greatplace for us to wrap up.
We could actually probably do afive-hour podcast on all of
this.
It could be all day, but I thinkwe touched on some of the
really important main topics.
I have a feeling that anyonewho listens to this is going to
(18:40):
have some additional questions.
So, stephanie, thank you forjoining us.
I'm going to drop your contactinformation, your LinkedIn
information, into the show notesso that anybody that wants to
reach out to you can reach outto you and for everyone that
listened to this.
Thank you so much for listeningto the Improving Sales
(19:01):
Performance Podcast and we'lllook to see you on the next
episode.
Thank you so much, podcast, andwe'll look to see you on thecom
(19:29):
.
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improving your sales performance.
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