"Nobody knows what's going on with AI. And anybody who tells you they do is out of their mind."
This brutally honest statement from John Barrows, CEO of JB Sales and the man who's trained over 100,000 sales reps from companies like Zoom, Google, Salesforce, and LinkedIn, cuts straight to the heart of today's sales reality.
But here's the thing - this uncertainty isn't a reason to panic. It's a wake-up call to action. In our latest podcast episode, John shared his unfiltered perspective on how Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) is coming fast, and it will soon become Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI). His analogy? "Think of being an adult managing a kindergarten class. That's what AGI will be like for us."
The message is clear: adapt now or get automated out of the process. But John didn't just identify the problem - he provided a roadmap for sales teams to not just survive, but thrive in this AI-powered future. In this article, we'll analyze his four-step strategy to transform AI from a threat into your ultimate sales superpower.
According to John's insights, sales organizations are standing at a crossroads. They can either resist AI and become irrelevant, or they can learn to work with AI as a superpower. "If we don't empower our teams to learn with this stuff and get us as organizations working together, there's no way we're going to survive," he emphasizes.
This isn't about replacing human skills - it's about amplifying them. The sales professionals who will dominate in the coming years aren't those who can work without AI, but those who can work best with it. Let's dive into John's four practical strategies that can help you get there.
Most sales reps are using AI all wrong. They treat it like a magic answer machine, typing "Write me a cold email" and copying whatever comes out. John calls this approach a recipe for mediocrity.
Instead, he suggests using AI as a curiosity engine - a tool that helps you think deeper, not think less. Here's how to shift your approach:
Rather than asking AI to simply generate content, engage it in a conversation that expands your thinking:
This approach transforms AI from a content generator into a thinking partner. When you're preparing for a sales call, don't just ask AI to write your talking points. Ask it to challenge your assumptions, explore different perspectives, and help you anticipate objections you might not have considered.
John's suggestion to ask for "the exact opposite opinion" is particularly powerful in sales enablement. If AI suggests one approach to handling an objection, asking for the contrarian view helps you prepare for multiple scenarios. This kind of preparation separates top performers from average sales reps.
John's most innovative suggestion involves creating weekly collaborative problem-solving sessions that he calls "sales labs." This isn't just about individual AI usage - it's about building organizational learning at scale.
Every Friday, John recommends holding a 2-hour collaborative problem-solving lab with this structure:
Setup Phase:
Presentation Phase:4. Each group presents their AI-powered solution5. Everyone votes on the best solution and the winner gets recognition
Implementation Phase:
This framework addresses several critical challenges in sales coaching platforms:
The beauty of this system is that it turns your entire sales team into an AI research and development lab. Instead of waiting for training from above, teams organically discover and share the most effective AI applications for their specific challenges.
John shared a personal example that perfectly illustrates where AI should take over immediately. He had his credit card ready to make a $2-3K purchase, couldn't complete the transaction on a company's website, and three days later received a template email requesting a meeting.
His insight? "There is zero need for any inbound SDR role" in scenarios like this.
John's example highlights a broader principle: companies should stop paying humans to do robot work. Here are the types of tasks that should be automated immediately:
When you automate obvious tasks, you free up your human sellers to focus on what they do best: building relationships, handling complex objections, and closing deals. This isn't about reducing headcount - it's about redeploying talent to higher-value activities.
John emphasizes that this transition is happening whether sales leaders embrace it or not. The question isn't if these roles will be automated, but whether your organization will lead the transition or be forced into it by competitors who move first.
Traditional AI sales coaching faces several fundamental problems that John identified:
John envisions an AI coaching system that:
This approach transforms coaching from an occasional event to a continuous improvement process. Instead of waiting for a manager to listen to calls and provide feedback, sales reps get immediate, specific guidance on their performance.
The real power of AI sales coaching platforms like SellMeThisPen AI is scalability. A sales manager can only listen to so many calls and provide so much feedback. AI can analyze every interaction and provide personalized coaching to every rep simultaneously.
John's vision includes AI that can identify specific patterns - like when a rep consistently struggles with pricing objections or tends to talk too much during discovery calls. Instead of generic training, reps receive targeted practice scenarios and coaching based on their individual improvement areas.
Based on John's insights, here's how to start transforming AI into your sales superpower:
Train your team to ask probing questions of AI rather than seeking simple answers. Practice sessions where reps explore different perspectives on common sales scenarios.
Implement the Friday problem-solving labs. Start with a simple challenge like "improving discovery call preparation" and let teams experiment with AI solutions.
Identify the most obvious automation opportunities in your sales process. Start with inbound lead qualification and basic follow-up sequences.
Explore AI voice coach solutions that can provide real-time feedback during calls and personalized coaching recommendations.
John Barrows' insights provide a clear roadmap for sales teams navigating the AI revolution. The four strategies - using AI as a curiosity engine, implementing collaborative problem-solving labs, automating obvious tasks, and deploying AI-powered coaching - aren't just theoretical concepts. They're practical steps that any sales organization can implement starting today.
The key insight John shared is that AI isn't coming to replace human sellers - it's coming to amplify the capabilities of those smart enough to embrace it. The choice is yours: resist and become irrelevant, or learn to work with AI as your sales superpower.
Remember, as John emphasized, "Nobody knows what's going on with AI." But that uncertainty isn't a weakness - it's an opportunity for sales teams willing to experiment, learn, and adapt faster than their competition.
In this episode of SellMeThisPen Podcast, Michael and John dive deep into how AI is reshaping the sales landscape and what sales leaders need to do to stay ahead. They discuss practical strategies for implementing AI in sales organizations, the mindset shifts required for success, and specific tactics for turning AI into a competitive advantage.
John Barrows is the CEO of JB Sales with over 25 years of experience in sales training and enablement. He has trained over 100,000 sales reps from companies like Zoom, Google, Salesforce, and LinkedIn. John is also the host of the "Make It Happen Monday" podcast and is recognized as one of the leading voices in sales training and AI implementation for sales teams.
