This is an AI and Sales Brief episode, a sub-brand of the Sales Game Changers Podcast.
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Today’s show featured an interview with AI expert Zeev Wexler, CEO at Wexler, and sales expert Tom Snyder, Founder of Funnel Clarity.
Find Zeev on LinkedIn. Find Tom on LinkedIn.
ZEEV’S TIP: “AI doesn’t fix bad sales processes, it exposes them. If you accelerate a broken workflow, you’re not improving performance; you’re simply making mistakes happen faster. Build the right sales process first, then let AI amplify it.”
TOM’S TIP: “Begin with a workflow based on sound sales practices. Once that foundation is in place, AI can accelerate it in extraordinary ways. The difference between AI applied to a broken process and AI applied to an optimized workflow is almost impossible to overstate.”
THE PODCAST BEGINS HERE
Fred Diamond: I’m excited about today’s conversation. On a regular basis, I speak with Tom Snyder and Zeev Wexler about how sales professionals can use AI to grow their businesses, increase sales, and become more effective.
Tom and Zeev, it’s great to see you again. There is so much happening in AI. Zeev, you frequently discuss how quickly the field is changing, and I follow your posts about new developments, emerging solutions, and the tools becoming available. Today, we’re going to explore a very specific sales question.
First, how are you both doing? Tom, are you excited about what’s happening with AI and selling effectiveness? At the IEPS Selling Essentials Marketplace, we’re very enthusiastic about the solution you and Zeev have developed and what it can offer sales professionals.
Tom Snyder: I am. The key issue is that nearly everyone senses the chaos surrounding how sales organizations are trying to embrace AI, even if they cannot fully articulate it. Many organizations are discovering that poorly managed AI adoption can actually push performance backward.
Through the IEPS, we have recognized the power of combining genuine sales best practices with AI implemented correctly. Our research suggests that fewer than 1% of corporations are doing both of those things well. The results, when they do, are extraordinary. AI can accelerate the implementation and adoption of best practices in ways that are incredibly powerful.
Fred Diamond: As I often do when I bring you both on, I’m going to pose a timely question and ask for your expertise. You have both said that workflow is an essential starting point for effective corporate AI adoption. What do you mean by workflow, and why is it so important? Tom, why don’t you begin?
Tom Snyder: When we use the word workflow, many business leaders assume they understand what it means, but often they do not. In this context, workflow means mapping the full set of processes involved in moving someone from a potential prospect to a renewable customer, including every step that occurs along the way.
The unfortunate reality is that our research suggests more than 99% of corporations operate with a workflow that is suboptimal and does not conform to best practices. Then, when the process fails, the salespeople are often blamed. My view is that we must begin with a workflow based on sound sales practices. Once that foundation is in place, Zeev can help customize and accelerate it with AI.
Zeev Wexler: I’ll start at a high level and then get more specific. AI does not fix bad data; it exposes it. More importantly, AI does not fix bad sales processes; it exposes them. If you put an amplifier on a process that is already flawed, you are not helping yourself. You are accelerating the problem.
I have worked with many companies that wanted to automate sales. Most simply gave salespeople new tools, such as Copilot or another AI platform, and told them to use them. But if the workflow is not clearly defined, how you identify opportunities, prospect, qualify leads, move opportunities through the funnel, and close them, you are simply accelerating a process that does not work.
That is why working with Tom is so valuable. Before AI can accelerate anything, the process itself must be correct. AI can make almost everything faster, but you do not want to drive faster if you do not know how to drive. That is how accidents happen.
The first step is to define the problem. AI should not be adopted simply because it is interesting or because a company wants to appear technologically advanced. It should solve a specific business problem. Are you failing to generate enough prospects? Are you qualifying them poorly? Identify the issue, build the right workflow, and then use AI to improve it. If you simply use AI to do the wrong things faster, you will waste money and eventually conclude that AI does not work for sales.
Fred Diamond: That reminds me of a sports analogy. If you are a poor free-throw shooter, taking 200 bad free throws after practice will not make you better. We have emphasized this repeatedly. Tom, do you have any final thoughts on what Zeev just said?
Tom Snyder: The only thing I would add is that the difference between poorly implemented AI on a suboptimal workflow and correctly implemented AI on an optimized workflow is almost impossible to overstate. People may feel they have heard similar messages before, but in this case the difference in results is genuinely enormous.
Zeev Wexler: I would add one more point. Every salesperson uses email and a computer. AI will eventually become just as fundamental, but far more powerful. The problem is that most people are still using it incorrectly.
Used well, AI can function as a sales coach, a follow-up assistant, a meeting listener, and a consultant that helps move opportunities forward. It can support the salesperson at every stage. The salesperson still makes the decisions, but AI provides structure, context, and guidance.
Many people use AI for only one narrow purpose. They may use it to draft follow-up emails or conduct research. But AI can assist across the entire sales process if it is given the right workflow, the right intelligence, and the right content.
Salespeople are naturally optimistic. We often hear that someone wants to talk and immediately assume the deal will close. AI can help keep that optimism grounded by supporting research, reinforcing good habits, improving prospecting, strengthening follow-up, and assisting with closing. It is like having several specialized assistants helping you reach the same goal: closing more business.
Fred Diamond: Absolutely. The challenge is not only complexity; there are also many tools, ideas, and competing recommendations to consider. If you are listening today, reach out to me, Tom Snyder, or Zeev Wexler. We can help clarify your objectives and build a path toward stronger sales results.
Once again, thank you, Tom Snyder, and thank you, Zeev Wexler. My name is Fred Diamond.