How AI Can Make You More Human in Sales

Artificial intelligence is changing sales faster than almost any other profession.

Artificial intelligence is changing sales faster than almost any other technology we've seen.

Every day, new tools promise to write emails, find prospects, schedule meetings, and automate outreach. Some companies are even claiming AI can replace entire sales teams.

It sounds impressive, but according to Lauren Goodell, that's not where the real opportunity lies.

On this episode of The Germinate Podcast, Lauren shares a different perspective. She believes AI isn't here to replace great salespeople. It's here to help them spend more time doing what they've always done best, building relationships.

Buyers Are Tuning Out

Think about your own inbox.

How many sales emails do you delete without even opening?

Most of us receive dozens every day, and many of them sound exactly the same. They're clearly automated, overly personalized in all the wrong ways, and focused more on selling than solving a problem.

Lauren calls this "The Great Ignore."

As AI has made it easier to send thousands of messages at once, buyers have become even better at ignoring them.

The result is simple. Sending more emails doesn't create more opportunities. Creating better conversations does.

AI Should Create More Time for People

One of the biggest misconceptions about AI is that it's designed to replace human interaction.

Lauren sees it differently.

She uses AI to eliminate repetitive tasks so sales professionals can spend more time with customers.

Imagine asking AI to build the most efficient driving route for a day of customer visits.

Or using it to summarize research before an important meeting.

Or having it draft an email that you can personalize before hitting send.

Those are the kinds of tasks AI excels at.

Instead of spending hours on administrative work, salespeople can invest that time where it matters most: listening, asking better questions, and building trust.

Relationships Still Win

Lauren's career is proof that relationships outlast products, companies, and job titles.

After years of selling at Microsoft and Salesforce, she launched her own business. One of her very first customers wasn't someone new.

It was a prospect she had built a relationship with years earlier.

That relationship didn't happen because of automation.

It happened because someone remembered how she showed up, how she communicated, and the trust she built over time.

Technology can help you start conversations.

Only people can build lasting relationships.

Your Personal Brand Is Your Biggest Asset

Another lesson Lauren shares is one that many professionals overlook.

People don't just buy from companies anymore.

They buy from people.

When she first started posting on LinkedIn, it felt uncomfortable. She questioned whether anyone would care about her experiences or insights.

Over time, those authentic posts became one of the biggest drivers of her business.

By sharing what she was learning about entrepreneurship, AI, leadership, and sales, she built credibility long before someone needed her services.

That visibility created opportunities no cold email ever could.

The Future Belongs to Salespeople Who Adapt

AI isn't slowing down.

The tools will continue getting smarter. They'll write faster, analyze more data, and automate more tasks than ever before.

But that doesn't make human connection less valuable.

It makes it even more important.

The sales professionals who succeed won't be the ones who automate every interaction. They'll be the ones who use AI to remove busy work so they can spend more time connecting with customers.

At the end of the day, people still want to work with people they trust.

Technology can make us more productive.

It's up to us to make sure it also makes us more human.

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