Episode 1 - 1.3% investment in female led companies, what sales teams of the future will look like

This episode features a discussion with Helen Kelisky, a prominent executive in IT leadership, formerly with Google Cloud, Salesforce, and IBM. Helen shares insights into her current roles, including advisory positions and angel investing, with a particular focus on supporting female founders. She highlights a significant disparity in funding, noting that only 1.3% of investment money goes to female-founded businesses, despite their often higher success rates. Helen emphasizes the need for 'positive discrimination' and increased support to drive change in this area.

The conversation then shifts to the biggest transformations in modern sales. Helen points out the shift from traditional face-to-face selling to remote and digital approaches, significantly accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. She notes the evolution from intuition-based selling to more data-driven strategies, enabled by the widespread adoption of CRM systems. Buyers have also become more sophisticated due to the internet, arriving at sales conversations with extensive research and expecting hyper-personalization.

AI's impact on sales is a central theme. Helen explains how AI tools, such as AI-infused CRMs (like Salesforce's Einstein One), LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Gemini, ChatGPT, and Calendly, are dramatically increasing seller productivity by automating time-consuming tasks like deep research, email drafting, and meeting scheduling. She views AI as 'augmented intelligence,' freeing up sellers to focus on higher-value activities like relationship building, strategic deal navigation, and fostering trust. While acknowledging that some routine sales jobs might be automated (e.g., cross-selling, up-selling), Helen believes the core sales role will evolve to be more dynamic and strategic. She advises sellers to embrace AI and cultivate a growth mindset, stressing that those who resist might be left behind by competitors who leverage these powerful tools.

Regarding implementation, Helen emphasizes the importance of having clean, well-organized data and carefully selecting use cases where AI can deliver tangible benefits. She also warns against blindly trusting AI, advocating for rigorous testing and a cautious approach to decision-making based solely on AI outputs. Finally, Helen shares her favorite deal: an early e-commerce outsourcing project with a major retailer involving Kate Moss. Despite initial skepticism and significant personal risk, the project succeeded due to a strong, unified team effort and excellent communication, proving the technology's capability and highlighting the importance of strategic foresight and collective commitment.