By Shane Gibson Keynote AI Speaker and Sales Author

This is podcast is my full AI Sales Keynote that I delivered in Montreal, Quebec (Canada) at the MicroAge Innovation Conference almost a year ago. This conference was a business growth focused conference for IT Channel MSPs and MSSPs across Canada. There’s a few stats that needed updating but I decided to share it with my podcast listeners anyway. AI has changed a lot in 12 months, but surprisingly most sales leaders and sales pros are still not operating with a full AI Sales Mindset. You can find the entire AI Keynote Video further down in this post.

There was a moment in Montreal at the MicroAge innovation conference that said it all. I looked out at the audience after they watched a video of “me” speaking, except it wasn’t me. It was a hyper-realistic avatar built using HeyGen, speaking in my voice, moving like me, and even delivering my message in French, Mandarin, (or any of 30 languages).

The audience responded with a mix of fascination and discomfort. Some were clearly inspired. Others were visibly uneasy yet still found the humour in it. That one experience summed up exactly where we are with artificial intelligence right now: intrigued and impressed, but also a little unnerved.

We’re fascinated by what AI can do, but we’re also questioning where it will take us. And as sales professionals, we’re asking the biggest question of all. Is AI going to help us or replace us?

The question I hear most often from sales leaders and salespeople is whether AI will assist us or replace us. My answer is simple. It will do both.

AI is already replacing parts of our jobs. Writing proposals. Following up on leads. Translating languages. Analyzing client behavior. These used to be tasks only humans could perform. Now, they’re being done by machines faster, cheaper, and in many cases, better. Salespeople who insist on not using the tools to do this stuff are spending hours on tasks while they’re competitors and increasing real live face time with clients.

So the real question becomes: Will you be replaced by AI or will you be empowered by it?

AI can’t replicate your emotional intelligence, your ability to tell stories, or your intuition when navigating a tough negotiation. But it can do a lot of the heavy lifting.

AI tools can research your prospects before your first meeting. They can draft personalized outreach messages. They can track buying signals and recommend your next move. While you’re sleeping, AI can be generating follow-up content, qualifying leads, and building momentum in your pipeline.

That doesn’t make you less relevant. It makes you more available to do what matters most: building relationships, solving problems, and creating trust.

Here’s what I’m doing right now with AI in my own business:

Every tool I use frees up more time for strategic thinking and human connection.

Here are some of the quotes from my keynote that got the biggest reactions. These aren’t just soundbites. They’re starting points for the way we all need to think about selling with AI:

Sales leadership today isn’t about checking activity metrics and handing out quotas. It’s about building a team that can think, adapt, and collaborate, with AI as a partner. Everyone on your sales team should be working in tandem with an AI Assistant.

The modern sales leader needs to create a culture of curiosity, experimentation, and execution. This means training your people to use the right tools, not just for the sake of technology, but to get better at the fundamentals: listening, solving problems, and driving value.

Some leaders are resisting this shift. I hear them say things like, “We’ve been doing it this way for 20 years.” And my answer is simple. So did Blockbuster.

The tools are changing. The tech is moving fast. But the reason people buy hasn’t changed.

Buyers want to feel heard. They want to trust you. They want a partner who understands their world and can help them navigate it. AI can’t do that. But you can.

The beauty of AI is that it gives us time back. Time to coach. Time to think. Time to show up better in every human conversation. The future of selling is both high-tech and high-touch.

AI isn’t the enemy of sales. It’s the new playing field. And just like every other shift we’ve seen social media, mobile, video, those who adapt early are the ones who dominate later. Early adoption will have expensive failed experiments attached to them, but no where as expensive as being a laggard when it comes to AI. Being behind by a year will feel like being 10 years behind, and it’s not just up leap frogging with better tech to catch-up because it also requires building an AI mindset and culture in your organization.

AI is here to stay. What’s your game plan? To be more specific… what sales workflows are you automating and elevating with AI?

– Shane

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