Mike Wilkinson, founder of Axia Value Solutions, joins Mark Stiving to explore how AI is fundamentally changing buying behavior—and why this shift exposes weak value stories more than it threatens good sellers.

In this episode, Mike explains how AI has raised buyer expectations by enabling benchmarking, price testing, and faster comparisons—rewarding sellers who clearly communicate value and exposing those who don't. He and Mark show why AI creates mediocrity when used blindly, and why value clarity—not pricing tricks—determines who wins.

Why You Have to Check Out This Episode:

• Understand how AI is changing buyer expectations—and why buyers now demand clearer value justification before accepting price.
• Learn where AI helps sales—and where it hurts—including why copying AI outputs creates "AI mediocrity" instead of differentiation.
• Discover how value clarity and value literacy become your competitive moat in an AI-saturated selling environment.

"Whatever price you're charging or thinking of charging, make sure that it's supported by the value that you are communicating that you can deliver."

– Mike Wilkinson

Topics Covered:

02:17 – AI Is Changing How Buyers Buy. Buyers now show up informed with comparisons and benchmarks, shifting the focus from persuasion to value justification.

06:00 – How Buyers Use AI When Making Decisions. Why price-focused questions produce very different answers than value-focused ones.

09:08 – Using AI to Support Value Selling. Where AI helps sellers think through value—and where copying AI outputs makes everyone sound the same.

11:32 – The Real Problem: Most Salespeople Don't Understand Value. Why unclear definitions of value break value-based selling, with or without AI.

17:23 – AI as a Sales Assistant, Not a Replacement. How AI supports preparation and thinking, but can't replace real customer conversations.

19:25 – Practical Ways Salespeople Should Use AI. What actually helps sellers win—from research to prep—and what's just busywork.

22:55 – Researching Customers with AI Before the Call. How to use AI to understand the company, the market, and the buyer before the meeting.

27:17 – Pricing Advice: Value Has to Justify Price. Why prices fall apart when sellers can't clearly explain why they're worth it.

Key Takeaways:

"The people who truly understand and communicate value are the people who will rise above that mediocrity." – Mike Wilkinson

"For me, the question in the customer's mind is: if you're more expensive than a competitor, why should I make that additional investment? What do I get back in return? And if the answer is, 'I haven't a clue,' prepare to discount. If you've got some great reasons why you're worth more than competing alternatives, then you're into the conversation." – Mike Wilkinson

People & Resources Mentioned:

• Axia Value Solutions – Mike Wilkinson's consultancy focused on value-based selling and commercial excellence.
• Value-Based Selling – A sales approach centered on discovering, quantifying, and communicating customer-specific value rather than competing on price.
• AI in Sales Enablement – Used for research, preparation, and idea generation—not as a substitute for human judgment or relationship-building.
• Mentioned LinkedIn article in the episode: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/future-selling-ai-world-michael-wilkinson-5brme/

Connect with Mike Wilkinson:

• Website: https://axiavalue.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikewilkinson-thevalueexpert/
• Email: [email protected]

Connect with Mark Stiving:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving
• Email: [email protected]