In this episode, Fred is joined by Tom Ridley, an AI sales coach, for a refreshingly grounded conversation about AI in sales.

Instead of racing through a list of tools, Tom makes a different point: AI isn't the story - being human is. The real value of generative AI (ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude) is that it removes the admin-heavy work salespeople hate and frees them up to do what matters most: have better conversations, build stronger relationships, and help customers make sense of complex decisions.

They explore how to use AI to research accounts, focus on the right opportunities, prepare sharper conversations, and even critique proposals through the lens of different stakeholders (CRO, CFO, Procurement). Along the way, they also tackle a real risk: AI can create a false sense of confidence if you stop at surface-level answers, which is why critical thinking and comprehension matter more than ever.

This episode is all about making AI feel accessible and giving listeners permission to start simple, build confidence, and improve one step at a time.

What You'll Learn

• Why AI in sales isn't "about tools" - it's about freeing time to be more human
• What generative AI actually means (and how it differs from older AI like recommendations/analytics)
• How AI helps with the "admin" tasks salespeople avoid: CRM, account research, note tracking
• How to use AI to narrow 300 accounts into a focused "top 20" priority list
• The danger of "AI confidence" without real understanding (Dunning–Kruger in the AI era)
• Why you need to keep probing deeper instead of accepting the first AI response
• How to use AI as a memory + insight engine across long enterprise sales cycles
• Simple ways to use AI to:
• generate questions
• find non-obvious insights
• critique proposals
• roleplay stakeholder objections
• Treating AI like an "employee" you manage - and why prompt clarity matters
• A practical way to measure ROI: did it move you forward and improve the quality of the activity?

"AI can do the tasks salespeople don't like… so you can focus on great conversations."

If AI feels overwhelming, this episode is your reset.

Start simple. Use what you already have. Focus on better conversations, not shiny tools.

And if you want to go deeper, Tom shares how he helps teams build AI into sales workflows from SDR to CRO level.

Connect with Tom

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomridley
• Website: https://amplify-consultancy.com
• Podcast: The Business and Bots Podcast (with Dexter Winters) YouTube: Spotify:

Follow Fred: https://linktr.ee/fredcopestake

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/FnyRVZdj5Xc

Watch Fred's FREE YouTube Course: Sales Mastery for Engineers: https://bit.ly/Sales-Mastery-For-Engineers

Useful resources

• Take the Collaborative Selling Scorecard – free Check how well your sales approach fits today's buying environment https://collaborativeselling.scoreapp.com/