AI in sales is moving fast. Most teams are not.

In this episode of The Unexpected Lever, Jarod Greene sits down with Chad Sly, Vice President of Sales at Braintrust, to talk about what AI adoption actually looks like inside revenue teams. From using AI as a thinking partner for deep account research to diagnosing stalled deals,  they dig into why most AI rollouts fail, how old implementation playbooks break in a high-velocity AI world, and why adoption is a human challenge, not a training issue. Chad also breaks down practical wins, like automating admin work and improving pipeline hygiene, and the risks of treating AI as just another sales tool.

If you lead sellers or carry a quota yourself, this is a grounded look at how to move faster with AI without losing the human edge that closes deals.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• AI as a thinking partner – use AI to pressure test ideas and sharpen deal strategy
• Adoption is a leadership challenge – change management matters more than training
• Automate admin, elevate sellers – offload CRM updates and research to focus on selling

Things to listen for:
(00:00) Introduction

(01:23) Most unexpected personal and professional uses of AI

(02:26) AI for deep account research and financial analysis

(04:30) Chad’s AI origin story and mindset shift

(06:21) Where teams start with AI: Efficiency and admin work

(07:29) Biggest barriers to AI adoption and implementation

(09:00) Top-down mandates vs. bottom-up AI experimentation

(11:10) Early AI wins with mini GPTs for account research

(12:09) Where AI still falls short in sales communication

(13:45) Advice for skeptics and how to get started with AI

(17:09) The sales process AI should automate next

(18:15) Resources, hype, and where to connect with Chad

Sellers confuse AI as a tool that will replace them, but they fail to see that it is raising the standard.

In this episode of The Unexpected Lever, Jarod Greene sits down with Darren Brady, Vice President of Strategic Accounts at Corporate Visions, to discuss how AI is reshaping buyer expectations. With more data at every seller’s fingertips, buyers assume you know their business before the first call.

Darren explains why the appetite for human interaction is actually growing, what true personalization looks like now, and how sellers can meet higher expectations without losing authenticity.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why AI increases buyer expectations – access to data means no excuse for generic outreach
• Personalization is the demand – surface insights that reflect the customer’s business
• Human connection still wins – AI supports preparation, not relationships

Things to listen for:
(00:00) Introduction

(01:09) The unexpected way AI was used to build a full business plan

(03:00) Darren’s AI origin story and the first scalable use case he saw

(04:21) Turning AI into a team-wide business case engine

(05:38) Why AI is raising the bar for seller business acumen

(07:54) When buyers use AI to reshape your business case

(09:30) The evolution of enablement in an AI-driven world

(11:44) The rise of the GTM engineer and AI skill enablement

(13:30) AI wins that scaled across teams

(17:37) AI missteps, broken automations, and rebuilding trust

(20:30) Build, buy, or wait? Navigating AI decisions in uncertain times

(23:13) Practical advice for getting started with AI today

(27:22) Pricing automation, revenue resources, and where to connect

AI can help you deliver better quality, but it depends on how you use it.

In this episode of The Unexpected Lever, Jarod Greene sits down with Seth Marrs, Chief Strategy Officer at Sandler, to cut through the AI hype and focus on what actually moves revenue.

Seth shares why starting with value changes everything, how most teams are sequencing AI incorrectly, and why the real advantage is not speed, but quality.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why value must come before tools – start with the outcome, then apply AI
• What hasn’t changed in go-to-market – strategy still drives results
• Where AI truly creates advantage – quality beats efficiency every time

Things to listen for:
(00:00) Introduction

(01:06) Why sellers spend more time preparing than selling

(01:47) Why AI matters right now for GTM teams

(02:48) Everyday AI use cases that build real fluency

(05:14) AI adoption is actually gaining traction

(08:59) Starting with business value, then applying AI with purpose

(10:55) AI is now delivering quality, not just efficiency

(11:52) Turning sales conversations into insights

(12:42) When AI becomes a shiny object instead of a growth lever

(14:54) Practical advice for operators ready to solve real problems

(15:26) Proving ROI in enablement and why AI is a true partner

AI promises speed and leverage, but trust is still the missing piece.

In this episode of The Unexpected Lever, Jarod Greene is joined by Bill Balnave, Head of Customer Success at Mezmo. Bill has led post-sale, solutions, and customer teams through real AI adoption under real constraints.

Bill shares how necessity forced action, why trust slows teams down, and how leaders should rethink AI as part of their workforce.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why trust breaks AI adoption – Teams hesitate when answers feel unproven
• Where AI creates leverage – Speed comes from removing manual context switching
• Why ownership matters for agents – Unclear roles lead to noise instead of impact

Things to listen for:
(00:00) Introduction
(00:55) How Mezmo helps teams make sense of data

(01:43) The most unexpected ways Bill uses AI

(02:27) What pushed AI from interest to action

(04:52) Why teams struggle to trust AI answers

(09:49) Rethinking AI agents as part of the team

(13:59) The risk of delaying AI adoption

Is high velocity sales really automatable in the age of AI?

In this episode, we discuss how sales teams are using AI without breaking what makes selling work. Jarod Greene sits down with Terence Falk, VP of Sales at 8am, to talk about pipeline generation, qualification, and the risks of over automating human work. Terence shares how his team uses AI to remove friction from research, routing, and prep while keeping judgment, communication, and emotional awareness firmly in the hands of sellers. 

You will hear why quality beats scale, where AI actually earns its keep, and why great sellers remain hard to replace. 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How AI fits into real sales workflows - Use tools to clear friction, not to run the sale
• Why small improvements beat full automation - Quality gains compound faster than blanket scale
• Which skills keep sellers relevant - Judgment, curiosity, and live conversations still decide outcomes

Things to listen for:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:38) Using AI without replacing sellers

(03:09) Trading scale for higher quality leads

(05:32) Where small AI wins actually add value

(07:24) AI for real time sales enablement

(08:47) The limits of AI in sales and law

(11:33) AI speeds things up but does not own quality

(14:49) How sales and marketing change with AI

Sales and ops leaders are pressured to adopt AI, but struggle to turn the noise into revenue-driving decisions.In this episode of The Unexpected Lever, Jarod Greene is joined by Scott Peyser, Senior Vice President of Operations at CBTS. Scott brings more than 20 years of experience leading sales operations, forecasting, and go to market strategy across global organizations.

Scott shares how leaders should think about AI in practical terms, where insight turns into action, and how to avoid overcomplicating adoption.

In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why focus matters in AI – Solving one problem beats chasing every use case
How insight becomes action – Data only works when it changes decisions
Where small wins add up – Early results build trust across teams

Things to listen for:
(00:00) Introduction
(01:16) What CBTS does and why it matters
(02:17) Unexpected AI use case
(03:37) The trigger moment for AI adoption
(06:46) Building AI adoption across teams
(10:19) Experimenting with AI while managing risk
(14:39) Advice for leaders getting started with AI
(16:07) Where AI is headed for sales planning and forecasting

AI is no longer an experiment happening on the sidelines of sales. It’s showing up in workflows, conversations, decisions, and forecasts, and teams are figuring it out in real time.

Season 2 of The Unexpected Lever explores how sales leaders and technical teams are actually working alongside AI. Not the hype, not the theory, but the honest stories of what’s working, what’s not, and where human judgment still matters most.

Join us for real conversations with the people navigating AI inside sales teams. You’ll hear what they’re learning, what they’re rethinking, and how small shifts are changing how teams work and win together.

Marketers are wasting time on decks.

In this episode of V5, Jarod Greene, CMO at Vivun, explains why marketing should step away from slide creation and focus on owning the message. After two decades of building decks for every sales moment, Jarod realized the problem wasn’t about how decks looked or how long they were; it was about who controlled the story.

He discusses how giving reps ownership of the story, supported by strong positioning and AI-powered tools, creates faster, more effective conversations with buyers.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why marketers should stop building decks – Ownership matters more than formatting
• How reps create stronger meetings – Let them shape the story, not recite slides
• Where enablement actually begins – Context drives conversions more than content ever will

Things to listen for:
(00:00) Introduction
(00:44) Why marketers need to stop making decks
(02:00) What marketing should actually own
(03:20) How letting go of control changed everything
(04:40) What reps really want from marketing
(05:22) The shift that makes enablement actually work

Great selling starts with simplicity.

In this episode of V5, Jarod Greene sits down with Ryan Heinig, CRO at 2X, to talk about the fundamentals that separate top sellers from everyone else. Ryan discusses the four things every great seller does, and why mastering the basics is what drives consistent wins.

Ryan also explains the real role of sales enablement, the power of coaching within teams, and how community-driven relationships keep buyers engaged long before they enter a sales cycle.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What the best sellers focus on every day – The four fundamentals that drive results
• How leaders can enable better performance – Coaching, not content, creates impact
• Why community matters more than cold outreach – Relationships build lasting pipeline

Things to listen for:

(00:00) Introduction

(00:32) The four fundamentals that drive enterprise sales

(01:55) How AI helps sellers stay relevant, not robotic

(02:59) Why enablement starts with first-line leaders

(04:25) How community replaces cold outbound

Most teams talk about value without ever earning the right to use that word.

In this episode of V5, Jarod Greene sits down with Em Daigle, Founder and Chief Automation Officer at OTTO-MATES, to discuss how to really build trust with buyers and how “value” has become a buzzword in sales, often used without any real connection to what customers actually care about.

Em explains why enablement misses the mark when it skips the human side of discovery, and shares how better questions (not just more of them) can completely change the trajectory of a deal. She also discusses where AI should step in and where it should step aside, especially when credibility is on the line.

If you're relying on process alone, you’re probably just presenting instead of truly selling.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why trust earns attention – Value isn’t real until your buyer believes you 
• How to fix enablement – Teaching reps the buyer’s world is a game changer
• Where AI fits in – Use it to free up time, not replace your connection

Things to listen for: 

(00:00) Introduction

(00:29) Why “value” talk falls flat in sales

(01:50) How to truly earn buyer trust

(02:58) Fixing enablement with more profound discovery

(03:44) Where AI helps and where it hurts