There’s a moment in training where Carlos Garrido says:
“The seller’s job is to inspire a great decision from someone who doesn’t think they need your help. That’s a meta-skill of life. AI can’t do that for you.”
Let’s be real.
Every sales leader right now is swimming in AI hype.
Your inbox, your LinkedIn feed, your CEO’s slide deck — all screaming about tools that promise to write perfect emails, forecast pipeline with spooky accuracy, and eliminate all your admin drudgery.
Business Insider reports that 77% of companies are exploring AI solutions.
But here’s the part people whisper rather than say out loud:
“Half their employees are quietly worried AI will replace them.”
Sound familiar?
It’s the tension every sales leader feels. On one hand, you want speed. Efficiency. Insights. On the other, you know sales is messy, human, and deeply emotional — and no software can carry the weight of a real conversation when the stakes get high.
So which is it? Will AI eat your team’s jobs… or make them invincible?
The answer, according to Carlos, is neither.
AI won’t replace sellers.
But it will expose them.
The Myth of the All-Knowing AI
Carlos shared this story recently:
“I watched a seller go through a perfect AI-driven pipeline. Beautiful. Everything color-coded, scored, prioritized. But on the call, the buyer dropped subtle signals — pauses, uncertainty, faint resistance. The seller never picked up on it. He just pushed his value prop harder. The deal died on the table.”
Here’s the mistake: people assume that because AI can predict outcomes, it can handle the emotional reality of selling.
But selling isn’t logical. It’s driven by fear, hope, pride, embarrassment.
Buyers stall because they’re afraid of looking foolish.
They ghost you because they’re unsure how to say no.
They tell you, “Send me a proposal,” because it’s easier than confronting conflict.
AI can analyze data. It can’t sense tension in a voice. Or read the look on someone’s face that says:
“We’re hiding the real budget.”
AI Is Brilliant, But Blind
Let’s be clear: AI is an extraordinary tool.
Use it for:
✅ Identifying hidden opportunities.
AI spots patterns across your data your team might miss — like a spike in web activity from a prospect you’d written off.
✅ Writing solid first drafts.
Why spend 20 minutes staring at a blank page when ChatGPT can give you a head start on an email?
✅ Forecasting risks.
AI can highlight deals that stall at the same stage, flagging hidden churn risk.
But here’s where it stops:
❌ It can’t navigate emotional volatility.
❌ It can’t build trust on a cold call.
❌ It can’t decide which silence means “thinking” versus “not interested.”
Carlos often says:
“Most sellers want me to draft them the perfect answer to an objection. The truth is, objections are rarely answered. They’re questioned. AI can’t improvise in that moment.”
EQ Is the Differentiator
If AI tells you who to talk to…
EQ helps you figure out how to talk to them.
The magic happens when sellers connect AI insights to real human conversations.
For example:
AI says: “This customer might churn.”
EQ-driven seller asks: “Hey, I’ve noticed a drop-off in your engagement. Is something changing on your end?”
Or:
AI writes your opening script.
EQ-driven seller adjusts tone on the fly because the prospect sounds rushed or defensive.
Or:
AI flags a big deal stuck in legal.
EQ-driven seller calls to ask, “What’s really holding this up?” instead of sending another status email.
The Hidden Risk: Lazy Sellers
Here’s the dark side of AI in sales nobody talks about:
It’s seductive because it promises shortcuts.
But there’s no shortcut for:
Handling tough conversations
Reading a room
Asking the uncomfortable question
Carlos warns:
“Lazy sellers will think AI is the answer. It’s not. It’s just a flashlight. You still have to do the work.”
And this is where the gap widens. Because the sellers who combine AI’s insights with human emotional skill are going to run laps around everyone else.
What This Means for Sales Leaders
So, how do you help your team integrate AI without losing the human edge?
1. Teach Them the Art of Vulnerable Communication
Carlos often models cold call opens like:
“Hey Christina, I don’t even know if you’re the right person for this. This is a cold call, and as much as you don’t want to get it, I don’t want to make it. But if you’ll give me a minute, I’ll tell you why I called and then you can kick me to the curb.”
That’s emotional intelligence. Vulnerability. Disarming honesty. No AI can replicate that human moment.
2. Train Them to Question, Not Just Answer
Objections aren’t problems to “handle.” They’re signals of unspoken concerns.
Instead of training your team to memorize rebuttals, train them to ask deeper questions:
“George, sounds great. What are you going to think about?”
“What would have to be true for this to feel right for you?”
AI can’t make those judgment calls.
It’s Not AI vs. EQ. It’s AI + EQ.
The future belongs to sellers who can read data and read people.
Yes, let AI:
Shorten research time
Identify hot leads
Highlight patterns in your CRM
But remember:
No prospect buys because your AI gave you a confidence score of 92%.
They buy because:
You made them feel heard.
You helped them solve real pain.
You made it safe for them to decide.
Carlos says it best:
“The cynics get to be right. The optimists get to be rich. Don’t be cynical about this AI stuff. Embrace it—but keep your humanity front and center.”
👉 Want your team to master the winning combo of AI insights and human connection? Explore Performance Edge — and build sellers ready for 2026’s reality.
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