The AI Edge

Upgrade your sales process by plugging into the new power of artificial intelligence

In today's cutthroat sales world, where sales professionals are constantly juggling multiple responsibilities and navigating a sea of relentless competitors, everyone is looking for an edge. What if that EDGE is found in a tool powerful enough to give you more time in your sales day, accelerate your productivity, and still leave room for the human touch that's vital to building relationships? Enter the game-changing world of Artificial Intelligence. Enter The AI Edge.

The AI Edge isn't just another book about technology. Anthony Iannarino and Jeb Blount, the world's most prolific sales book authors and trainers, have come together to transform how you navigate the sales process by helping you plug into artificial intelligence. This groundbreaking, hands-on guide marries their unparalleled sales strategies, used by millions of salespeople, with the transformative power of AI. Drawing from cutting-edge research and real-world applications, the authors demystify AI and demonstrate its potential to give you more time to leverage your human advantage—creativity, empathy, and authenticity—to build deeper relationships and winning solutions that give you a leg up over the competition. Inside you'll find:

• Expert Guidance: Benefit from the combined wisdom of Blount and Iannarino, two giants in the sales realm, as they lay out the roadmap to plugging into an AI-augmented sales strategy
• Streamlined Processes & Empowered Engagement: Discover AI's role in automating repetitive tasks, freeing you to fully lean into the uniquely human side of sales: cultivating relationships, unleashing creativity, and offering unparalleled authenticity
• Sales Prompt Engineering: Get hands-on with tailored prompts that allow you to tap into generative AI and get better results in less time
• Powerful Messaging: Learn how AI, used effectively, can help you develop and go to market with powerful messaging and presentations that connect with stakeholder needs and separate you from the crowded field
• Intelligent Insights: Grasp how AI can be leveraged to surface insights that give you instant authority, grab stakeholder attention, and lead to richer, more productive sales conversations
• Research: Leverage the power of AI to build target prospecting lists that open pipeline opportunities while reducing cold calling and rejection

Navigating the world of AI might seem daunting, but with Iannarino and Blount at the helm, it's a journey of empowerment, innovation, and profound human connection. Embrace a future where technology and humanity come together and carve out your own AI Edge in sales.

Preface: the First Generation ix

Part 1: Plugging into AI

1 The Beginning of Everything 3

2 AI Everywhere, All the Time 7

3 The Next Level: Is the Singularity Near? 12

4 The Six Million Dollar Man 14

5 The Four Elements of Sales Intelligence 20

Part 2: Robot Rules

6 Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire 29

7 Robots Have Goals, Not Souls 31

8 Beware of the Authority Bias 34

9 Harnessing Generative AI 37

10 Robot Rules 40

Part 3: More Time to Sell More

11 Time Discipline 47

12 Fundamentals of Me Management 51

13 Attention Control and Time Blocking 56

14 Sales Day Planning, CRM, and Calendar Management 60

15 The First Seven Steps on Your AI Edge Journey 67

16 Time Investment Audit 70

17 Brainstorming and Prioritizing AI Possibilities 76

18 Practice and Prompts 87

Part 4: Writing, Grammar, and Communication

19 If It Quacks Like a Duck 103

20 Write and Edit Better 109

21 The Power of Editing 113

22 AI Is a Faster Writer; You Are a Better Human 127

Part 5: Prospecting

23 The Asynchronous Seller 133

24 Synchronous versus Asynchronous Prospecting 138

25 A Powerful Prospecting Partner 142

26 Prospecting Sequences 144

27 Targeted Lists 153

28 Message Matters 159

29 Slow Prospecting 172

Part 6: Qualifying, Pre-call Planning, Discovery

30 Everything in Sales Begins with a Qualified Opportunity 183

31 The Art of Discovery 187

32 Eight Big Discovery Mistakes You Need to Avoid 192

33 Pre-Discovery-Call Research 199

34 Discovery Questions: What You Want to Learn 211

Part 7: Close the Deal

35 Competitive Analysis and Objection Prevention 227

36 AI-Powered Proposals 232

37 Closing the Sale 237

38 Case Studies and Social Proof 244

39 Contracts and Lawyers and Terms and Conditions, Oh My! 248

40 AI Turns Your CRM into a Strategic Partner 252

Epilogue: The Future of Sales 259

About the Authors 267

Index 269

JEB BLOUNT is the CEO and founder of Sales Gravy. He advises a who’s who of the world’s leading organizations and their executives on the impact of emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills on sales, leadership, and customer experience. Jeb helps individuals, teams, and companies across the globe sell more through keynotes, workshops, and digital learning. He was recently recognized as one of the Top 50 Most Influential Leaders in Sales and Marketing by Top Sales Magazine and one of the World’s Top 30 Social Selling Influencers by Forbes.

ANTHONY IANNARINO spent twenty years selling and leading a sales force in the highly commoditized industry of staffing before becoming a writer and publishing daily at thesalesblog.com. During his time in sales, he recognized the strongest differentiation for a salesperson is their ability to create value for their prospective client within the sales conversation. Anthony spends much of his time drinking coffee, writing, speaking, facilitating workshops, and helping sales organizations transform their outdated, legacy approach with a modern, value-creating approach that buyers appreciate, and one that leads to revenue growth.

Leverage AI to develop a razor-sharp competitive edge in the world of sales

Drawing from cutting-edge research and real-world applications, The AI Edge lays out a step-by-step roadmap to sell more with an AI-powered sales strategy. Written by Jeb Blount and Anthony Iannarino—two of the world’s most prolific sales trainers and authors—this book demystifies AI and demonstrates its potential to give you more time to leverage your human advantage and build deeper relationships and winning solutions that give you a leg up over the competition.

From start to finish, this book covers all the practical, real-world use cases of AI that sales professionals need to get more time to sell more. Readers will learn how to automate boring, repetitive tasks, perform extensive analytics and research, build pipeline, craft powerful and unique messaging to stand out from the crowd, and shorten the sales cycle. Prompt engineering tips and tricks are also included to help you get the best possible results from generative AI right out of the gate.

Navigating the new world of AI might seem daunting, but with Blount and Iannarino at the helm, The AI Edge is a journey of empowerment, innovation, and profound human connection—an essential read for all sales professionals looking to reap the benefits of taking a proactive approach to groundbreaking new technology.

PRAISE FOR THE AI EDGE

“What I love most about this book is that, Jeb and Anthony not only demystify artificial intelligence but guide you, step-by-step, through practical, easy-to-understand tactics for putting it to work to enhance your human-to-human relationships.”
—JON GORDON, 17x Bestselling author of The Energy Bus and The Power of a Positive Team

“Brimming with expert advice and real-world examples that will help sales professionals thrive in an era remade by artificial intelligence.”
—DANIEL H. PINK, #1 New York Times bestselling author of To Sell Is Human

“A game-changer for sales professionals... this thought-provoking book is an essential read for anyone looking to stay ahead in the competitive world of B2B sales.”
—BERNIE WEISS, Division President, iHeartMedia

“The AI Edge shares perspective from actual sales leaders running the best sales teams in the world. Above all else, you will learn how to impact your sales pipeline velocity in the very early innings of AI innovation and get ahead of your competition.”
—WILL FRATTINI, Principal, Head of Enterprise Growth Strategy, ZoomInfo

“The AI Edge takes a complex and often misunderstood topic and boils it down in simple terms so it’s understandable and applicable across every step of the sales process.”
—JIM LAGER, Executive Vice President, Penske Truck Leasing

“AI can be a total game changer for sales professionals if you know how to use it to enhance your human advantage. What I love most about this book is that, Jeb and Anthony not only demystify artificial intelligence but guide you, step-by-step, through practical, easy to understand tactics for putting it to work to enhance your human to human relationships.”
—Jon Gordon, 17x Bestselling author of The Energy Bus and The Power of a Positive Team

“The AI Edge is a game-changer for sales professionals, offering practical insights into leveraging AI to enhance their sales game. This thought-provoking book is an essential read for anyone looking to stay ahead in the competitive world of B2B sales.”
—Bernie Weiss, Division President, iHeartMedia

“The AI Edge shares perspective from actual sales leaders running the best sales teams in the world. Above all else, you will learn how to impact your sales pipeline velocity in the very early innings of AI innovation and get ahead of your competition.”
—Will Frattini, Principal, Head of Enterprise Growth Strategy, ZoomInfo

“The AI Edge takes a complex and often misunderstood topic and boils it down in simple terms so it’s understandable and applicable across every step of the sales process. AI is a tool, and with any tool the person holding it has the biggest impact on what happens next. This book shows you exactly how to use this incredible new sales tool to gain a powerful competitive advantage.”
—Jim Lager, Executive Vice President, Penske Truck Leasing

"Iannarino and Blount have delivered a timely and useful guide to navigating the intersection of AI and sales. The AI Edge is brimming with expert advice and real-world examples that will help sales professionals thrive in an era remade by artificial intelligence.”
—Daniel H. Pink, #1 New York Times bestselling author of To Sell Is Human