Q1. How should salespeople adapt in a world in which buyers and sellers face an  avalanche of AI-driven messages? 

Spencer Wixom (SW): Herbert Simon once said, “A wealth of information creates a  poverty of attention.” We’re living in a state of poverty right now. Imagine walking into  Times Square with a single violin—you’ll get drowned out unless you play something  piercing and unforgettable. That’s what sellers face today.

At The Brooks Group, we train sellers to make their value proposition concise, authentic,  and memorable. Our IMPACT Selling® sales process ensures sellers don’t overwhelm  buyers with an avalanche of features—they deliver clarity like a lighthouse cutting through  fog.

Q2. Many argue that AI risks dehumanizing sales. Do you agree? 

SW: AI is a double-edged sword. Used poorly, it’s like dry toast—it might have nutrition but  it’s dry and has no flavor. But when used well, it can free up sellers to focus on the  activities that matter.

Bill Brooks, our founder, said sales success rests on two pillars: trust and value. AI can help  us eliminate the mundane so we can focus on the meaningful—the moments where trust is  built, where understanding happens, where real value is created.

Until recently, sales was a deeply human art. A salesperson might know the names of your  children, your dog, and what band played at the local football game. Handwritten 3×5  cards were “CRM” and trust was the gold standard.

Fast forward to today, where AI-generated cadences can blast 100,000 prospects before  lunch, and AI agents fool prospects into thinking they’re talking to a real person.

The danger is clear: AI may accelerate outreach, but, without wisdom, empathy, intuition,  and curiosity—the very traits that make us human—it risks reducing sales from a  relationship into an algorithm.

Q3. Buyers increasingly use generative AI to guide their decisions. What does that  mean for sellers? 

SW: The more AI democratizes information, the more valuable human judgment becomes.  That should be the focus of sales training.

Forrester reports nearly nine out of ten buyers already use GenAI in their journey. That  means your prospect walks into the conversation with notes from ChatGPT in hand. If you  just repeat what AI told them, you’re redundant.

We train sellers to bring clarity and insight to the confusion customers experience in a  chaotic world. Think of it like being a mountain guide: The buyer has a map from AI, but you  provide the safest path to the summit without getting lost along the way.

When ChatGPT launched, suddenly every buyer became their own research analyst. For  sellers, the temptation is to compete with AI on information volume. Forget that. Compete  on insight quality.

Here’s what I mean: Say someone is selling machinery to a construction company and the  buyer has a 20-page AI-generated competitive analysis. Instead of getting defensive, the  seller can say, “This is impressive. I notice it flags three risks. Let me walk you through what  we learned from our research.” That seller will close the deal because they aren’t competing with AI—they’re complementing it.

Q4. Gartner says 75% of buyers prefer a rep-free experience. Does that spell doom for  salespeople? 

SW: Not at all. It just means the days of being a “walking brochure” are over. Buyers don’t  want hand-holders; they want strategic advisors.

This reminds me of what happened to travel agents when Expedia launched. Everyone  predicted their extinction. Yet luxury travel agents are busier than ever—because, when  you’re spending $50,000 on a safari, you don’t want to trust AI to book the tent that keeps  the lions out.

The Brooks Group training equips sellers to win in the digital universe through crisp,  concise and clear positioning and in compelling conversations where trust is truly earned.  The key is understanding that buyers don’t want less human interaction—they want better human interaction.

Q6. How can sellers stand out in an era of information overload? 

SW: Great salespeople use stories to help their customers make decisions. If you simply  add to the noise, you’re part of the problem. The job is to simplify, reduce effort, and give  buyers confidence.

In today’s blizzard of data, the true job of a seller is to cut through the clutter and give  buyers confidence to move forward. Our facilitators remind sellers who attend our training

programs: You’re not the megaphone; you’re the translator. You don’t shout louder; you  decode better.

Q7. Sellers spend only about a third of their time actually selling. How do you make  the most of that? 

SW: Time is the most democratic resource—we all get 24 hours. The tragedy is most  sellers use it on low-value tasks. Peter Drucker said, “Efficiency is doing things right;  effectiveness is doing the right things.” 

At The Brooks Group, we train sellers to direct their limited time toward high-trust, high impact moments. We push for effectiveness—conversations that change minds and open  wallets.

Compare how two sellers plan their weeks. One spends 47 minutes total on CRM data  entry, two hours on email, and four and a half hours on the phone with prospects and  customers. The other spends three hours on CRM, four hours on email, and barely two  hours talking to humans—and ends up selling half as much.

Q8. Attention spans are shrinking, and forgetting is faster than ever. How should  training adapt? 

SW: Ebbinghaus showed us the “forgetting curve.” Left alone, new knowledge evaporates  faster than rain on hot asphalt.

That’s why The Brooks Group tells clients that training without reinforcement is like  planting seeds and never watering them. We reinforce new skills with continuous learning  paths, role-play exercises, AI-powered practice sessions, and sales coaching.

Here’s what’s fascinating about modern forgetting: We’re not just forgetting faster—we’re  forgetting differently. TikTok has taught us to expect information in 15-second bursts.  Traditional sales training is like asking someone to drink from a fire hose when they’re used  to sipping from a straw.

Q9. Can AI really coach sellers, or is it another shiny object in the “tech flea market”? 

SW: AI forces examination—it shows you patterns you missed, words you overuse, the  speed of your speech. But examination without wisdom is just data collection. What  salespeople need more than ever is critical thinking.

At The Brooks Group, we say: “A fool with a tool is still a fool.” AI can measure filler words,  tone, or pace, but it cannot teach empathy or intuition. That’s why our sales training  facilitators—armed with decades of experience in the field—bridge the gap between  machine feedback and human insight.

Think about it like this: AI can tell you that you said “um” 47 times in a call and were  speaking too quickly. But it takes a human coach to help you build confidence in your value  proposition so you don’t use filler words and can speak more slowly.

That’s the difference between data and wisdom. AI gives us answers. Good coaches help  us understand how to apply those answers.

Q10. With all this change, what’s the future of the sales professional? 

SW: I believe salespeople are the last mile of trust in a world flooded with data and doubt.  Look at what’s happening right now with deepfakes and AI-generated content—trust is  becoming more valuable, not less.

When anyone can fake anything, authenticity becomes more valuable. In this environment,  face-to-face trust isn’t obsolete—it’s essential.

At The Brooks Group, we see ourselves as builders of bridges—bridges over the river of  incompetence, carrying salespeople from mediocrity to excellence. Our trainees don’t just  close deals; they open doors, forge trust, and shape futures.

The future belongs to sellers who understand that, while AI can simulate conversation,  only humans can create lasting relationships and meaningful connections. While AI can  analyze data, only humans can inspire action. While AI can predict behavior, only humans  can influence hearts.

Because, at the end of the day, people don’t buy from companies or algorithms—they buy  from people they trust.