How AI is Changing Marketing and Sales
In a world polarized between AI evangelists and skeptics, finding balanced, practical perspectives on artificial intelligence can feel like throwing spaghetti at your wall and hoping something sticks. That’s why when Gary Amaral, former executive at BlackBerry and Hootsuite turned startup founder, shares his insights on AI in sales and marketing, it’s worth paying attention. His message? The truth about AI’s impact lies somewhere in the middle – and businesses ignoring this reality do so at their peril.
The Artificial Intelligence Paradox: Why Most Businesses Are Missing the Point
“Most businesses are too concerned with artificial intelligence, and not concerned enough with real intelligence in their businesses,” Amaral asserts.
This isn’t just a clever soundbite – it’s a fundamental observation about how organizations are approaching AI implementation. While companies rush to integrate AI into every possible workflow, they’re often neglecting the human intelligence needed to make these tools truly effective.
The real value of AI, according to Amaral, comes from smart people figuring out how to connect different AI-powered solutions to create more efficient workflows and internal processes. It’s not about replacing human intelligence but augmenting it with tools that can handle routine tasks and process vast amounts of data.
The Great AI Misconception: Why Both Extremes Get It Wrong
The current discourse around AI tends to swing between two extremes: the doomsday prophets warning about job displacement and the optimists promising AI will eliminate all mundane work. Amaral argues both miss the mark. With today’s “weak AI,” we’re looking at a job creator, not a job destroyer. The key is understanding what current AI technology can and cannot do.
For instance, when people ask AI to help with market research, they often get obvious answers – like identifying California, New York, Texas, and Florida as key markets simply because they have the largest populations. This illustrates how AI, in many cases, is less about intelligence and more about processing power and pattern recognition.
The Hidden Danger: How AI Is Amplifying Bad Marketing Practices
Perhaps one of the most concerning trends Amaral identifies is how AI is exacerbating existing bad behaviors in sales and marketing. Take sales engagement platforms, for instance. What started as a shift from marketing automation to sales automation has now evolved into a scenario where salespeople aren’t even thinking about their outreach strategies – they’re just letting AI generate cadences and waiting for responses.
“The sad reality is it’s not working for 98% of businesses,” Amaral notes.
The problem isn’t the technology itself but how it’s being used – or rather, misused – as a substitute for strategic thinking and genuine engagement.
Where AI Actually Shines: The Strategic Level Revolution
While many focus on tactical applications of AI, Amaral sees the most significant impact at the management and strategic level. AI layers on business intelligence tools are enabling data-savvy leadership to interact with their business information more directly and meaningfully. This represents a shift from using AI for task automation to using it for decision support and insight generation.
The Real Value Proposition: Process Optimization Over Replacement
Looking at the next 2-3 years, Amaral predicts AI’s biggest impact will be in process optimization – helping teams identify where they’re wasting time and how to be more efficient with their efforts. But he emphasizes that this isn’t about wholesale replacement of human activities; it’s about freeing up people to focus on more strategic and creative work.
The Cold Email Conundrum: A Case Study in AI’s Impact
When confronted with the observation that AI has contributed to a quadrupling of spammy cold outreach, Amaral acknowledges the problem but points out that cold email was broken before AI – it’s just gotten worse.
The solution? Amaral says, “The value comes from identifying the white space… finding a way to create signal in the noise. AI can’t do that. I can do that.”
This highlights a crucial point: success in marketing and sales still comes down to human strategy and differentiation. While AI can help execute tactics more efficiently, it can’t replace the strategic thinking needed to stand out in a crowded market.
The Path Forward: Embracing the Middle Way
Amaral advocates for what he calls “the middle way” in approaching AI – neither dismissing its potential nor treating it as a miracle solution. This approach involves:
The Implementation Gap: Why Most AI Initiatives Fail
Drawing from his extensive experience, Amaral points out that many AI initiatives fail for the same reason early SaaS implementations did – lack of understanding and proper implementation. “Early days of SaaS [were a] disaster. And that could happen here again,” he warns. The solution? Take the time to understand how these tools work and how they fit into your specific business context.
Looking Ahead: The Real AI Revolution
While the next 6-12 months might not bring the revolutionary changes some predict, Amaral believes the 10-year outlook for AI is transformative. The key is managing expectations and focusing on practical applications that deliver real value today while preparing for more significant changes ahead.
The Bottom Line: A Call for Balance
In the end, Amaral’s message is clear: the future of AI in sales and marketing isn’t about replacing human intelligence but augmenting it. Success will come to organizations that find the right balance between artificial and real intelligence, using each where it’s most effective.
As businesses navigate the AI revolution, perhaps the most valuable insight is this: don’t get caught up in the hype or the fear. Instead, focus on understanding how AI can enhance your existing processes and free your team to do what humans do best – think strategically, create meaningfully, and build genuine connections with customers.
The companies that will thrive in the AI age aren’t those with the most advanced AI tools, but those who are smartest about how they use them. As Amaral puts it, “Stop worrying so much about artificial intelligence, start worrying more about real intelligence.” In that simple statement lies the key to navigating the AI revolution in sales and marketing.
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