{"id":500,"date":"2024-11-15T14:39:50","date_gmt":"2024-11-15T15:39:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/howtobigisland.com\/?p=500"},"modified":"2025-01-21T16:29:43","modified_gmt":"2025-01-21T16:29:43","slug":"the-hidden-costs-of-efficiency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/howtobigisland.com\/index.php\/2024\/11\/15\/the-hidden-costs-of-efficiency\/","title":{"rendered":"The Hidden Costs of Efficiency"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p><em>Hello and welcome to <strong>The GTM Newsletter by GTMnow <\/strong>\u2013 read by 50,000+ revenue professionals weekly to stay up-to-date and scale their companies and careers. GTMnow is the media brand of GTMfund \u2013 sharing go-to-market advice from the top 1% of revenue operators including the 350 executives behind the fund, news, and our viewpoints from working with hundreds of portfolio companies.  <\/em><\/p>\n<div>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Product<\/strong> <img src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" alt=\"\ud83d\udc9a\" class=\"wp-smiley lazyload\" style=\"height: 1em;max-height: 1em\" data-src=\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/15.0.3\/72x72\/1f49a.png\"><strong>: HG Insights. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Feeling that AI FOMO? You\u2019re not alone. That\u2019s why HG Insights created <a href=\"https:\/\/explore.hginsights.com\/next-generation-of-sales-ai-2025?utm_source=gtmfund&amp;utm_campaign=next-generation-of-sales-ai-2025&amp;utm_medium=organic_social&amp;utm_term=ug\">The Next Generation of Sales AI report<\/a> \u2014 to calm the FOMO and help you bring AI to your GTM teams. It includes a breakdown of the Sales AI landscape, adoption of GenAI and Sales software across buyer groups. Plus, an analysis of the top 75 trending sales AI tools. HG Insights has been writing market reports for years as the pioneer of tech adoption and market insights and is trusted by GTM leaders at the likes of Snowflake Five9 and Google Cloud to improve GTM efficiency. We\u2019ve shared this or received it from many GTM leaders as an excellent gauge on where to start or further AI adoption for your sales team. <a href=\"https:\/\/explore.hginsights.com\/next-generation-of-sales-ai-2025?utm_source=gtmfund&amp;utm_campaign=next-generation-of-sales-ai-2025&amp;utm_medium=organic_social&amp;utm_term=ug\">Read the free and ungated report<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<h2><strong>The Hidden Costs of Efficiency: How to Counteract AI\u2019s Impact on Sales Skills<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>AI and automation tools promise efficiency, but they also come with unintended consequences. Every automation \u2014 whether it\u2019s cold calling, note-taking, or follow-ups \u2014 outsources tasks that build critical skills. These \u201cskill byproducts\u201d are essential to long-term success. Leaders need to rethink how to balance technology adoption with the need to cultivate the human skills that drive high performance in sales. Let\u2019s get into it. <\/p>\n<h3><strong>The skill byproduct framework<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Every activity comes with a skill that\u2019s acquired as a byproduct of performing it repeatedly. When that activity is automated, the associated skill atrophies or is never developed in the first place.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Examples of skill byproducts:<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p><strong>Cold calling:<\/strong> Builds grit, resilience, and quick thinking under pressure.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>Manual follow-ups:<\/strong> Develops deep listening, connection-making, and empathetic communication.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>Note-taking during meetings:<\/strong> Sharpens the ability to synthesize information and identify patterns.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Automation isn\u2019t new \u2014 it\u2019s been changing how we work for decades.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p>Google Maps replaced navigation skills.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Dating apps reduced the need for in-person approaches.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Wikipedia diminished the memorization of historical facts.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The rise of AI is only accelerating this trend. <\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>\u201cBack in the day, most jobs made us physically strong. Now, we have to hit the gym. The same is true for cognitive skills in sales\u2014we need to deliberately build them.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/kazanjy\/overlay\/about-this-profile\/\">Peter Kazanjy<\/a> (Co-Founder of Atrium)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3><strong>A playbook for preserving skills <\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>With activities being automated, a deliberate strategy is needed to ensure your team doesn\u2019t lose essential skills while adopting AI. This is a 4-step framework for doing so:<\/p>\n<h4><strong>1. Map skills to activities<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Identify the key sales skills that automation may erode and the activities that build them:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p><strong>Grit and resilience:<\/strong> Cold calls, rejection handling.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>Deep listening and synthesis:<\/strong> Writing follow-ups manually or reviewing call recordings.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>Pattern recognition:<\/strong> Manually analyzing buyer behavior or segmenting customer needs.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><strong>2. Introduce \u201cSkill Gyms\u201d<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Like a gym for physical fitness, create opportunities to practice these critical skills deliberately:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p><strong>Role-playing simulations:<\/strong> Use AI-powered tools to practice cold calls and discovery calls in a controlled environment. Reps can get hundreds of \u201cat-bats\u201d before going live with prospects.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>Manual onboarding exercises:<\/strong> Require new hires to take meeting notes, draft follow-ups, or conduct outreach manually before transitioning to automation.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>Reflection exercises:<\/strong> After every call, have reps summarize the conversation and identify key takeaways without relying solely on AI-generated notes.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><strong>3. Maintain accountability loops<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Automation can lead to complacency if not paired with accountability. Use performance metrics to ensure skills are being actively developed:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p><strong>Track manual outreach activity<\/strong> for new hires and periodically for tenured reps.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>Measure<\/strong> <strong>discovery call depth<\/strong> and identify gaps in how questions connect to buyer needs.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>Review<\/strong> <strong>manual deal notes<\/strong> to ensure synthesis skills are intact.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><strong>4. Balance automation with human growth<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Use AI to enhance efficiency but ensure it complements human skills rather than replacing them. For example, instead of automating meeting follow-ups entirely, use AI to provide a draft and require reps to refine it with their own observations and context.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>TL;DR: Preserve skills, don\u2019t replace them<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li>\n<p>Identify skills automation might erode and map them to activities.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Create deliberate \u201cgyms\u201d for practicing these skills \u2014 role-playing, manual exercises, and reflection.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Hold reps accountable for maintaining these skills through metrics and performance reviews.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Leverage AI as a tool to support efficiency while reinforcing skill-building.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Automation isn\u2019t going anywhere, but the teams that combine technology with deliberate skill-building will outperform those that rely on AI alone. <\/p>\n<div>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"button-wrapper\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/thegtmnewsletter.substack.com\/p\/the-hidden-costs-of-efficiency?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=share&amp;action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}\" data-component-name=\"ButtonCreateButton\"><a class=\"button primary\" href=\"https:\/\/thegtmnewsletter.substack.com\/p\/the-hidden-costs-of-efficiency?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=share&amp;action=share\"><span>Share<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<h6><em>                                         Tag GTMnow so we can see your takeaways and help amplify them.<\/em><\/h6>\n<div>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<h4><strong><img src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" alt=\"\ud83d\udcf9\" class=\"wp-smiley lazyload\" style=\"height: 1em;max-height: 1em\" data-src=\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/15.0.3\/72x72\/1f4f9.png\"> Upcoming digital live event<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/gtmnow.com\/the-future-of-sales-rep-enablement\/\">The Future of Sales Rep Enablement<\/a> \u2013 November 19th at 9:00am PST \/ 12:00pm EST<\/p>\n<div class=\"captioned-image-container\">\n<figure><a class=\"image-link image2\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/gtmnow.com\/the-future-of-sales-rep-enablement\/\" data-component-name=\"Image2ToDOM\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image2-inset\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" width=\"1200\" height=\"627\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/4e2fb8fd-5aab-4e30-a1c4-4e9e13db1301_1200x627.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:627,&quot;width&quot;:1200,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:290276,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image\/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/gtmnow.com\/the-future-of-sales-rep-enablement\/&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false}\" class=\"sizing-normal lazyload\" alt=\"\" data-src=\"https:\/\/howtobigisland.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/4e2fb8fd-5aab-4e30-a1c4-4e9e13db1301_1200x627.jpg\"><\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<h4><strong><img src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" alt=\"\ud83d\udc42\" class=\"wp-smiley lazyload\" style=\"height: 1em;max-height: 1em\" data-src=\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/15.0.3\/72x72\/1f442.png\"> More for your eardrums<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><strong>The GTM Podcast <\/strong>\u2013 subscribe on<strong> <\/strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/ca\/podcast\/the-gtm-podcast\/id1369291464\">Apple<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/2SA1dgQ2Yc5t4V5GcBLnD2\">Spotify<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@GTM_now\">YouTube<\/a> or wherever you listen.<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/bQozakBWXKg\">GTM 121: Listening to Your Customers Without Obeying with Crunchbase\u2019s CRO Neal Patel<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div id=\"youtube2-bQozakBWXKg\" class=\"youtube-wrap\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;bQozakBWXKg&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}\" data-component-name=\"Youtube2ToDOM\">\n<div class=\"youtube-inner\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/nealeshpatel\/\">Nealesh Patel<\/a> is the CRO at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/crunchbase\/\">Crunchbase<\/a>, a leading platform for private company intelligence. With over 25 years of experience in the tech industry, Neal has a proven track record of executing progressive growth strategies, landing innovative partnerships, developing revenue streams, and building winning teams. As the leader of Crunchbase\u2019s go-to-market functions (Strategic Partnerships, Sales, BD, Marketing, Customer Success\/Experience, Revenue Operations), as well as the de facto general manager of its data licensing business, Neal has a cross-functional and holistic understanding of how to provide value to customers, generate revenue, and accelerate growth. Under his leadership, Crunchbase has more than 4X\u2019d its unique users, increased its annual recurring revenue by over 75x, and secured partnerships with large brands like S&amp;P, LinkedIn, NVIDIA, <a href=\"http:\/\/monday.com\/\">Monday.com<\/a>, Perplexity, G2, Factset, Amazon, and Snowflake. Neal is also an active board member, advisor, and investor in several high-growth startups, where he leverages his expertise and network to help them scale and succeed.<\/p>\n<div>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<h4><strong><img src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" alt=\"\ud83d\udc40\" class=\"wp-smiley lazyload\" style=\"height: 1em;max-height: 1em\" data-src=\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/15.0.3\/72x72\/1f440.png\"> More for your eyeballs<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.growthunhinged.com\/p\/how-to-build-your-early-gtm-strategy\">How to build your GTM strategy from scratch<\/a>. Three frameworks to consider. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/gtmnow.com\/product-channel-fit-growth-strategy\/\">Product-Channel Fit (PCF): Finding the right growth strategy for your product<\/a>. Most teams try to run too many channels. PCF is about focusing on 1 or 2 high-impact channels.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/shorts\/4SSVfIqWNN8\">Product-led SEO<\/a>. A breakdown of what it is and why it\u2019s important. <\/p>\n<div>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<h4><img src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" alt=\"\ud83d\ude80\" class=\"wp-smiley lazyload\" style=\"height: 1em;max-height: 1em\" data-src=\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/15.0.3\/72x72\/1f680.png\"><strong>\u00a0Startups to watch<\/strong>\u00a0 <\/h4>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2024\/11\/12\/generative-ai-startup-writer-raises-200m-at-a-1-9b-valuation\/\">Writer<\/a><\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2024\/11\/12\/generative-ai-startup-writer-raises-200m-at-a-1-9b-valuation\/\"> \u2013 announced a $200M Series C at a $1.9B valuation<\/a>. Writer CEO May Habib says the new cash, which brings the total amount raised to $326 million, will be used for product development and cementing the company\u2019s leadership in the enterprise generative AI category.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pocus.com\/blog\/introducing-pocus-ai\">Pocus \u2013<\/a><\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pocus.com\/blog\/introducing-pocus-ai\"> launched their AI Strategy tool to the general public<\/a><strong>. <\/strong>This is a tool available as a Google Chrome extension that helps reps prioritize, research and take action in any favoite engagement tools. <\/p>\n<div>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<h4><strong><img src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" alt=\"\ud83d\udd25\" class=\"wp-smiley lazyload\" style=\"height: 1em;max-height: 1em\" data-src=\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/15.0.3\/72x72\/1f525.png\"> Hottest GTM jobs of the week<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ol>\n<li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/jobs.lever.co\/spekit\/35856193-a862-4f58-9b81-97252912fa6b\">Customer Success Manager<\/a> at Spekit <em>(Denver, CO<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ats.rippling.com\/closinglock\/jobs\/1baee49a-f261-4b46-882d-a14702b527fb\">Customer Lifecycle Marketing Manager<\/a><em> <\/em>at Closinglock <em>(Austin, TX)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/securitypal.bamboohr.com\/careers\/50\">Enterprise Account Executive<\/a> at SecurityPal <em>(NYC)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/jobs.ashbyhq.com\/vanta\/38ae5656-271e-4234-90d0-ffb9a1d2af2b\">Senior GTM Recruiting Manager<\/a> at Vanta <em>(Remote \u2013 US)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/jobs.lever.co\/owner\/3739d3c4-f004-4d60-b38b-b16eb1053b79\">People Business Partner<\/a> at Owner <em>(Remote \u2013 US\/CAN)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>See more top GTM jobs on the <a href=\"https:\/\/jobs.gtmfund.com\/jobs\">GTMfund Job Board<\/a>. <\/p>\n<div>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<h4><strong><img src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" alt=\"\ud83d\uddd3\" class=\"wp-smiley lazyload\" style=\"height: 1em;max-height: 1em\" data-src=\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/15.0.3\/72x72\/1f5d3.png\"> GTM industry events<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><em>Upcoming go-to-market events you won\u2019t want to miss:<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p>Spryng by Wynter: March 24-26, 2025 (Austin, TX)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Pavilion CMO Summit: April 17, 2025 (Atlanta, GA)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>SaaStr Annual: September 10-12 (San Francisco, CA)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Pavilion GTM Summit: October 14-16, 2025 (Austin, TX)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"button-wrapper\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/thegtmnewsletter.substack.com\/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}\" data-component-name=\"ButtonCreateButton\"><a class=\"button primary\" href=\"https:\/\/thegtmnewsletter.substack.com\/subscribe?\"><span>Subscribe now<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<div>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<h6>This newsletter was entirely written and edited by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/ssbarker\/\">Scott Barker<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/sophiebuonassisi\/\">Sophie Buonassisi<\/a> (not AI!).<\/h6>\n<h6><em>If this was forwarded to you, <a href=\"https:\/\/thegtmnewsletter.substack.com\/\">sign up here to get the newsletter every week<\/a>.<\/em><\/h6>\n<\/div>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/gtmnow.com\/the-hidden-costs-of-efficiency\/\">The Hidden Costs of Efficiency<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/gtmnow.com\">GTMnow<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hello and welcome to The GTM Newsletter by GTMnow \u2013 read by 50,000+ revenue professionals weekly to stay up-to-date and scale their companies and careers. GTMnow is the media brand of GTMfund \u2013 sharing go-to-market advice from the top 1% of revenue operators including the 350 executives behind the fund, news, and our viewpoints from [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":502,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/howtobigisland.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/500"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/howtobigisland.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/howtobigisland.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/howtobigisland.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/howtobigisland.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=500"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/howtobigisland.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/500\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":503,"href":"https:\/\/howtobigisland.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/500\/revisions\/503"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/howtobigisland.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/502"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/howtobigisland.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=500"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/howtobigisland.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=500"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/howtobigisland.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=500"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}