Let me start with a retail story to which you may be able to relate. Living here in central Pennsylvania, there is a small window to paint decks. That window is open before pollen takes over and when there is no rain in the forecast. Few days meet both criteria. I found one and visited a family-owned paint supplier who advised me that surface preparation is a key to a lasting job.
Following their advice, I purchased and used a pressure washer in late March to prepare the surface. Now in late June, lots of pollen followed by lots of rain have turned parts of the once attractive deck into ugly yellow stains. To remove the discolorations, I tried to rev up the pressure washer that was now just out of store warranty. She no work.
I called the manufacturer and got a message that they were closed on weekends. I tried again first thing on a Monday and got the now too familiar message that they were all busy helping other customers; but someone would be with me shortly. Eventually, I got another message offering a website link to a chat box to receive fast service.
While on hold, I tried the website several times and could not find it. After thirty minutes on hold, I gave up and left wondering if there were any humans on the other end. Eventually, I found a video on how to troubleshoot pressure washer problems and with one try I was able to force out the air bubble that was blocking the water flow.
My guess is that this story, which is much longer than I had hoped, is one to which many can relate. It raises the question of employing AI in business. Did the manufacturer of the pressure washer seek to replace humans with AI? Were there humans there?
Pressure washing a deck is important but leaves plenty of room to ponder other issues, like how can AI be used in selling. Most sales leaders with whom I deal overestimate the importance of the pitch and slide preparation. AI can be applied at this stage.
However, Rackham’s excellent research clearly demonstrates that the quality of questions asked is what distinguishes high-performing salespeople from average ones. While Rackham’s research was indeed transformative, it ignored the other key skill to an effective investigation: listening. A powerful question planned and asked is a wasted exercise if not accompanied by active listening.
While AI may be able to create a slide deck, it cannot listen during an investigation. Only humans can do that. The important take-away is that if you, like me, get annoyed dealing with machines when you want a human, so do your clients. There are certain things only humans can do. Listening to another human is one of them.