As AI Rewrites Sales, Why the Best Leaders Will Double Down on Human Judgment and Critical Thinking
October 13, 2026
In this episode of The B2B Revenue Executive Experience, Cory Cotten-Potter sits down with Kristie Jones, consultant, keynote speaker, coach, bestselling author, and Principal at Kristie K. Jones, to explore the future of AI-augmented sales and what it means for sales leaders, sales reps, and organizations. They discuss why AI should be treated as a leadership challenge rather than simply a technology implementation, how companies can prepare sales teams for AI-driven changes, and why human judgment will become more important as automation increases.
AI is changing the sales process faster than many organizations are prepared for. Tasks that once required SDRs, sales reps, managers, and operations teams are increasingly being automated, augmented, or handled by AI tools. Interestingly, the counterintuitive fact is that as AI takes on a larger share of the sales process, human skills like critical thinking, strategic thinking, curiosity, and the ability to make decisions in ambiguous situations are becoming increasingly critical to effective sales leadership.
In this episode of The B2B Revenue Executive Experience, Cory Cotten-Potter sits down with Kristie Jones, consultant, keynote speaker, coach, bestselling author, and Principal at Kristie K. Jones, to explore the future of AI-augmented sales and what it means for sales leaders, sales reps, and organizations. They discuss why AI should be treated as a leadership challenge rather than simply a technology implementation, how companies can prepare sales teams for AI-driven changes, and why human judgment will become more important as automation increases.
They also explore the future of the SDR role, the hiring and onboarding process, revised sales playbooks, AI accountability, and what the next generation of sales leadership could look like.
What You’ll Learn:
- Why AI in sales is ultimately a leadership and people challenge
- How sales leaders can prepare teams for AI-driven changes without losing critical thinking
- Why the SDR role could disappear while creating new challenges for sales rep development
- How stronger sales onboarding and sales playbooks can improve rep development
- Why leaders need to manage AI workflows alongside human sales teams
- Why accountability in sales requires clearly defining what humans and AI own
- How hiring sales talent is changing as critical thinking becomes more important
- Why the traditional B2B sales playbook is being rewritten
- How self-serve buying and product-led growth could reshape sales differentiation
Learn more about Kristie:
- Kristie Jones, Principal at Kristie K. Jones
- Kristie Jones on: YouTube, Instagram, Twitter
- Kristie Jones: Podcast Appearances
- Bestselling Author: Selling Your Way IN
- New Book: The Sales Leadership Gap: Leading Humans in an AI-Augmented World
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Previous guests include: Eric Shaver, Managing Partner at Kensei Partners, Harry Spaight, Founder of the Selling with Dignity, Jeroen Corthout, Co-Founder at Salesfare
Check out our three most downloaded episodes:
- Episode 189: 5 Things CRM Software Should Help You Do w/ Jeroen Corthout
- Episode 299: How to Break the Used Car Salesperson Stereotype with Harry Spaight
- Episode 301: From Tech Sales to Business Conversation with Eric Shaver
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