I'm joined by Gautam Rishi, the Co-Founder & CEO of OneShot.ai, a pioneering AI-powered sales development platform. With a background in tech and a passion for innovation, Gautam has led OneShot from its early days to a successful company that's changing the face of sales development. In this conversation, we dive deep into the challenges of sales development in the AI era and explore practical strategies for building successful sales teams.

This episode explores the challenges of sales development in today's AI-driven landscape, highlighting the importance of human touch and listening skills in building successful sales teams. Gautam Rishi shares his journey from a successful tech career to founding OneShot, discussing the impact of AI on the sales development representative industry and how his company positioned itself in the market before the AI boom.

Key Discussion Points:

🔥 Why most salespeople fail: The surprising truth about AI implementation

🤖 The lost art of listening: How human touch can revive sales in AI times

📊 Reviving human touch in AI-driven sales: The hybrid approach that worked

🚀 The surprising impact of technology on sales skills: What's being lost

👥 The rise of young entrepreneurs: How they're changing the sales landscape

💼 The importance of hiring the right talent: What to look for in a sales team

📈 Focus on one or two marketing channels: The secret to successful outbound marketing

Timecodes:

0:00 - Introduction

1:00 - The Journey from SDR to Founder

5:00 - Identifying the Problem in the SDR Industry

8:00 - The Impact of AI on Outbound Sales

11:00 - Navigating Early Success and Market Changes

14:00 - The Shift from Email to Phone Outreach

17:00 - Hiring Fractional SDRs: Benefits and Challenges

20:00 - Building a Hybrid Sales Model

23:00 - The Importance of Human Element in Sales

26:00 - Addressing the Skills Gap in Modern Sales Teams

29:00 - The Role of Curiosity and Self-Improvement in Sales

32:00 - Understanding Customer Needs Through Outbound

35:00 - Common GTM Mistakes Startups Make

38:00 - Pre and Post Product-Market Fit Strategies

41:00 - Aligning Engineering and Sales Goals

44:00 - Incentivizing Engineers for Better Alignment

47:00 - The Importance of Resilience in Startups

50:00 - Final Thoughts for Founders

52:00 - Where to Find Gautam and OneShot.ai

Important Links:

You can reach Gautam Rishi at https://www.linkedin.com/in/grishi

Vishesh, your host at https://vishesh.space

Checkout OneShot.ai

P.S. If you are writing on LinkedIn https://tryjerry.com