AI Didn’t Change How People Buy. It Exposed Whether Selling Is Treated Like a Discipline
What AI, CRM, and buying have taught me, by sitting on both sides of the table.
I’ve spent enough time as both a seller and a buyer to know this:
Time is money.
And poor selling wastes a lot of it.
AI and CRM tools didn’t change that. They just made it harder to hide.
As a Buyer, I Didn’t Dislike Salespeople; I Disliked Wasted Time
What frustrated me most wasn’t the price. It was:
Showing up without an appointment
Meetings with no agenda or purpose
Sellers who didn’t understand our market or pressures
Poor awareness of what was happening in the economy
That doesn’t feel persistent. It feels sloppy and, well, careless.
The simple reality is that if you don’t respect my time, I assume you won’t respect my business.
As a Seller, Preparation Became the Differentiator
On the selling side, AI and CRM make it easier than ever to show up prepared:
Context is there
Notes are there
Follow-ups are there
Which means when a seller is NOT prepared, it’s obvious.
My first real ah-ha: Preparation matters more than polish.
Buyers Still Decide the Same Way. Just Faster
No matter the tools, buyers still decide in the same order:
Do I trust this person?
Do I have confidence in this company?
Does this solve my problem?
Is the price fair?
Is now the right time?
AI and CRM have not changed those decisions. They have just shortened the decision-making process.
Second ah-ha: Technology didn’t raise expectations. It lowered patience.
Technology Should Help the Conversation, Not Get in the Way
I believe that AI works when it helps:
Clarify the problem
Frame tradeoffs
Keep momentum
Respect time
It seems to fail when it:
Automates noise
Replaces listening
Pushes instead of helps
The best conversations I’ve been part of, on either side, had fewer words and, most importantly, better questions.
Final Thought
I don’t believe that selling and buying are overly complicated. To put it simply, both sides are trying to make or save money, reduce risk, and move forward without wasting time. Technology doesn’t replace the human connection; it reveals whether it is built on respect, clarity, and shared value. When those basics are in place, AI and CRM help. When they aren’t, they just make the mess more obvious.
