How enablers can make AI work while on a budget, with Sneha Mittal

Speaker A: Welcome to the Sales Enablement Innovation Podcast brought to you by the Sales Enablement Collective. Each episode we sit down with sales enablement and revenue leaders from around the world and invite them to share their expertise and experience with the community. Welcome to the podcast, Neha. Thanks so much for coming on.

Speaker B: Hey Daniel, thank you for having me.

Speaker A: So before we kick off, could you introduce yourself to our listeners and give a bit of background on your neighborhood, experience what you've been up to and let them know who you are.

Speaker B: Yeah, definitely. So, hi everyone, I'm Sneha Huh and I'm leading sales enablement and communications for the enterprise informatics business within the Europe region at Philips. I have over a decade of experience in marketing and communications, having worked across multiple industries including telecom, it, healthcare and life sciences. I've worked with multinational organizations like Booking.com, elsevier, Vodafone and Cognizant, and I've also worked with other small and mid sized organizations. I started my career in B2C sales where the sales and marketing teams did not connect well. And since then, throughout my marketing career I really focused on keeping our strategies focused on our customers and also the content focused on enabling our sellers to feel more confident about solving customer problems. So I'm a little bit of a technology nerd and I do enjoy, uh, of course the new marketing technology and AI that uh, we're going to talk about today.

Speaker A: Amazing. I love that background, loads of depth. It's perfect for this discussion today. Um, like you mentioned, we're going to be talking about AI and automation and especially sort of the ways we've seen value, uh, in those technologies, even without putting a lot of budget necessarily. Uh, but before we go into the specifics, how are you seeing the AI landscape as a whole in enablement at the moment? What's the sort of picture you're seeing?

Speaker B: Definitely, I think I see AI as a strategic partner and a force multiplier which will really help us do more with less in a faster, smarter and more personalized way. Uh, the AI landscape right now is both exciting and empowering, especially because there's so much potential that still needs to be uncovered with what we can achieve together. So if I look at the typical trends that are happening in AI in enablement landscape, first would be the end to end workflow support. So really AI is moving beyond task automation to provide end to end support across the sales cycle. And if I look at it at a deeper level, AI can really help in generating more pipeline prospecting, better with AI enabled insights, building and growing customer relationships, closing more deals and shortening sales cycles. Other than that, I think it can also help in improving sales trainings at uh, scale enabling upskilling yourself and your teams, improving customer conversation qualities and also improving forecasting by really analyzing large amounts of data. So really I think now AI is no longer a nice to have, but it's really become a core part of modern enablement strategies. Secondly, if I look at the AI landscape, uh, there has been an explosion of AI driven startups. So the market is seeing a boom in AI focused sales tech startups, each targeting specific enablement challenges like onboarding, content creation, content discovery, performance analytics and conversation intelligence. And in addition to this, a lot of the leading platforms like HighSpot, Seismic, showpad, HubSpot, they are integrating AI into their platforms to recommend content based on deal stage, create personalized learning parts and provide AI feedback on pitches, analyze rep engagement and so on. So I do believe in the near future AI will become an integral team member which will handle everything from lead prioritization to real time sales conversations and really delivering long lasting impact on business ROI and growth. Um, so this new breed of AI assistance, it will be more proactive and intuitive, uh, requiring less prompting while helping you navigate more complex sales cycles, providing insights as you go, drafting communications and even flagging potential roadblocks even before they happen based on intelligent data. Thirdly, I think there would be leaner and smarter sales teams. So by enabling sales teams to do more with less focusing on high value interactions while letting AI handle the routine work, I believe our uh, sales teams will become leaner and more efficient as companies continue to optimize costs in the dynamic world. And lastly, I think with AI powered workflows, another strong trend that I see is building AI powered workflows, for example, summarizing meeting notes or routing leads in the systems. So these new platforms like Zapier make and Microsoft Power Automate, they will allow teams to build stronger and efficient workflows with minimal or no technical expertise. And this will really enable us to scale the impact of our teams and help them focus more on the strategy itself and make stronger human interaction while reducing the admin workload on them. So yes, I think those are the key trends in the AI landscape in the enablement space in my opinion.

Speaker A: I love that. Loads of really good insight there. It's really interesting. Just the way it's boomed from a couple of years ago, I think it's really gone in a way we couldn't have imagined. Uh, before recording we talked a little bit about um, AI and the sort of role in the sales process and how you mentioned that there was a lot of benefits throughout the various stages of the sales process. Could you take us through those use cases and what you've been doing with AI? Ah, in that sales process context?

Speaker B: Yeah, definitely. So I think a couple of use cases across the different stages of sales cycles. The first one would be more around, um, understanding customer Persona. So in B2B sales, we know that the buying journey is rarely straightforward, right? It's long, it's complex, and it often involves multiple stakeholders, each with their own priorities, their pain points and influence on the final decision. And that's why it's so important for us to tailor our messaging to, based on who we are speaking to, whether it's a technical evaluator, a budget holder or a strategic decision maker. To do this effectively, we use our own internal version of ChatGPT as a research assistant. It helps us dig deeper into each Persona. What challenges they typically face, what outcomes do they care about, and most importantly, how they prefer to engage. So what kind of content do they engage with? And this insight allows us to reframe our messaging in a way that truly resonates with each stakeholder. We also use these findings to guide content selection, choosing the assets, case studies or data points that will most likely connect with that specific audience. It's a great example of how AI can help us be more relevant, more strategic and ultimately more effective in every conversation. Another great use case is with sales trainings. Uh, one of the most persistent challenges, especially in a global organization, is delivering consistent, high impact training across diverse regions and, and languages. So in Europe, for example, we often face the complexity of equipping teams in multiple markets, each with its own language, cultural nuance and maturity level. And to address this at scale, we've integrated seismic learning into our enablement strategy. And what makes this platform particularly valuable is the ability to leverage AI to personalize learning journeys. So rather than pushing out one size fits all content, we can now tailor training based on a rep's current understanding of a solution based on their role and even their market context. Um, but where it really gets strategic is in the coaching layer. So after completing the training, reps have to engage in video based role plays. The AI then provides structured and objective feedback on did they articulate the value proposition clearly? Did they address the customer's core challenge? Were they concise, were they confident, or did they use a lot of filler language? And this kind of insight, I believe, is powerfully, really, really powerful. And it Allows us to move beyond language barriers and focus on what really matters. So really the message, clarity, customer relevance and confidence and delivery. And it's not just about training the reps, it's about preparing them to show up as trusted advisors in every conversation. And for me this is where AI truly elevates enablement from a support function to a strategic driver of sales performance. And um, I think another great use case is the growing customer relationships. So one of the most practical and high impact ways we are using Genai in sales enablement is through role play based prompting. It's great especially when it comes to onboarding new team members or preparing teams to engage with a wide variety of stakeholders. So selling into hospital networks is quite complex because you're not just speaking to one decision maker, you're really navigating a matrix of clinical, operational and IT leaders, each with their own priorities. For example, a uh, hospital CIO is often focused on system interoperability, data security and ensuring that any new solution that they take integrates seamlessly with their existing EHR platforms. And that's a very different conversation than the one you would have with the chief nursing officer or a procurement lead. With AI we can simulate these conversations in a realistic and low risk environment. We use prompts to create detailed stakeholder Personas. A ah, CIO who's concerned about cybersecurity risks or burden of managing multiple vendor platforms and reps can then practice their messaging objection handling and value articulation in a dynamic roleplay. The AI responds in real time, challenging them to think critically and adapt their approach. What makes this so effective is the feedback loop. So after each session the AI provides structured insights highlighting where the reps align well with the stakeholders concerns and where they might need to adjust their message. So this approach not only accelerates onboarding, allowing new reps to experience a wide range of scenarios in a matter of weeks, but it also builds confidence and strategic thinking. So it does help our sellers uh, show up prepared, be more credible and, and ready to speak the language of their audience. And in a space as nuanced as healthcare, that kind of preparation can really help make a lot of difference. So yeah, those are the top use cases of how we are using AI at the moment. And we are also exploring more and more of what we can do with AI.

Speaker A: I love that, that's amazing. Lots of stuff for our listeners to sort of pick away at, uh, and maybe think about implementing into their own organizations as well and kind of brainstorm. I think that the follow up to that is that that enablement teams sometimes struggle with getting budget, especially for sort of new tools. And AI is sort of maybe seen as buzzword in certain organizations. What sort of free options can our listeners kind of use to achieve this increased efficiency and see some of these benefits? Um, and do you have sort of advice on how and when to use sort of free tools so they can get on board? You mentioned that it's not a nice to have anymore. Um, where can they sort of do that while being within their budget constraints? I guess.

Speaker B: Oh, definitely. I think as we grow more, uh, one of the biggest hurdles that enablement teams face, especially budgets, when the budgets are tight and it's just justifying, spend on new shiny tools becomes more and more difficult. And while we know the value is clear, getting buy in from multiple stakeholders can really take a lot of time. But the good news is you don't really need a big budget to start seeing impact. There are a lot of these free or low cost AI tools that can help you drive efficiency and build momentum internally. So for example, tools like ChatGPT, even the free tier version, can be incredibly effective for things like drafting email templates, creating Persona based messaging, or even simulating stakeholder conversations. And now recently, just last week, uh, a new feature was released with ChatGPT around, uh, the voice, the conversational intelligence. I think that's also going to be a deal breaker as we go ahead. And with AI like ChatGPT, you can use simple prompts like okay, act as a hospital CIO concerned about data security, tell me, how would you respond to a pitch about a new patient engagement platform? And that kind of role play can be a great training tool, especially for onboarding new reps. Another great option is Google Gemini or Claude AI. They also offer a lot of free access and they can help with content generation, summarizing long documents online, or brainstorming enablement materials, and for organizing and sharing content. Notion AI has a free plan that's great for building internal playbooks or FAQs. And if you're looking to analyze call transcripts or customer feedback, tools like Otter AI or Fireflies AI offer free tiers that can help you get started with conversation intelligence and really when to use these tools. I'd say it's better to start small and strategic because it may take a lot of time to get buy in. It may take a lot of time to get the tool into your systems and integrate it into what you're doing. But if you use them to solve a specific pain point, like speeding up onboarding or creating Tailored messaging for a new product launch. Um, with some of these smaller projects, if you can really show impact, it becomes much easier to make the case for investing in more advanced and integrated solutions. So, so the key is to treat these tools as a way to prototype and prove value. And you don't need a full tech stack to start driving results, you just need a few smart use cases and a willingness to experiment. So my key advice here would be to look at, okay, where are these admin tasks and challenges and how AI can really help you automate some of these things and start strategic and start small.

Speaker A: Uh, I love that. And we'll be sure to mention all the sort of tools that you listed in the description as well for anyone who wants to go and uh, check those out specifically. I think we've talked about a lot of the positives there. Have you seen any challenges with implementing AI into their teams? We see sometimes there's these horror stories about chatbots that get stuck in loops and things like that. Um, I'm sure that's a sort of small percentage, but have you seen anything challenge wise when it comes to implementation or actually sort of getting AI into the workflow?

Speaker B: Well, I think the benefits of AI in enablement are clear, but it's also, I completely agree. It's important to acknowledge the challenges because they are real and they are worth planning for. Um, and one of the biggest concerns we've had internally is around data privacy and security. So especially in regulated industries like healthcare, we have to be extremely cautious about what information is shared with AI tools. And that's why we've made internal education our priority. So really making sure teams understand what's safe to input, what's not, and why uploading sensitive files to external platforms is really not allowed. So it's not just about compliance, but it's also about building a culture of responsibility around data. Another big challenge that I think we faced is adoption. So really, in large organizations, rolling out any new tool takes its time. There's the learning curve, of course, but even before that there's the procurement process. So legal reviews, security assessments and regulatory checks, they can take sometimes weeks and even months. And that's before you even get to onboarding and change management. So really to help with this, one of the best practices we've adopted is identifying internal champions and piloting new technologies with them first. These champions help us test real use cases, gather feedback and also build internal momentum. Uh, so we also make it a point to regularly share successful use cases across teams. What this truly allows is not only help others see the value, but also create a sense of shared learning and progress. And, and like with any new tech, there are occasional hiccups and of course there are challenges. The outputs output is not as expected. Um, AI can sometimes generate responses that are completely off base or really generic. They can also hallucinate data and that's why we always emphasize using it as a starting point and to support while double checking everything to ensure that the facts are correct and modifying it with human insights. So I do believe that we have to work together alongside AI and that it's again not taking over everything that we're doing. Um, so yes there are challenges, but with the right guardrails, internal champions and a thoughtful rollout strategy, I think they're absolutely manageable and when done right, the impact is well worth the effort.

Speaker A: I love that. That's a really good perspective as well of having the right guardrails, I guess. Where are the areas that you've seen the biggest gains in efficiency by sort of bringing in AI? Uh, in different automations? I'm thinking for our listeners, if they only have time to maybe focus on one, where they're going to get the most bang for their buck. In your experience, uh, if there was

Speaker B: only one area where we've seen the biggest efficiency gains from AI, I would say it would be in content creation and personalization. So whether it's drafting tailored outreach emails or building Persona specific messaging, or creating even sales playbooks for a training, or um, building onboarding content, AI really helps us move faster without sacrificing quality. And for teams who are just getting started, my recommendation would be to focus on automating content generation for sales, communications and trainings. Uh, it's low risk, it's easy to pilot, and it also delivers immediate time savings. That frees up your team to focus on more higher value work.

Speaker A: I love that that's really important to stress, especially the power of focusing on more higher value work as well. Um, I guess before we sort of wrap things up, are there any other applications of AI in particular that we haven't talked about that have impressed you? Uh, anything else you sort of want to highlight for the listeners in particular?

Speaker B: One application of AI and enablement that has particularly impressed me is around process automation. So with an AI chatbot, sales teams can really gain specific insights into which customers to focus on, identify troubled accounts, determine which customers have the highest potential to bring in revenue, and I think those kind of use cases are quite valuable. So having such tools can really enhance efficiency and also accelerate decision making processes from the perspective of the sales teams, which in the end enables more effective resource allocation and also helps us drive better business outcomes.

Speaker A: I love that. And I guess as a final cherry on top before we close everything up, if listeners could only take one thing away from this episode, what should it be? What's the biggest key takeaway that you can give to the audience?

Speaker B: I think for me, uh, AI is here to stay and it will transform our ways of working. It already is doing that. There's a lot of fear that it would take our jobs. It wouldn't take our jobs, but it will modify them forever. Uh, and it will enable us to really focus on more value added tasks as AI reshapes our work environment. The skills that will make you successful may not be the ones that you expect. So I think the most valuable and resilient skills are distinctly human. So really compassion, creativity, communication skills, courage and curiosity. So keep them them up and stay distinctly human while also leveraging AI. That would be my key message for the listeners.

Speaker A: I love that. That's an amazing sort of message to end with. Um, so I think we're going to wrap it up there, but thank you so much, Naya for coming on and sharing that with the audience. I really enjoyed that episode. Lots of little things that, uh, tools that I'm going to have to look at as well just to get some more info for myself. I'm sure the listeners will be doing the same. So thank you for coming on and

Speaker B: thank you for having me. Daniel, thank you so much.

Speaker A: Thanks for tuning in to the Sales Enablement Innovation podcast. Be sure to follow us on your podcast platform of choice so you don't miss a thing. And if you're hungry for more sales enablement content, visit our website, sales enablementcollective.com for articles, events and an easy way to join our Slack community, home to thousands of your sales enablement peers.