Mike Groenevald, the Vice President of Global Sales at Everstage, takes center stage as we explore the exciting intersection of AI and sales. Known for his strategic insights, Mike reveals how Everstage is reimagining its role as a CPQ company to better serve its conservative customer base. Our discussion uncovers the transformative potential of AI, particularly in automating manual sales tasks like quote and proposal creation. By harnessing tools such as Slack and Teams to extract valuable information from CRM systems and call recordings, Everstage is empowering its sales teams to escape the administrative grind and focus on strategic activities that drive results.

Our conversation also ventures into the broader landscape of sales enablement, emphasizing AI's role in not just speeding up processes, but enriching them for more meaningful customer interactions. Mike's insights illustrate how AI is shifting the focus from merely saving time to maximizing the effectiveness of sales efforts, including transforming one-on-one coaching into scalable learning tools. We wrap up with a deep dive into the strategic use of CRM systems, where personal notes and alerts act as vital safeguards against information overload. Join us for this thought-provoking episode as we uncover AI's game-changing impact on sales success and the ongoing journey to refine these innovative strategies.

(00:05) AI in CPQ for Sales Growth

(08:54) Leveraging AI for Sales Enablement

(19:33) Maximizing CRM Notes for Sales Success

(00:05) AI in CPQ for Sales Growth

This chapter features a conversation with Mike, the Vice President of Global Sales at Everstage, where we explore the intersection of sales performance management and the company's recent pivot towards becoming a CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) company. We discuss the conservative nature of Everstage's customer base and the cautious approach towards AI adoption, highlighting the potential of AI in automating manual tasks to enhance efficiency. I talk with Mike about how AI can significantly streamline the process of creating quotes and proposals, making it more accurate and less time-consuming. Mike shares insights into Everstage's innovative use of AI to automate the proposal creation process by integrating tools like Slack and Teams to gather information from CRM systems and call recordings, thus reducing administrative tasks for sales teams and allowing them to focus on more strategic activities.

(08:54) Leveraging AI for Sales Enablement

This chapter focuses on enhancing productivity through the strategic use of AI in sales processes. I share my perspective on how AI can not only speed up tasks like pre-call preparation but also enrich them, enabling deeper discovery during calls and more personalized interactions with customers. The conversation highlights the importance of using AI to improve the quality of work rather than merely increasing efficiency. We discuss how AI can transform one-on-one coaching sessions into scalable learning tools by recording and converting these sessions into easily accessible battle cards. This approach is aimed at improving win rates by focusing on better customer interactions and more impactful coaching. We explore how these methods relate to driving ROI in sales enablement, emphasizing the shift from time-saving to maximizing the effectiveness of sales efforts.

(19:33) Maximizing CRM Notes for Sales Success

This chapter explores the strategic use of CRM systems, emphasizing the importance of personal notes and alerts to streamline processes and maintain focus on key opportunities. We discuss the value of setting up "tripwires" to manage information overload and ensure that critical details, like competitor insights and pricing, don't go unnoticed. This approach allows for timely interventions, such as revisiting calls where follow-ups are lacking. Through