Software Sales & AI Exercises
Fill in the blanks to test your knowledge.
In modern software sales, the rep's primary value has shifted from ___ transfer to judgment and trust, because AI-informed buyers can now research independently
Old model: transfer — reps carried product knowledge that buyers lacked.
New model: judgment, trust, and organizational navigation.
Why: AI-informed buyers research categories, compare competitors, and build shortlists before first contact.
Implication: reps who show up to re-explain the category lose credibility immediately.
A ___ brief is a short document prepared before a significant sales call, synthesizing company news, contact role priorities, and call objectives using AI research
A brief takes 5-10 minutes using AI research and contains:
- Company snapshot: recent news, size, industry context
- Contact priorities: what someone in this role likely cares about
- Confirmed pain: what you already know from previous interactions
- Open questions: what you need to learn on this call
- Primary objective: the one thing you need to come out with
Level ___ discovery questions probe the implication of the problem — asking what the cost of inaction is and what opportunities are missed if nothing changes
Level 1: Situational — what does the current state look like?
Level 2: Problem — what is not working and what is the impact?
Level : Implication — what does it cost if this is still the case in 12 months?
Most reps stay at Levels 1 and 2. Top performers operate at Level , building the business case for change.
A shared document that outlines the steps both buyer and seller must complete to reach a decision by a target date is called a Mutual ___ Plan
A Mutual Plan (also called a Mutual Action Plan or Evaluation Plan):
- Creates shared accountability for both sides
- Surfaces disengagement early if the buyer stops completing steps
- Gives the champion a clear internal roadmap
- Distinguishes genuine evaluation from indefinitely delayed decisions
Format: week-by-week with owner labels — [Seller] and [Buyer].
The principle that most complex software deals are lost to ___, not to a competitor winning, means closing is about making "yes" easier than "no decision"
Common belief: deals are lost to competitors.
Reality: most complex deals die from .
Causes: business case not approved, champion changed roles, budget reallocated, committee could not agree, deal lost momentum.
Closing focus: remove reasons not to decide — not just reasons not to choose a competitor.
A deal where the only relationship is with a single buyer contact is called ___, and is considered fragile because it dies if that contact leaves or changes roles
A -threaded deal is fragile — it dies if the single contact leaves, changes roles, or goes on leave.
Solution: build relationships across the buying committee — economic buyer, technical evaluator, end-user champion, and executive sponsor.
Champion's role: facilitate introductions, not gatekeep access.
Lean AI-enabled software vendors often under-price because they compare to their own ___ rather than to the value they deliver and the total cost of the incumbent solution
Common pricing mistake: comparing to your own .
Correct comparison: what is the buyer currently paying all-in vs. what outcomes are they getting?
All-in incumbent cost includes: license fees, implementation, customization, opportunity cost, and internal vendor management.
Insight: a focused $50K solution that works beats a $200K incumbent that doesn't.
The three daily AI habits that compound into better sales performance are pre-call research ___, post-call deal analysis, and weekly pipeline audit
Three daily AI habits that compound:
1. Pre-call research : 5-10 minutes before significant meetings — company context, contact priorities, call objectives
2. Post-call deal analysis: immediately after each call — confirmed pain, open questions, deal risks, next steps
3. Weekly pipeline audit: deals at risk, stalled deals, single-thread alerts
Each habit improves the quality of the next interaction.