In this episode of the Sales Chat Show, we discuss one of the standout findings from the State of Sales 2026 Report from The Growth Hub: sales leaders are seeing some of the strongest positive impact from AI in the area of customer intelligence.

The discussion explores how AI can help salespeople research customers faster, understand buying organisations more deeply, personalise outreach, identify useful business insights and prepare more effectively for important sales conversations.

But the message is clear: AI is not there to replace great salespeople. It is there to make great salespeople more effective.

Simon, Anthony and Steve discuss how AI can remove the old excuse of “I haven’t got time to research properly” by making customer research faster, sharper and more practical. They explore how sales teams can use AI to understand external pressures, company strategy, buyer priorities, market trends, competitor activity and potential conversation starters before making contact.

Key topics discussed include:

• Why customer intelligence is one of the strongest current use cases for AI in sales
• How AI helps salespeople research faster and personalise at scale
• Why there is no longer an excuse for poorly researched outreach
• The difference between using AI as a shortcut and using it as a sales advantage
• How “research sprints” can help account managers prepare more effectively
• Why AI should support human judgement, not replace it
• How AI-generated meeting notes can improve CRM data quality
• Why better data leads to better insight and better sales action
• How leaders can encourage AI adoption without overwhelming their teams
• What sales teams can learn from sport about the power of data-driven performance

So why is peer-to-peer learning still such an underused opportunity in many sales organisations?

In this episode of the Sales Chat Show, we discuss another insight from the State of Sales 2026 Report from The Growth Hub: sales leaders reported relatively low reliance on sales enablement for peer-to-peer collaboration.

That raises an important question. Is sales enablement missing a major opportunity to help salespeople learn faster, share what works and solve real-world sales problems together?

Key topics discussed include:

• Why peer-to-peer learning is an underused sales development opportunity
• What sales teams can learn from external roundtables and industry events
• Why confidential peer discussions can be as valuable as keynote content
• How to use roundtables at sales kick offs and team meetings
• Why small-group discussions often feel safer than large-room participation
• How call buddy sessions help salespeople learn structure and style
• Why salespeople should learn from different strengths across the team
• How customer service, operations, marketing and pre-sales can contribute to sales learning
• Why sales enablement should enable peer learning without over-engineering it
• How short, simple sessions can rapidly spread good practice across a sales team
  

If you are a sales leader, sales manager, sales enablement professional or revenue leader, this episode will help you think differently about how learning really happens inside high-performing sales teams.

Sales and marketing alignment has been talked about for years. So why is it still such a persistent problem?

In this episode we discuss one of the recurring issues highlighted in the latest State of Sales Report: the ongoing challenge of aligning sales, marketing and lead generation activity.

Despite the rise of the CRO, revenue teams and integrated commercial structures, many organisations still experience tension between sales and marketing. Sales teams complain about lead quality. Marketing teams feel salespeople do not follow up properly. And when the numbers are missed, the “blame thrower” often comes out.

In this practical and entertaining conversation, Simon, Anthony and Steve explore why the problem continues, why alignment is not solved by structure alone, and what sales and marketing teams can do to work better together.

The discussion covers:

The danger of “blamestorming” instead of solving the real problem
Why the rise of the CRO has not automatically fixed alignment
The importance of sales sharing the real voice of the customer
Why marketing teams need to spend more time with salespeople and customers
How salespeople can build stronger internal relationships with marketing
Why involving sales early creates more ownership of marketing campaigns and product launches
Whether marketing should be rewarded or recognised for sales outcomes
Why revenue generation is a team sport, not a solo activity

If you are a sales leader, marketing leader, CRO, account manager, business development professional or revenue leader, this episode will give you practical ideas for improving sales and marketing collaboration. Because if sales and marketing want to generate better revenue results, they need to stop throwing each other under the bus and start working as one team.

In this episode the teams discuss what the latest “State of Sales Report” reveals about AI and forecast accuracy.

The report shows that sales leaders are seeing only a relatively low positive impact from AI when it comes to improving forecast accuracy. That raises an important question for every sales leader: if AI is not yet delivering the forecasting improvements many hoped for, where is the real problem?

Simon, Anthony and Steve explore why forecasting is so difficult, why AI cannot rescue poor-quality CRM and pipeline data, and why culture, behaviour and leadership still play a huge role in forecast accuracy.

The conversation covers:

Why the actual AI impact on forecast accuracy may be lower than expected
Why “garbage in, garbage out” still applies in the age of AI
How poor CRM discipline damages sales forecasting
Why salespeople may hold opportunities in a “shadow CRM”
The danger of “forcecasting” when pressure from above distorts the pipeline
Why sales managers need to coach rather than punish around forecast accuracy
How AI can help improve the quality of data going into the CRM
Why forecast accuracy matters beyond sales, especially in manufacturing, stock management and cash flow
Whether salespeople should be recognised or incentivised for accurate forecasting
How better qualification, pipeline discipline and CRM updates can improve sales performance

If you are a sales leader, sales manager, revenue leader, CRO, account manager or business development professional, this episode will help you think differently about forecasting, CRM, AI and sales performance.

In this timely episode of the Sales Chat Show, Simon Hazeldine, Graham Jones, and Anthony Steers tackle the big question many sales professionals are facing right now: How do you sell smart when the economy isn’t on your side?

With economic headwinds, shifting buyer behaviours, and tighter budgets, the trio shares practical, real-world strategies for delivering sales results without blowing the budget. From improving buyer targeting and focusing on profitable activity to enhancing customer retention and leveraging no-cost digital tactics, this episode is packed with insight for navigating uncertain times.

Whether you’re a frontline seller or a sales leader under pressure, you’ll walk away with actionable ideas to stay commercially sharp, resilient—and cost-effective.

• The truth about what doesn’t work—and how to fix it fast
• Common mistakes, missed opportunities, and strategies that work
• Is your LinkedIn profile costing you sales? Find out what our expert says
• Practical advice to turn your LinkedIn presence from ignored to irresistible
• From spammy to strategic: How real sales pros win business on LinkedIn