How to start with AI: solve one problem

Can agentic AI truly streamline pre-qualification in the sales process? To explore this question, I invited Caroline Onyedinma, an AI sales innovator who bridges the worlds of AI, marketing, and technical strategy. With her deep expertise, Caroline explains how agentic AI can be integrated into key stages of the sales cycle to help sellers stay focused on high-impact activities instead of getting buried in manual tasks.

What Agentic AI Is and Why It Matters (00:02:06 – 00:03:07)

Caroline Onyedinma walks through her 20-year journey from software engineering into AI-powered marketing.

She breaks down agentic AI in a simple, practical way, showing how it builds on solid, user-focused software principles.

What excites her most is that tools once reserved for big enterprise teams are now accessible to entrepreneurs who want to save time, stay efficient, and scale their businesses.

Agentic AI in the Pre-Qualification Stage (00:03:09 – 00:07:30)

Caroline explains how agentic AI can transform pre-qualification. By analyzing inbound calls and questionnaires, tools like VAPY help sales teams automate initial filtering, identify high-intent leads faster, and make sure no prospect slips through the cracks.

Every caller gets a timely, personalized response, without adding more work for the team.

How AI Agents Support Technical Sales (00:12:16 – 00:17:00)

Caroline also talks about how agentic AI can act as a technical support partner for sales teams.

These AI agents can tell product stories, answer complex questions, and pick up on conversational cues to personalize the experience and even guide upsells.

They can adapt in real time, share relevant details, and trigger helpful actions like sending summaries or payment links to keep the deal moving forward.

Advice for Sale Leaders and Using AI Tools (00:20:41 - 00:22:00)

Caroline shares simple, practical advice for sales leaders who want to explore agentic AI but aren’t sure where to start.

She recommends choosing one specific challenge in the sales process and using AI to solve that single, manageable problem before expanding further.

Once that first win is in place, you can identify the next challenge and continue building your AI workflow with clarity and confidence.

"Agentic AI builds on the principles of robust, cohesive software, and now it’s moving from enterprise to entrepreneurship, helping us grow our businesses and make better use of our time." - Caroline Onyedinma

Resources

Reach out to Caroline Onyedinma on LinkedIn or Instagram and let her help you solve one problem at a time with practical, powerful AI solutions.

Sponsorship Offers

This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.

With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.

This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.

Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.

This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.

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Credits

As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and produced by Brightseed and Hill.