If your sales team is stuck at 25% conversion despite investing in AI tools, this episode reveals why most AI pilots fail - and the sales methodology audit every Revenue Leader should run first.
Sales strategy expert Aleasha Bahr (author of Black Sheep Sales) walks through the 3-step diagnostic to identify broken sales processes, explains the difference between "Admin Drag" (tasks AI should handle) and "Relationship Moments" (where humans must stay in control), and shares the counterintuitive truth about taking fewer calls to close more revenue.
You'll learn:
- Why "automating a broken process" is the #1 reason AI pilots end up in "Pilot Purgatory"
- How to identify if your team is wasting capacity on leads that were never going to close
- Where AI actually fits in a high-converting sales workflow (hint: it's not messaging)
- The Sales Methodology Audit framework to run before your next AI investment
Aleasha's methodology has helped clients achieve 80% lead conversion rates - without pressure tactics or massive AI stacks. Over 15 years in the sales trenches, she's helped sell tens of millions in offers by focusing on what most teams skip: a repeatable, authentic process built on clarity and connection.
Your sales team isn't selling. They're updating CRM fields, doing prospect research, chasing down meeting notes - spending 70% of their time on what Mike Allton calls "Admin Drag." And here's the kicker: You've probably already tried to fix this with an AI pilot. But six months later, the conversion rates are still stuck, the pipeline is still stalled, and you're wondering if you just wasted another chunk of budget on software that promised magic but delivered more logins your team ignores.
Here's what nobody's telling you: The problem isn't the AI. The problem is that you're automating a broken sales process. If you can't answer the question "What does a high-converting sales process actually look like?" - then no chatbot, no cadence tool, no "AI SDR" is going to save you.
This is the pre-mortem you should have run six months ago.
Download the free Executive Guide to Shadow AI: theaihat.com/shadow-ai
00:00 The Problem with Too Many Sales Calls
01:17 Introduction to The AI Hat Podcast
02:26 The Hidden Costs of Admin Drag
03:12 Introducing Aleasha Bahr and Black Sheep Sales
04:33 Key Elements of a High-Converting Sales Process
10:46 The Role of AI in Sales Efficiency
18:46 Balancing AI and Human Touch in Sales
34:08 Final Thoughts and Resources
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