Promptly Speaking AI in Sales: Slowing Down to Get it Right with Scott Barghaan
What if the biggest risk in AI adoption isn’t falling behind, but moving too fast without clarity?
In this episode of Promptly Speaking, Sara and Dan speak with Scott Barghaan, a longtime enterprise sales leader whose career spans EMC and Salesforce, and who now teaches future business leaders at the Kellogg School of Management. Scott unpacks how AI is actually reshaping the practice of sales, not through flashy tools or automated outreach, but through better preparation, deeper customer context, and higher expectations for judgment. He explains how executives are often pressured to adopt AI before clearly defining the problem they are trying to solve, and why AI delivers real value only when it is applied to concrete constraints around scale, cost, and margin rather than introduced as a solution in search of a use case. The conversation explores how buyers are showing up differently, how great sellers adapt without losing authenticity, and what practical, grounded AI adoption looks like for teams of any size.
💡 Topics We Cover:
- Why buyers now enter sales conversations later, more informed, and more skeptical
- Board-level pressure to adopt AI and how it shapes executive decision-making- Why starting with tools instead of problems leads to disappointment
- Using AI to prepare for better conversations, not replace sellers
- Customer context as the real advantage in modern sales
- Where AI genuinely helps sales teams today and where it can backfire
- The risk of AI-assisted communication sounding polished but hollow
- Buying committees, political capital, and why “helping buyers buy” matters more than ever
- How small teams can pilot AI, measure impact, and scale responsibly
- Teaching sales and leadership during a major technology shift
⏱ Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction to AI, sales, and executive pressure
01:04 Scott’s career journey from enterprise sales to academia
02:41 Advising AI startups and supporting non-profits
04:49 Customer-centric selling in the AI era
08:42 How the role of the salesperson is changing
11:16 Leveraging AI for research, preparation, and insight
25:28 Why buying is harder than selling
31:15 Convincing executives to embrace AI thoughtfully
33:02 Why this technology shift feels different
33:50 AI’s role in business transformation
34:29 Challenges and opportunities with AI adoption
35:21 What successful AI implementation actually looks like
36:42 Addressing fear, risk, and resistance around AI
41:03 Lessons from teaching at Kellogg
46:03 Final reflections and practical takeaways
How to Find Scott:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sbarghaan/
Kellogg: https://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/academics-research/faculty/barghaan-scott/
Follow Sara & Dan:
Sara: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saralynneroberts/
Dan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danroberts27/
Email: hello@promptlyspeakingpod.com