Human-First AI Marketing Podcast by Avenue9 Human and Machine Learning: Coaching Sales Teams with Causal AIwith Owen Lawlor
In this episode of the Human-First AI Marketing® podcast, Mike Montague sits down with Owen Lawlor, VP of AI at CoachEm, to explore how AI can be used with humans, not against them. You’ll hear how CoachEm is helping sales leaders move beyond dashboards and activity metrics by using causal AI and machine learning to uncover why performance is lagging and what reps can do about it. Think Iron Man, not Terminator. This isn’t automation that replaces your people; it’s intelligence that makes them better.
We dig into real-world applications for sales coaching, performance analysis, and learning interventions that actually change behavior. If you’re a sales manager, marketing director, or SMB exec trying to figure out how to make AI useful without feeling overwhelmed, this conversation will hit home. You’ll leave with practical takeaways about using AI to amplify your team's capabilities, scale coaching, and finally connect the dots between data and decisions.
Key Takeaways
1. AI should augment humans, not replace them
Owen makes the case for using AI to make sellers superhuman, not obsolete, by giving them data-backed coaching, not just automation.
2. Causal AI identifies why sales are off, not just what happened
CoachEm’s models go beyond surface-level metrics to uncover root causes behind missed quotas and underperformance.
3. Sales enablement must be personalized to each rep.
One-size-fits-all dashboards don’t work; causal AI tailors learning interventions based on each individual’s behavior and performance data.
4. Managers are drowning in tools and need actionable insight, fast
With growing rep-to-manager ratios, frontline leaders don’t need more data; they need AI to tell them what matters most right now.
5. Learning interventions can be automated, but never dehumanized
CoachEm uses AI to suggest coaching actions, but always keeps the human manager in the loop to approve or adjust the plan.
6. Degenerative AI is a real risk; look backward before generating forward
Instead of only using AI to write sales content, CoachEm analyzes past emails, calls, and CRM behavior to determine what’s actually working.
7. “Iron Man” is a better AI metaphor than “Terminator”
Owen supports the Human-First idea that AI should be a suit around the human, giving reps enhanced abilities, not taking their job.
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