A few weeks ago, a client said something that made me smile. We were wrapping up a coaching session when she mentioned how much she loved reading my blog posts. "They feel like you," she said. "There's always a story, a memory, something real. It's refreshing in a sea of content that all sounds the same."

Her comment captured what we've all been struggling with throughout 2025.This was the year we got serious about AI. We tested the tools, built the prompts, automated the sequences, and watched our output multiply.We could write five emails in the time it used to take to write one. We could research prospects, draft proposals, and generate follow-ups faster than ever before. The efficiency was addictive.But somewhere between the speed and the scale, something started to slip away.

We saw deal cycles stretch longer even though we were moving faster. Buyers went silent more often. Responses felt colder. And when we dug into what was happening, the pattern became clear: in our rush to do more, we'd stopped showing up as ourselves. Our communications became polished but lifeless. Professional but forgettable. Fast but generic.The irony wasn't lost on any of us. We adopted AI to enhance our work, but in many cases, it was muting our voices instead.

Throughout the year, we watched B2B sales teams wrestle with this tension. The pressure to be everywhere, respond instantly, and scale endlessly was real. Quotas didn't shrink because we had new tools. If anything, expectations grew.So teams leaned harder into automation, convinced that more volume would solve the problem.It didn't…. It made it worse…

What we learned instead is that buyers can smell AI-generated content from a mile away. Not because it's poorly written, but because it lacks the one thing that builds trust: genuine human presence. The quirks, the stories, the moments of vulnerability that signal "there's a real person behind this message who actually gets what I'm dealing with."

We also saw buyer behavior shift in response. Decision-makers became more guarded, more skeptical, and more likely to ghost. Why? Because they were drowning in outreach that all sounded the same. Another "reaching out to connect" email. Another "just checking in" follow-up. Another demo request that could have been written by anyone, for anyone.

The deals that moved? They came from reps who used AI as a research assistant, not a replacement. They'd leverage tools to understand a prospect's industry challenges, then craft messages in their own voice.

They'd use automation to handle administrative tasks, freeing up time for deeper discovery conversations. They'd generate first drafts, then rewrite them with personality, specificity, and heart.These reps understood something crucial: efficiency without impact is just noise.

As we worked with sales leaders this year, the most successful ones stopped asking "how can we do more?" and started asking "how can we show up better?" They coached their teams to weave in personal observations. To reference a prospect's recent LinkedIn post with a genuine reaction, not a generic comment. To share a relevant story from their own experience that demonstrated understanding, not just capability.

The mindset challenges were real, too. Reps felt the pressure to compete with AI-generated perfection. They'd read their own authentic message next to a polished ChatGPT draft and second-guess themselves."Maybe I should sound more professional. Maybe my story is too casual. Maybe I'm overthinking this."

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But here's what we kept coming back to: buyers don't want perfection. They want connection. They want to work with someone who sees them, understands their context, and can guide them through a complex decision with both expertise and empathy.AI can help us research faster, organize better, and handle repetitive tasks with ease. What it can't do is replace the gut instinct that tells you when to push and when to pull back. It can't read the subtle shift in tone on a call that signals hesitation. It can't build the kind of trust that makes a buyer willing to take a risk on you.

Looking back at 2025, we're not anti-AI. We're pro-human. And we're realizing that the future of B2B sales isn't about choosing between technology and authenticity—it's about using one to amplify the other.As we head into 2026, the question isn't "should I use AI?" It's "how do I use AI in a way that makes me more of myself, not less?"The teams that will win next year are the ones who figure out how to scale their authenticity, not just their output. They'll use AI to handle the busywork so they can spend more time on the work that actually matters understanding their buyers deeply, crafting messages that land, and showing up as real humans in a world that desperately needs more of them.

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So here's what we're taking into 2026: keep the tools but never let them rob us of what makes us valuable in the first place. Our perspective. Our experience. Our ability to connect one human to another, even in a digital world.

Because at the end of the day, people still buy from people. And no amount of efficiency will ever replace the impact of showing up as yourself.Here's to a year of doing both.

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What's one way you'll use AI to enhance (not replace) your voice in 2026?  

P.S. If this balance between authenticity and AI is something you're thinking about for your team in 2026, I'd love to talk. We've been helping sales teams navigate exactly this through keynotes and sales workshops—how to leverage AI without losing what makes them effective in the first place.

PPS: From my family to yours, wishing you a holiday season filled with the kind of moments that remind us why we do this work—the connections, the conversations, the people who matter most. Thank you for being part of this community and for trusting us with your growth this year. We're grateful for each of you and excited for what we'll build together in 2026.

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