AI can help you deliver better quality, but it depends on how you use it.

In this episode of The Unexpected Lever, Jarod Greene sits down with Seth Marrs, Chief Strategy Officer at Sandler, to cut through the AI hype and focus on what actually moves revenue.

Seth shares why starting with value changes everything, how most teams are sequencing AI incorrectly, and why the real advantage is not speed, but quality.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why value must come before tools – start with the outcome, then apply AI
• What hasn’t changed in go-to-market – strategy still drives results
• Where AI truly creates advantage – quality beats efficiency every time

Things to listen for:
(00:00) Introduction

(01:06) Why sellers spend more time preparing than selling

(01:47) Why AI matters right now for GTM teams

(02:48) Everyday AI use cases that build real fluency

(05:14) AI adoption is actually gaining traction

(08:59) Starting with business value, then applying AI with purpose

(10:55) AI is now delivering quality, not just efficiency

(11:52) Turning sales conversations into insights

(12:42) When AI becomes a shiny object instead of a growth lever

(14:54) Practical advice for operators ready to solve real problems

(15:26) Proving ROI in enablement and why AI is a true partner

AI promises speed and leverage, but trust is still the missing piece.

In this episode of The Unexpected Lever, Jarod Greene is joined by Bill Balnave, Head of Customer Success at Mezmo. Bill has led post-sale, solutions, and customer teams through real AI adoption under real constraints.

Bill shares how necessity forced action, why trust slows teams down, and how leaders should rethink AI as part of their workforce.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why trust breaks AI adoption – Teams hesitate when answers feel unproven
• Where AI creates leverage – Speed comes from removing manual context switching
• Why ownership matters for agents – Unclear roles lead to noise instead of impact

Things to listen for:
(00:00) Introduction
(00:55) How Mezmo helps teams make sense of data

(01:43) The most unexpected ways Bill uses AI

(02:27) What pushed AI from interest to action

(04:52) Why teams struggle to trust AI answers

(09:49) Rethinking AI agents as part of the team

(13:59) The risk of delaying AI adoption

Is high velocity sales really automatable in the age of AI?

In this episode, we discuss how sales teams are using AI without breaking what makes selling work. Jarod Greene sits down with Terence Falk, VP of Sales at 8am, to talk about pipeline generation, qualification, and the risks of over automating human work. Terence shares how his team uses AI to remove friction from research, routing, and prep while keeping judgment, communication, and emotional awareness firmly in the hands of sellers.

You will hear why quality beats scale, where AI actually earns its keep, and why great sellers remain hard to replace.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How AI fits into real sales workflows - Use tools to clear friction, not to run the sale
• Why small improvements beat full automation - Quality gains compound faster than blanket scale
• Which skills keep sellers relevant - Judgment, curiosity, and live conversations still decide outcomes

Things to listen for:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:38) Using AI without replacing sellers

(03:09) Trading scale for higher quality leads

(05:32) Where small AI wins actually add value

(07:24) AI for real time sales enablement

(08:47) The limits of AI in sales and law

(11:33) AI speeds things up but does not own quality

(14:49) How sales and marketing change with AI