GTM AI Podcast with Coach K and Jonathan Moss

www.gtmaiacademy.com www.aibusinessnetwork.ai
https://www.futurecraftai.media – Kens podcast
Connect with Ken on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenroden/

The Leadership Blind Spot That’s Killing Your AI Strategy

If you’re a GTM leader who thinks roughly 30% of your team is using AI, I have uncomfortable news: 93% of white-collar professionals are already using it. That’s not a typo. That’s the finding from Ken Roden’s doctoral research at Temple University, surveying 200 professionals with statistically significant results

The gap between what’s actually happening and what leadership perceives is now the single biggest barrier to AI execution. And it gets worse.

The Real Reason Your AI Pilots Are Failing

Every headline screams that 95% of AI pilots are failing. MIT published research. Consultants are writing case studies. Everyone assumes the problem is employee resistance, inadequate technology, or change management failures.

They’re all wrong.

Ken’s research reveals the actual failure point: employees don’t trust their leadership’s vision for how AI will be implemented. It’s not that people won’t use AI – they’re already using it extensively. It’s that they don’t believe leadership understands what they’re doing or has a coherent strategy for scaling it.

Think about what that means. Your team is running shadow AI operations right now. They’re using ChatGPT, Claude, and dozens of other tools to do their jobs better. But when you announce your official AI initiative, they don’t trust it enough to adopt it at scale.

Key Quotes That Reveal the Pattern

On the confidence-competence gap:

“There was definitely a correlation between people who said they use AI regularly and them saying that I am confident in my abilities to use AI. And I would say that’s dangerous. Because what, to your point exactly, you might think you’re good at this, but you’re actually maybe not as good as you think.”

On what’s actually working:

“The stuff that works, the people have the most success with, it’s the most boring stuff. It’s how do we get data from our Slack channel about customer insights into Salesforce… One of the most interesting use cases I saw… saved 20 hours a week per rep.”

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www.revic.ai
Connect with Hussain:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/halshorafa/

Hussain Al Shorafa’s team walked into a customer engagement that should have gone sideways. The company had a sophisticated rev ops function. They’d invested in Six Sense, Demandbase, ZoomInfo, or the full modern GTM stack. They had smart people running the operation.
Revic’s assessment: 62% of the accounts this team was actively pursuing sat outside their actual ICP.
The customer’s response was predictable. They told Hussain to pound sand. His company was eighteen months old. Theirs had been running this motion for years with serious investment in data infrastructure. Who was this startup to tell them their targeting was broken?
Five months of friction followed. Revic kept showing evidence. The customer kept pushing back. Then something shifted.
The CRO was at dinner when an email came through, which was another lost deal. Hussain pulled up the platform. Revic had flagged that account from the beginning. The system’s assessment: this deal never had a real chance. The signals weren’t there. The fit wasn’t there.
The CRO asked the obvious question: where else is this true?
The answer: $40 million in active pipeline.
Hussain Al Shorafa started on the technical side before making a hard pivot into sales. The catalyst was a Lakers-Trailblazers playoff game in 2000, Game 7, Kobe to Shaq for the alley-oop dunk. The sales guy who gave him the tickets had a lifestyle Hussain wanted. He decided to chase it.
What followed was fifteen-plus years progressing from individual contributor through sales leadership across public and private companies. He built teams. He hit numbers. He also watched the same dysfunction repeat everywhere he went.
Sales would bring market signal back to the organization. The organization would push back. Internal friction would make an already difficult job harder. The people closest to the customer would catch heat from functions that had less direct exposure to what buyers actually said and did.
Revic.ai came out of that frustration. The thesis: sales organizations generate enormous amounts of knowledge through customer interactions, but that knowledge evaporates constantly. Reps leave. Context disappears. The next person starts from scratch. What if you could capture that institutional memory and make it usable?
Every sales organization has two real assets: the people and what those people know.
The people churn. Industry average says you’re looking at a nearly net-new sales organization every three years. That’s not a bug in the system, it’s the actual system. Reps get promoted, poached, burned out, or restructured. They leave.
When they leave, they take something with them that never gets captured in Salesforce notes or call recordings: context. The understanding of why deals worked. The pattern recognition that told them which accounts were real and which were theater. The instinct for which message landed with which persona and why.
Hussain made a point that stuck with me: the most valuable information he ever received as a rep came from peers. Not enablement decks. Not marketing messaging guides. Other reps telling him how they won, why they lost, what competitors showed up, what objections hit hardest. That peer knowledge was gold.

www.gtmaiacademy.com www.aibusinessnetwork.ai

www.yoodli.ai

Connect with Varun: https://www.linkedin.com/in/varun-puri001/

Why Communication Is THE New Competitive Advantage for GTM

Varun Puri, CEO of Yoodli, explains why AI role plays aren’t just a feature—they’re the future of how sales teams practice and win.

From his days running special projects at Google under Sergey Brin to building a platform used by Fortune 50 companies, Varun shares what most AI misses about communication, why information commoditization changes everything, and why the best sales coaches are partnering with (not competing against) AI.

If you’re in GTM, enablement, or sales leadership, this is essential.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 — Intro
00:30 — Varun’s Journey: Google to Yoodli
02:00 — The Real Problem: Access Inequality in Communication Training
05:00 — What Is Yoodli? (Beyond the Hype)
06:00 — Why 90% of AI Role Plays Miss the Point
09:00 — The Technology Stack: Why It’s Not Just a GPT Wrapper
11:00 — Enterprise Differentiation & Verticalization
14:00 — The Future of Learning: AI Tutors + Dynamic Coaching
16:00 — Augment, Don’t Replace: The Philosophy Behind Yoodli
18:00 — How AI Amplifies Humans (Not Replaces Them)
20:00 — What Varun Actually Uses AI For
21:00 — His Real Conviction: Information Is Becoming Free
24:00 — Why Communication Skills Are the Last Moat
25:00 — The Deeper Problem: Behavior Change Over Tech

KEY QUOTES:

“Two out of three people struggle with communication confidence.”

“You can use Excel, but there’s a reason you use a CRM.”

“When information becomes a commodity, the only thing that separates top performers is how they show up.

More on AI + GTM:

• Intelligence Architecture Framework
• Why AI Role Plays Aren’t Going Away
• The Future of Sales Enablement

www.gtmaiacademy.com www.aibusinessnetwork.ai

www.evergrowth.io

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jbdaguene/

In this episode of the GTM AI Podcast, host Jonathan Kvarfordt (Coach K) sits down with JB Degune, CEO and founder of Evergrowth. They discuss JB’s journey into the SaaS business world, starting with his success at Trustpilot and leading up to the founding of Evergrowth. JB shares how Evergrowth leverages AI agents to enhance sales processes, making them more customer-centric. Listen in to learn about the challenges and breakthroughs in integrating AI into sales, the importance of having a clear value proposition, and how AI can significantly boost productivity and efficiency in GTM teams. Explore real-world use cases, compare Evergrowth’s solutions to other tools like Clay, and get insights into the future of AI in the sales industry.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome
01:02 JB’s Journey into SaaS and Trustpilot
02:56 Founding Evergrowth and Early Challenges
04:11 The Impact of AI on Lead Research
05:05 Evergrowth’s GTM Strategy and AI Agents
16:57 Real-World Use Cases and Success Stories
22:05 Future of Sales with AI and Buyer Agents
25:05 Conclusion and Farewell

www.gtmaiacademy.com www.aibusinessnetwork.ai

www.chilipiper.com

Connect with Alina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alinav/

In this conversation with Coach K, Alina—Co-CEO of Chili Piper—reveals the uncomfortable truth about AI that nobody’s talking about: it won’t replace your job, but it WILL force you to completely reinvent yourself.

She walks through her journey from communist Romania with a “CEO or bust” mentality, to a devastating realization that she couldn’t save everyone, to now leading a company navigating the biggest technological shift of our lifetime. But here’s the thing—she’s not afraid anymore. And she explains exactly why you shouldn’t be either.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:

How Alina went from paralyzed confusion about AI replacing her employees to genuinely excited about what’s possible. She breaks down the one thing most companies get wrong when building AI infrastructure (hint: it’s not about the tools—it’s about alignment).

You’ll hear the behind-the-scenes story of how Chili Piper unified their data across sales, marketing, and customer success into Snowflake, then used it to answer questions like “Why do buyers actually switch to us?” and “What messages actually move deals?” The answer? It took locking their team in a room and forcing executives to leave their egos at the door.

Then she shares the framework for automating soul-crushing tasks without destroying your team—and why the future of GTM is actually MORE human, not less.

THE MINDSET SHIFT:

The biggest insight isn’t about technology. It’s this: AI amplifies what makes YOU unique. It can’t replace you. It can augment you. And everyone who’s terrified right now is missing the most important opportunity of their career.

“We’re all phoenixes in the ashes right now,” Alina says. This is the conversation about what that actually means—and what you need to do about it.

PERFECT FOR: GTM leaders, founders, SDRs, marketers, anyone feeling overwhelmed by AI and wondering where to actually start.

www.gtmaiacademy.com www.aibusinessnetwork.ai
Connect with Hector: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hectorforwood/

In this episode, Jonathan Kvarfordt interviews Hector Forwood, CEO of Flooencer, about the explosive growth and chaotic pricing dynamics in B2B influencer marketing. Hector shares insider data from over 1,000 sponsored campaigns, revealing a 37% price increase in just 12 months and the “shockingly bad” CPM metrics that brands are willing to pay. The conversation explores the delicate balance between AI-powered content creation and authentic human storytelling, the death of traditional outbound marketing, and Hector’s contrarian view that AI has already delivered 80% of its dramatic improvements. With insights from building companies from scratch using no-code tools and predictions about the future of SaaS pricing, this episode provides actionable frameworks for GTM leaders navigating the intersection of AI and human creativity.

www.gtmaiacademy.com www.aibusinessnetwork.ai
Connect with Navin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/navinpersaud/
www.1password.com

AI in Rev Ops: Insights from Navin Persaud, VP at 1Password – GTM AI Podcast

In this episode of the GTM AI Podcast, host Jonathan Kvarfordt, aka Coach K, sits down with Navin Persaud, the VP of Rev Ops at 1Password. Navin shares his career journey from aspiring lawyer to tech enthusiast, his experiences at IBM, and his role in revolutionizing revenue operations at 1Password. The discussion delves into how AI is used in rev ops, the importance of defining problems before implementing AI solutions, and the criteria for selecting AI tech in a security-conscious environment. Navin also highlights the unmatched value of momentum in enhancing sales processes, offering product feedback, and improving sales coaching. This episode is packed with insights for anyone in rev ops, sales, and AI implementation.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome
00:40 Navin Persaud’s Career Journey
02:11 AI in Rev Ops: Opportunities and Challenges
04:46 The Importance of Empathy in Rev Ops
06:02 AI Implementation Strategies
09:13 Security Concerns with AI
12:36 Future of AI in Rev Ops
20:28 Momentum’s Impact on Rev Ops
27:44 Closing Remarks and Appreciation

www.gtmaiacademy.com www.aibusinessnetwork.ai

https://www.surepeople.com/

Russell-> https://www.linkedin.com/in/russell-mikowski-a349903/

GTM AI Podcast Episode: Russell Mikowski on AI-Powered Psychometrics and the Human Advantage

In this episode, Jonathan Kvarfordt interviews Russell Mikowski, CEO of SurePeople, about revolutionizing workplace psychometrics through AI integration. Russell shares his unconventional journey from DJ and poker player to CEO, and reveals why personality-driven collaboration becomes MORE critical as AI automates routine tasks. The conversation explores how organizations can optimize human interactions, the “desk drawer problem” with traditional assessments, and the future of AI agents that understand personality psychology.

Russell explains how traditional psychometric assessments fail to deliver ongoing value.

Key Quote: “The results of those assessments are often metaphorically stuffed into our desk drawers, sometimes literally in Manila folders and kind of die there. Right? So sure people is looking to completely disrupt the traditional psychometric world by democratizing access to psychometrics across organizations.”

Discussion of SurePeople’s approach to personality measurement and real-time application.

Key Quote: “Prism is the most accurate psychometric on the market today. So we’re comfortable that our tool is the appropriate vehicle for powering interactions that matter in moments that matter on platforms that you already use.”

Russell explains how personality insights drive tangible business outcomes.

Key Quote: “Should they be leading with the why? Because the group leans towards Big picture thinking… Or should they get straight to the details and the data? Because this group doesn’t care at all about how your kids are, or even why the company has made this decision.”

Key Quote: “Culture begets performance right. If people feel seen, heard, and understood, they’re less likely to be flight risks, they’re less likely to be quiet quitting, they’re less likely to be negatively impacted by a slack message that they took the wrong way.”

Exploring how personality data could enhance AI communications and reduce “robot speak.”

Key Quote: “What if your personality, as determined by a psychometric, could be essentially fed into an agent to make the language that it uses sound more like you. And then there would be consistency, perhaps, between that initial automated outreach, and how you actually act when you get on a demo with someone.”

Russell’s core thesis on why human interactions become more valuable, not less, as AI advances.

Key Quote: “The expected output, and you know, in a related manner, the value of each human individual on teams is rising right?… So the optimization of the interaction, the communication, the collaboration between more valuable than ever human resources.”

Key Quote: “As a big picture thinker… I’m bad with details. I’m horrible with lists… But where AI can stay on top of those for me make reminders and keep me informed… That’s freeing up my time to think creatively about what the next great product might be.”

Russell shares surprising findings about who adopts AI-powered personality tools.

Key Quote: “A pattern is starting to form that would show people who have more what we would call precise personality types. So those are like your architects, your scientists, your research… are more likely to use our tools more often.”

Information on accessing the PRISM assessment and company contact details.

Key Quote: “Any company that wants to deploy the assessment between 50 and a thousand employees just simply schedule a demo via our site, and we’ll give you the option to roll it out for free forever to all of your employees.”

www.gtmaipodcast.com www.aibusinessnetwork.ai www.gtmaiacademy.com

For Harald go to : https://go.buroventures.com/ or Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haraldroine/

The Genesis of a Marketing Innovator

Harald’s journey into the world of digital marketing began at the age of 11. Motivated by a passion for video games and a push from his father to develop productive skills, he taught himself to program and create websites. By 16, his interests had expanded to Bitcoin and digital innovation. Over the years, he has cultivated vast expertise in digital marketing, focusing on value-based approaches and technological advancements.

Traditional marketing often hinges on showcasing product features or benefits. Harald, however, advocates for a “value-first” approach. This strategy focuses on offering genuine value to the audience before making any pitches. The idea is simple yet impactful—by providing valuable insights or resources, businesses build trust and reciprocity, which naturally encourages audiences to engage further.

Harald envisions AI as a revolutionary tool in marketing, capable of automating numerous functions and processes. He outlines a future where AI will not just assist but transform how businesses interact with their audiences. The ability for AI to understand complex input-output processes within a company and mimic human strategic and creative tasks marks a significant shift. This perspective aligns with the belief that AI will soon facilitate AI-to-AI interactions, streamlining operations like marketing and customer relations.

A key takeaway from the discussion was the application of AI in generating leads and engaging customers. Bureau Ventures leverages AI to automate content creation, enabling more efficient and effective marketing strategies. AI-driven systems can analyze a business’s offerings, identify audience pain points, and produce content that resonates with potential customers. As a result, businesses can focus more on strategic growth and less on manual content development.

With AI poised to redefine the landscape of business operations, Harald emphasizes the importance of building owned media channels that businesses control entirely. This strategy will help companies build digital real estate that withstand external changes, ensuring sustainable outreach and engagement. He also touches on AI’s potential to revolutionize client success systems through automated satisfaction and performance measures, enhancing customer experiences and outcomes.

If you want to create a system that gathers hundreds of leads that come to you, Harald is the man to talk to.

More details about Bureau Ventures and their innovative approaches can be explored through their website. As AI continues to evolve, the strategies shared by Harald offer a compelling direction for marketers seeking to stay ahead of the curve.

www.gtmaiacademy.com www.aibusinessnetwork.ai

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanderssays/

GTMAI PodcastJoin Jonathan Kvarfordt as he hosts Tim Sanders, the VP of Research Insights at G2, on the G-T-M-A-I podcast.

Tim shares his personal journey, passion for AI and music, and insights from his career, including working with Mark Cuban at AudioNet and Yahoo. The discussion explores the transformative power of AI in marketing, differences between traditional search engines and AI-driven answer engines, and the importance of generative engine optimization.

Tim also delves into the concept of trust in AI, the future of marketing strategies, and how businesses can leverage AI to enhance effectiveness and velocity. This episode is packed with valuable takeaways for marketers, sales leaders, and AI enthusiasts.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

00:31 Tim Sanders’ Background and Passions

01:27 Career Highlights and Key Experiences

02:45 Analog Synthesizers and Music Passion

03:47 AI in Marketing and Sales08:14 Trust and Adoption of AI15:03 Generative AI and SEO Strategies

30:18 Closing Remarks and Contact Information