For decades, the sales playbook was simple: if you want more revenue, hire more reps and make more calls. It was a game of volume. But today, that “legacy playbook” is broken. Growth has stagnated for many, reps are burning out, and connecting with customers feels harder than ever.
Recently, Startup Grind London (co-hosted by our very own Supreme Factory partner, Peter/Prem) teamed up with HubSpot for Startups for a critical workshop: “Creating an AI-Powered Sales Process.”
Led by Anna Gordon (Head of HubSpot for Startups UK & Ireland), the session wasn’t just about theory—it was a practical roadmap for founders to build a data-driven sales strategy from Day 1. If you missed it, here is the breakdown of how to stop grinding harder and start scaling smarter.
The New Reality: Why You Need an AI Sales Strategy
Anna highlighted a stark reality: 74% of sales teams have reduced their size, yet 83% of leaders are worried about productivity. You can’t just throw bodies at the problem anymore.
The good news? Startups have an advantage. Unlike massive corporations with legacy data silos, you can build an AI-powered sales process from the ground up.
Step 1: Map Your Sales Process (Before You Automate It)
You can’t automate a mess. Before plugging in AI, Anna advised mapping your process clearly. It usually looks like this:
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Prospecting: Sourcing early-stage leads (don’t try to sell to everyone; focus on your persona).
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Connect & Qualify: The most important step. Disqualify early to save time.
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Research & Discovery: Understanding their pain points before pitching.
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Presenting: Mapping your solution to their specific needs.
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Objections: Handling concerns (price, timing, authority).
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Closing: Negotiating and getting the signature.
The Twist: You must also map the Buyer’s Journey. Buyers are now using AI to research you before they ever talk to a rep. If you aren’t showing up where they look (including AI search results), you’re losing deals before they start.
Step 2: Low-Effort, High-Impact AI Wins
You don’t need to build a complex custom AI agent tomorrow. Start with the “low hanging fruit” that Anna demonstrated live:
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AI for Research: Instead of opening 50 tabs to research a prospect, use tools like HubSpot’s Breeze or ChatGPT to “Research [Company Name]” inside your CRM. It can instantly pull funding news, recent hires, and company values.
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Hyper-Personalized Outreach: Stop sending generic spam. Use AI to draft emails that reference specific triggers (e.g., “I saw you just raised Series A…”). * Call Analysis: Use tools (HubSpot, Gong, Granola) to transcribe calls and extract coaching insights. Did you talk too much? Did you miss a pricing objection? Let AI tell you.
Step 3: The Future is “Agentic”
For those ready to go deeper, Anna showed off HubSpot’s Prospecting Agent. Think of this as an AI-powered BDR (Business Development Representative). It can:
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Monitor buying signals (like a target company raising funds).
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Conduct deep research on the company and the contact.
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Draft a highly personalized email for you to approve or send automatically.
The Exclusive Offer for Founders 🎁
As part of this partnership, we are bringing you the tools you need to build this stack without breaking the bank.
Sign up for the HubSpot for Startups program via the link below to unlock:
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Up to 90% OFF HubSpot (Professional & Enterprise)
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50% OFF Apollo (Basic and Pro Plans)
Watch the Full Workshop
Want to see the live demo of the Prospecting Agent and the full Q&A? Watch the recording below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB-646iIBn8
Don’t let your sales process stagnate. Adopt AI today, streamline your workflow, and get back to what matters: building relationships and closing deals.
