The Lost Art of Sales: Why AI Can't Build Real Trust with Julie Thomas

How do you build trust in sales when AI and automation are changing the way buyers research and sellers engage? Julie Thomas, CEO of ValueSelling Associates, joins The Art & Science of Complex Sales to explore what new prospecting research reveals about cold calling, buyer trust, AI, sales technology, and the human skills sellers still need. The tools around selling are changing quickly. But Julie explains why the fundamentals of gaining access, listening, communicating value, thinking critically, and building trust remain essential. In this episode, you’ll learn: 🔹 Why cold calling still works in B2B sales 🔹 How to gain access in a low-trust environment 🔹 Why respectful persistence matters in prospecting 🔹 How automation and AI can unintentionally erode buyer trust 🔹 Why communication and critical thinking still matter 🔹 How sales leaders can balance technology with training and coaching 🔹 Why sales teams may need to simplify their technology stack 🔹 How technology can amplify good selling rather than accelerate bad selling 🔔 Subscribe for more conversations about complex B2B sales, AI in sales, sales leadership, prospecting, and sales performance. YouTube Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:35 Julie Thomas’ journey in sales 04:21 Prospecting in the age of AI 06:41 Why cold calling still works 09:50 Why salespeople give up too quickly 14:41 Building trust through better conversations 18:32 Why AI still requires strong sales skills 23:13 Rethinking the sales tech stack 30:14 Why trust matters more than product knowledge About Julie Thomas: Author, speaker and CEO of ValueSelling Associates, Inc., Julie Thomas works with revenue leaders, helping them achieve results they never thought possible. She also leads Growist™, a ValueSelling sub-brand empowering small businesses with proven sales frameworks. A former Gartner executive, Julie’s long-standing industry leadership has earned ValueSelling top awards as a pre-eminent provider of sales training. Her latest book is The Power of Value Selling: The Gold Standard to Drive Revenue and Create Customers for Life. Want to explore the research behind the conversation? Read ValueSelling Associates’ Cutting Through the Noise report for a closer look at what’s working in prospecting today. 📌 ⁠https://www.valueselling.com/research...