Buyers Don't Want Reps. AI Companies Are Hiring Hundreds. with Braydan Young | Some Goodness #54

Host Richard Ellis and guest Brayden Young (co-founder of Slash Experts, formerly of Sendoso) discuss why B2B buying signals look contradictory (Forrester’s view that ~90% of executives want to buy without talking to sales versus AI-native firms hiring SDRs) and what this means for sellers and leaders. They argue buyers increasingly research via reviews, backchannels, and pilots, and mainly avoid unhelpful reps. AI and avatars can compress the traditional SDR/AE/SE chain so one technical AE can do more, shifting roles toward technical SDRs and go-to-market engineers. They predict consolidation of point tools into all-in-one platforms while CRMs persist due to security and reliability. Practical advice includes partnerships (especially with consultants/agencies), in-person events, ignoring LinkedIn noise, and staying close to customers; they close by sharing personal fitness goals. Soundbites "It's not that they don't wanna talk to a rep — it's that they don't wanna talk to a bad rep." "You've talked to six people and the deal size is 24K. That's too many. Your AE, your SDR, and your SE need to be one person." "Selling through consultants and agencies is the best — they're far more trusted than your sales team. They talk about you on a call you're not on." "If it's over 10 grand, you need a human in the loop." "I think the traditional SDR will go away. But the more technical SDR will be a new job." Chapters 00:00 B2B Sales Paradox 01:27 AI Tools Everywhere 02:39 Do Buyers Avoid Reps? 05:29 When Humans Matter 07:56 Too Many Sales Touches 09:54 Why AI Firms Hire SDRs 12:55 Avatar Reps & the Hybrid Model 17:18 All-in-One Sales Platforms 21:34 The Leader's Playbook Now 24:51 Why Partnerships & Consultants Win 25:26 Closing: Fitness & Goodness Find Us Here Brayden Young / Slash Experts: https://www.linkedin.com/in/braydanyoung/ Richard Ellis: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jrellis/ More Some Goodness episodes: revenueinnovations.com Guest: Brayden Young (co-founder, Slash Experts; formerly Sendoso) Host: Richard Ellis #B2BSales #AIinSales #GoToMarket #SalesLeadership #SaaS