AISales

AI in Sales: What's Actually Working in 2026 (Close, Clay, ElevenLabs & PandaDoc)

Close (Steli Efti)
Close (Steli Efti)•Jun 12, 2026

Why It Matters

Because AI reshapes both the supply side—by amplifying small teams’ efficiency—and the demand side—by elevating buyer expectations—organizations that master responsible, data‑driven AI adoption will gain a decisive competitive advantage.

Key Takeaways

  • •AI boosts sales by aggregating data for personalized outreach.
  • •Over‑reliance on generic AI drafts leads to low response rates.
  • •Small teams gain competitive edge when AI‑fluent staff drive adoption.
  • •Buyers now expect AI‑enhanced research, raising sales conversation standards.
  • •Misunderstanding AI’s limits creates dangerous complacency or wasted investment.

Summary

The webinar hosted by Close’s VP of product growth brought together leaders from Close, PandaDoc, ElevenLabs and Clay to cut through the hype and examine how AI is actually being deployed in small‑to‑mid‑size sales organizations in 2026.

Panelists agreed that the most valuable AI use‑cases revolve around data aggregation and context‑building. PandaDoc layers AI on top of its CRM to deliver a 360‑degree view of each prospect, enabling hyper‑personalized demos. Clay automates enrichment from first‑party and third‑party signals, giving reps a concise briefing before calls. ElevenLabs demonstrated an AI‑agent that handles inbound conversations when rich context is available, but admitted cold‑calling automation remains immature.

The discussion was framed by four one‑word descriptors: “dangerous” (Stey), “promising” (Keith), “transformative” (Jonathan) and “misunderstood” (Hari). Stey warned that teams either burn out on flaky tools or retreat entirely, a risk he called “dangerous.” Keith highlighted the need to avoid “slop” in AI‑generated content, while Jonathan emphasized the importance of AI fluency across the organization.

The consensus is clear: AI is not a silver bullet, but when paired with disciplined data pipelines and skilled users it can multiply a small team’s reach. Sellers must also adapt to buyers who now enter negotiations armed with AI‑driven research, raising the bar for relevance and insight. Companies that treat AI as a strategic enablement rather than a gimmick will secure higher conversion rates and protect themselves from the market’s rapid evolution.

Original Description

Everyone is talking about AI. Very few people are sharing what's actually working.
00:00 Introduction
01:00 Meet the Panelists
04:00 What AI in Sales Actually Looks Like Today
12:00 The Gap Between AI Hype and Reality
22:00 Where AI Creates Measurable Results
30:00 How to Use AI Without Sacrificing Quality
32:00 AI and the Future of the Buying Experience
35:00 What AI Experiments Failed
45:00 Advice for Small Sales Teams Getting Started
50:00 What Should Stay Human?
53:00 Will AI Replace SDRs and AEs?
55:00 The Ultimate AI Wish List
58:30 Closing Thoughts
In this live panel discussion, leaders from Close, ElevenLabs, Clay, and PandaDoc cut through the hype and share how they are using AI in sales today, where they're seeing measurable results, where they've failed, and what they believe comes next.
Instead of theoretical discussions about AI replacing sales teams, this conversation focuses on practical lessons from companies building and deploying AI products every day.
Topics include:
• What AI is actually good at today
• AI-powered prospecting, research, and prioritization
• Voice agents and inbound lead qualification
• How AI is changing buyer expectations
• The future role of SDRs and sales reps
• What Didn't Work with AI
• Why human judgment still matters
• How small teams can use AI to compete with much larger organizations
Panelists
Steli Efti (CEO & Founder, Close)
Keith Rabkin (CEO, PandaDoc)
Jonathan Chemouny (Sales Development Lead, ElevenLabs)
Hari Kumar (Product, Clay)
Hosted by Lauren Schuman, VP of Product Growth at Close.
Close is the CRM built for founders, owners, and small sales teams.
Close combines CRM, calling, email, SMS, automation, and AI into a single platform designed to help businesses communicate with more leads, follow up consistently, and close more deals.
More than 11,500 businesses use Close to manage their sales process from first contact to closed deal.
Learn more: https://close.com
#AI #Sales #ArtificialIntelligence #B2BSales #SalesLeadership #RevenueOperations #AIAgents #SalesTech #StartupSales #CloseCRM
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ABOUT CLOSE
Close is the CRM built for founders, owners, and small sales teams that want to operate like much larger organizations.
Close combines CRM, calling, email, SMS, automation, and AI in a single platform, helping businesses respond faster, follow up consistently, and scale sales execution without adding complexity.
More than 11,500 businesses use Close to manage customer relationships and drive revenue from first contact to closed deal.
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Try Close free → https://close.com

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