Ungated Conversations

Hosted by Landbot

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Jul 2024

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About the show

You're listening to Ungated Conversations. This is a show for revenue leaders who want to generate high quality leads, close more deals and retain customers — all at a lower cost. We'll talk about how you can do just that by delivering conversational experiences at scale with the help of AI. If you're looking to elevate your interactions with leads and customers by turning every day conversations into revenue-driving outcomes, the real life experiences and insights you're about to hear will surely help you excel in your journey.

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40 recent

July 25, 202442 min

Looking Back: Season Wrap-Up with Jiaqi Pan and Rachel Ann Kreis

For this season finale of Ungated Conversations, hosts Rachel Ann Kreis and Jiaqi Pan recap some key takeaways from their conversations with this season’s guests, as well as other memorable moments and anecdotes. Jiaqi and Rachel also reflect on the experience of hosting the podcast this season—and they participate in the listener-favorite “AI Rewind” segment in which they recount interesting and exciting ways they’ve been using AI lately.Join us as we discuss:The importance of small scope, simplicity, and authenticity in AI-powered chatbots.How AI can help revenue leaders streamline pipelines by automating specific stagesThe need for diverse teams in the design and implementation of AIKnowing what’s possible for AI and staying updated on the most recent developments

July 11, 20241 hr 6 min

Up to Speed: AI’s Role in Onboarding Sales Reps with Mafalda Johannsen

This week, hosts Rachel Ann Kreis and Jiaqi Pan are joined by Mafalda Johannsen, Director of Growth at WonderWay, who shares how AI is streamlining the onboarding process for new sales reps. Mafalda provides sharp insights on AI-driven coaching and prospecting tools—which not only save time for sales leaders but also automate key tasks, along the way improving efficiency and performance, preventing SDR burnout, and ensuring a supportive, productive work environment.Join us as we discuss:How AI coaches tackle key sales management challengesInnovative hiring methods to evaluate candidates' critical thinking and receptiveness to feedbackThe crucial role of documenting business processes for scalability and sustained successThe pitfalls of relying exclusively on AI-generated marketing content

June 27, 202454 min

AI Object!: Using AI in Objection Handling and Sales Training with Andrew Leshak

On this week’s episode, Jiagi Pan and Rachel Ann Kreis talk with Andrew Leshak, Head of Commercial Solutions at Sapient Industries and Founder at Samme, about integrating AI into objecting handling and sales team training. Andrew also shares his thoughts on how organizations with limited budgets can better generate leads and increase revenue, as well as finding and targeting ideal customers.Join us as we discuss:The use of AI for simulating customer interactions, and providing immersive training experiencesCreating customized chatbots for different clients and the challenges it presentsHow using AI FAQ bots in objection handling impacts the sales process and lowers manager stress levelsLevering objections into a database for sales leaders to study and help their teams manage more effectively.

June 13, 202456 min

Tomorrow’s Conversations: ChatGPT-4o and the Future of AI with Hans van Dam

This week, hosts Rachel Ann Kreis and Jiaqi Pan speak with Hans van Dam, CEO of the Conversation Design Institute. Hans weighs in on current topics and developments in the world of conversational AI—such as the recent advent of ChatGPT-4o. Hans, Rachel, and Jiaqi also outline some critical aspects of designing simple yet effective chatbots, with an emphasis on the necessity of clear problem-solving and frictionless functionality.Join us as we discuss:The best times to ask for user feedback in AI chatbot interactionsHow human behavioral models can be used when designing effective AI chatbots when it comes to motivation, ability, and promptsThe role of user expectation in successful conversational AI interactionsQuality control and risk mitigation when implementing AI in high-impact customer interaction scenarios

May 30, 202459 min

Putting an AI in Team: Collaboration and Client Management with Alvaro Tejido

This week, co-hosts Jiaqi Pan and Rachel Ann Kreis speak with Alvaro Tejido, Sales Manager for Southern Europe & UKI at Pleo. Alvaro shares his insights on AI’s potential in transforming sales and organizational processes—with particular attention to cultivating and sustaining a focus on the entire client life cycle and empowering customer success teams to do what they do best.Join us as we discuss:Effective division of responsibilities between account executives and customer success teamsThe importance of hiring coachable candidates who naturally fit the company’s cultureHow to handle errors in AI—and what reasonable expectations for the tech should look likeAdvantages and potential challenges of implementing AI-driven self-service onboarding processes

May 16, 202443 min

Experimentation Excellence: AI Product Development with Isa Garate

On today’s episode, hosts Rachel Ann Kreis and Jiaqi Pan are joined by Isa Garate, VP of Product at Landbot. Isa has harnessed her years of experience in product management and strategy to drive major experimentation and growth at Landbot—and she shares plenty of insights and explanations of use cases for integrating AI into sales processes.Join us as we discuss:How AI can help personalize and optimize the customer onboarding processThe role of qualitative and quantitative metrics in developing and refining AI technologiesWhy creating a culture of experimentation is so crucial for delivering helpful products and services to all manner of customers

May 2, 20241 hr 6 min

QualifAId Sales Meetings: Maximizing Sales Success with Alan Ruchtein

This week, co-hosts Rachel Ann Kreis, Jiaqi Pan, and Cris Villar are joined by Alan Ruchtein, Founder of The Startup Effect and former Sales Manager at Landbot. Alan shares his insights and tips on all things outbound sales and AI-enchanged discovery processes, with a particular focus on developing systems that allow sellers to address both their customers’ problems and the underlying causes of those problems.Join us as we discuss:How AI can enhance the preparation process for meetings and discovery callsEssential KPIs for tracking and measuring success in outbound sales teamsStrategies for managing a high demand for demosUnderstanding your buyer’s emotions and tailing your sales approaches accordingly

April 18, 202453 min

Turning Touchpoints Into Touchstones: Revenue Attribution in B2B with Laura Erdem

If you work in sales or marketing, there are probably two questions that keep you up at night: “What’s led past customers to our product?” and (2) “What will lead future customers to our product?”On today’s episode, Rachel Ann Kreis and Jiaqi Pan are joined by Laura Erdem (Sales Manager at Dreamdata) to talk all things revenue attribution, which helps companies of all sizes answer these very questions. Laura underscores the importance of aligning marketing strategies with sales initiatives to effectively map out the customer journey and identify the many (not just one) touchpoints that led to a conversion.Join us as we discuss:How linear attribution models can oversimplify the complexity of the customer journeyThe practical attributions of attribution dataFinding the “sweet spot” between too many attribution initiatives and too few attribution initiatives Transactional vs. relationship-oriented sales strategies

April 4, 202447 min

No Coding Skills, No Problem: Navigating AI Tech for Non-Techies with Max Haining

This week, Rachel Ann Kreis (VP of Marketing at Landbot) and Jiaqi Pan (CEO & Co-Founder at Landbot) are joined by Max Haining, Founder at 100DaysOfNoCode. Max started 100DaysOfNoCode with the mission of empowering non-techies to arm themselves with the basic knowledge required to successfully navigate the world of tech and B2B SaaS. So Max is immensely qualified to speak to the challenges and rewards of upskilling, adaptability, and personal betterment—no matter what level of tech literacy you’re starting with, or where you found yourself in your career in tech.Join us as we discuss:The benefits of “no code” solutions in techHow learning in public serves as an organic growth engine for building communities and encourages accountabilityThe evolution (and balance) of personalized outbound communication in the age of AIWhat goes into a successful AI-native mindset

March 21, 202457 min

The Lead Quality Advantage: Fueling Sales Team Efficiency with Zahra Jivá

Whether you work in sales or marketing, your team’s efficiency and performance is always at risk of being negatively impacted by poor lead quality.This week, Rachel Ann Kreis and Jiaqi Pan are joined by Zahra Jivá, Director of Global Sales Strategy at Pipedrive to discuss lead qualification in sales and how AI is revolutionizing the way teams approach this major pain point. From structuring sales teams to harnessing tools like AI to assist team members and enhance productivity, Zahra brings plenty of insights to anyone looking to improve the employee and customer experience throughout all aspects of the sales process.Join us as we discuss:How churn clawback and commissions structures can impact sales reps performanceThe benefits and challenges of integrating AI features like the appointment assistant into the sales processAligning incentives to prioritize sale quality over sale quantityWhy it’s vital to both understand the reasons for success in sales and sales loss