Robert Kudrna, Sales Development Strategy Director at Global Payments, brings a pragmatic and execution-focused perspective shaped by years of experience in building and scaling sales performance. He emphasizes that while AI is rapidly transforming the sales landscape, it will not replace top salespeople but rather amplify those who know how to use it effectively. According to him, the real shift is not about technology itself, but about how sales professionals leverage the time and insights AI provides.
Will AI replace salespeople, or will the best salespeople simply use AI better than others?
AI will partially replace certain sales roles, especially those focused mainly on administrative lead processing rather than real selling. However, for top sales professionals, AI will become a powerful assistant. The best salespeople will use AI to increase their speed, preparation, and efficiency. Those who ignore AI will simply struggle to keep up with the pace and quality required in modern sales.
AI tools are giving us back time that work once took away. How will that change sales?
AI tools are returning time to us, time that used to be consumed by manual tasks. This creates space for personal development and higher-value activities. Salespeople who use this time to improve their skills, market knowledge, and relationships will gain a significant advantage. Those who continue to rely only on traditional habits will fall behind.
What will separate top-performing sales teams from average ones in 2026?
The difference will come down to preparation, speed, accuracy, opportunity management, market knowledge & discipline. A good comparison is the Navy SEALs. Why are they considered one of the most effective and respected military units in the world? Discipline. With modern tools and AI automating routine work, top sales teams will have more time to build strong internal discipline and execution. The best teams will use technology to become even more structured and effective.
Why do companies invest millions in sales technology but still struggle with pipeline?
Companies invest millions in CRM systems, automation, and sales tools to generate opportunities. However, the biggest challenges often remain human factors, lack of discipline, inconsistent processes, insufficient knowledge, or limited capacity. Technology alone does not build a pipeline. Execution does.
Is outbound sales dying, or are companies simply doing it wrong?
Outbound sales is not dying. What is dying is the outdated way many companies have been doing it for years. Entrepreneurs and decision-makers are tired of generic emails, poor cold calls, and irrelevant messages.
What role will human relationships play in enterprise sales in the age of AI?
Human relationships will remain just as important as they are today. In the end, decisions are still made by people. AI will serve as a tool for faster analysis, automation, and better information but trust, relationships, and credibility will continue to drive enterprise sales. We are still only at the beginning of the AI era, and the best professionals will be those who learn how to use it wisely.
What is the biggest mistake founders make when building their first sales team?
Building an internal sales team too early can be extremely expensive and risky. Many founders underestimate how complex the hiring, training, and management process really is. In many cases, founders themselves have never built a sales organization from start to finish, which makes the process even more difficult.
Why do many companies fail when entering new international markets?
The biggest risks are cost and lack of market experience. Entering a new market requires significant investment, local knowledge, and the right network. Today there are models and partners that can help reduce these risks. The key is to learn from those who already understand the market and know how to scale internationally.
What skills will the next generation of sales leaders absolutely need?
Future sales leaders will need strong coaching abilities, strategic thinking, discipline, authority, and deep understanding of AI tools. Leadership will also shift toward building trust and helping teams solve problems more effectively. At the same time, successful leaders will increasingly emphasize work-life balance and long-term team motivation.
How should companies balance automation and authentic human interaction in sales?
Sales professionals must understand both their customers and their own products deeply. Everything that can be automated as data gathering, research, reporting – should be automated. But building relationships, understanding customer needs, and earning trust cannot be automated. These are the areas where human interaction will always remain essential.
If you were building a sales team from scratch today, what would you do differently?
I would not immediately build a large internal sales team. First, I would explore the market and available external sales models or partners. Only after gaining deeper insight into the market and understanding exactly what profiles are needed would I start building an internal team.However, for key strategic clients, I would still recommend having experienced key account managers internally from the beginning.
