Apologies to everyone who has visited this website last quarter. I started well in January and February. Unfortunately, there was a personal tragedy towards the end of February that needed me to first take time off and then put in some extra effort on the work front once I came back.
In between, I also tried getting an approval for Google Adsense for the blog, but got rejected as the content needs to be improved and I need to remove some affiliate links on some my earlier posts. I have been leveraging AI to write most of my posts. However, I do put in effort to create a first draft, put it into ChatGPT and use it to enhance the same. Will try writing a few posts without AI as an experiment for the next few weeks.
2026 has been really unpredictable thanks to a certain Nobel peace prize aspirant – I really hope he gets it this year and we see some actual peace and quiet in return. Meanwhile, the pace of change on the AI front has been incredible and if I weren’t fond of catching up on news, I would have struggled to keep up. Even now, I have not tried so many of the new developments. I did create new stuff to improve productivity at work for my team, leverage AI for insights on performance on deals in the CRM, prepare for meetings, analyze meetings, draft proposals, but still feel that I have AI FOMO (fear of missing out).
AI FOMO Is Real. But So Is Perspective.
The Last Two Months in AI: Why It Feels Overwhelming
If you stepped away from AI news even briefly, you would feel behind. Not because you actually are, but because the volume of announcements has increased significantly. Here are a few shifts that matter specifically for sales and marketing professionals.
1. AI Is Moving From Tools to Teammates
Earlier, AI tools helped you write emails or generate ideas. Now they are starting to act more like assistants that can execute tasks across workflows. Platforms like Microsoft Copilot and updates across HubSpot are increasingly focused on:
- Summarizing meetings automatically. Record a call (with the client’s permission) next time you use the calling feature from the HubSpot CRM and after a few minutes you will see an AI generated summary of the same.
- Drafting follow-ups based on context. But for context, you need to ensure that your previous communication is logged into the system,
- Updating CRM fields without manual input. Though you could do this earlier through automation based rules well.
- Recommending next best actions in deals or even analyzing your team’s pipeline. It can give you inputs for each team member and overall for the team.
This reduces the need for manual coordination between tools. For sales teams, this means less time updating systems and more time actually selling.
2. Content Creation Has Become Faster, But Not Necessarily Better
AI-generated content is now everywhere (including some of the posts on the blog). Tools can produce blogs, emails, ad copy, and even video scripts within minutes. But this has created a new problem. There is more content, but less differentiation.
Search engines and platforms are also adapting. For example, guidelines from Google increasingly emphasize helpful, original, human-centric content. This aligns with the AdSense feedback many creators, including myself, are seeing. The takeaway is simple: AI can help with scale, but quality still depends on perspective and experience.
Disclaimer: while I use AI, the first crude draft or at least a summary of the key thoughts is written by me in notepad and then inserted into ChatGPT for polishing. I also edit the suggested draft and add my personal touch to the drafts.
3. AI in Sales Execution Is Becoming More Practical
One of the more useful developments is how AI is being embedded into day-to-day sales workflows. Some practical use cases that are now easier to implement:
- Pre-meeting research summaries on prospects
- Automated call transcription and insight extraction
- Proposal drafting based on past successful deals
- Objection-handling suggestions during live calls
Tools like Gong and Zoom AI Companion are making this accessible without heavy setup. This is not theoretical anymore. It is usable.
5. The Rise of “Good Enough Automation”
Earlier, automation required precision. Now AI enables “good enough” outputs that can be refined quickly. This changes how teams operate. Instead of spending hours creating something from scratch, you start with an AI-generated base and improve it. This applies to all types of requirements including email campaigns, sales decks, proposals, internal reports and even training material. Your judgement is still important while reviewing the materials created.
So Why Does It Still Feel Like You’re Behind?
Because the narrative around AI rewards visibility, not necessarily depth. Every week brings new model releases, new tools and “game-changing” features. But most professionals are not using even 20% of what is already available to them (including me) – despite using AI for CRM insights, deal reviews, meeting prep and proposal drafting.
A More Practical Way to Deal with AI FOMO
Instead of chasing every new update, a more useful approach might be:
1. Focus on one workflow at a time. For example, improve only your proposal creation process using AI.
2. Integrate, don’t experiment endlessly. Pick tools that fit into your existing stack rather than constantly switching.
3. Prioritize outcomes over tools. The goal is better conversion rates, faster sales cycles, or improved content quality. Not using the latest AI feature.
4. Add human context deliberately. Your experience, judgment, and understanding of customers are still differentiators.
AI FOMO is real. But it is also misleading. The gap is not between you and the latest tools. It is between knowing what is possible and actually applying it consistently.
Over the next few weeks, I plan to do two things:
- Write more regularly, with less dependence on AI for first drafts for this blog.
- Go deeper into a few practical AI use cases instead of trying everything
If you are in sales or marketing, that might be a more sustainable approach than trying to keep up with every announcement.
BhavyaB