Episode 18 - Influence In The Age Of AI with Victor Antonio
Episode 18 - Influence In The Age Of AI with Victor Antonio
Victor Antonio wrote the first book on AI in sales back in 2017 — five years before ChatGPT existed. Nobody listened then. Everybody’s listening now.
This week: why influence is a nudge and never a push, the four-part method for killing an objection before a buyer even raises it, and why Victor thinks SDRs and BDRs won’t exist in three years — but the last 1% of every deal will always need a human in the room.
Synopsis
Victor Antonio joins Bernadette to unpack the real difference between influence, persuasion and manipulation — and why “nudge, never push” is the line that separates the two.
They get into the psychology behind buyer resistance (certainty vs. anxiety, and what Victor calls the confidence margin), his Response Block Selling method for neutralizing objections before they’re spoken out loud, and the personal “drip in the ceiling” story that explains why past failures quietly talk buyers — and salespeople — out of decisions.
From there the conversation turns to AI: Victor wrote the first book on artificial intelligence in sales in 2017, and lays out exactly which parts of a sales job get automated first, why he expects SDR and BDR roles to be gone within two to three years, and where he believes the human close still can’t be replaced.
He closes out with a first look at his new book, Priced to Win, on closing deals without caving on price.
Key Takeaways
- Influence is a nudge, never a push. That is the line between influence and manipulation.
- Buyer resistance comes down to certainty versus anxiety.
- Response Block Selling handles objections before the buyer raises them.
- AI will automate much of prospecting, but the last part of every deal still needs a human.
- Past failures can quietly talk buyers and sellers out of decisions.
Episode Overview
Tune in as they discuss:
- How Victor predicted AI’s impact on sales in 2017, and why the industry laughed him off
- The “70% test” for knowing when a sales role gets automated, and why SDR and BDR jobs won’t exist in two to three years
- The real difference between influence and persuasion — why a nudge always beats a push
- The psychology behind buyer resistance, and what Victor calls the “confidence margin”
- Response Block Selling — killing an objection before the buyer ever says it out loud
- The “last 1%” of every deal AI still can’t close, and why it always comes down to a human
- A first look at Victor’s new book, Priced to Win, and the real cost of discounting
- Rapid-fire questions on what buyers want most, what kills deals, and where revenue really comes from
- If you’re a sales leader, CEO, or salesperson trying to figure out where AI actually changes your job — and where it doesn’t — this episode packs real-world wisdom you won’t want to miss.
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Learn more about Victor Antonio at victorantonio.com and connect with Bernadette McClelland at bernadettemclelland.com.
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