Lots of questions & lots of answers. Feel free to fire us a question if you don't see it here. And let's face it - the biggest annoyance with most company's FAQ's - they tend to be marginal issues with easy answers. Our philosophy is a little different. We ask the kind of questions we'd ask in your shoes - so let's dive right in with the tough stuff!!

This is a question many businesses are asking, but the answer is simple: just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. While ChatGPT can provide some basic help with sales tasks, there are several key reasons why using Shadow, an AI-powered sales enablement tool, is a smarter choice. ChatGPT Automates Mediocrity One of the best descriptions I’ve seen about ChatGPT is that it automates mediocrity. While it can give you general answers, the content it generates is often uncurated, unoriginal, and lacks the depth needed for complex sales scenarios. ChatGPT has learned from a wide range of internet sources—some high-quality, others not so much. In contrast, Shadow combines the language capabilities of ChatGPT with data that’s been carefully curated, contextualized, tokenized, and indexed specifically for sales enablement. When you add your own company’s information to Shadow, it becomes a powerful, customized AI sales coaching tool that delivers far more relevant and effective insights. Security & Confidentiality Concerns When your team uses ChatGPT, they risk sharing potentially sensitive information to provide the necessary context for responses. The problem? ChatGPT’s data is used to train the model, meaning the information you input could potentially influence responses for other users, including competitors. If you’re sharing customer or case study details, this could even violate NDAs. In contrast, Shadow uses Microsoft’s OpenAI service APIs within a secure Azure cloud environment. This means that all the data going between users and models is stored securely in your own data sources and governed by Microsoft’s privacy policies. With Shadow, your sensitive sales data stays private—it’s not shared with the world at large. Generic vs. Specific While ChatGPT can generate decent answers to basic sales questions, it often falls short when it comes to the nuances of specific sales scenarios. Its responses can be generic, repetitive, and sometimes even inaccurate. You need more than that for complex sales. Shadow, on the other hand, has been specifically built, tuned, and trained for complex sales situations. It’s designed to simplify the sales process, provide speedy responses, and offer relevant, contextually accurate advice. Unlike general-purpose GPTs, Shadow is a specialized AI-powered sales readiness software that delivers tailored solutions to improve seller productivity and effectiveness. Faster Time-to-Value Using ChatGPT means you’ll need to spend time tweaking and retraining the model to fit your specific sales needs. Shadow, however, is an out-of-the-box solution that’s already fine-tuned for sales. It delivers rapid time-to-value by providing immediate, actionable insights without the need for extensive customization. While it works even better with the context you add, Shadow already comes pre-built with essential sales knowledge. Unparalleled Domain Knowledge What truly sets Shadow apart is its domain expertise. Crafted by a team deeply immersed in sales, Shadow has been developed from years of experience studying the nuances, complexities, and challenges of modern sales. This wealth of knowledge is reflected in the AI-powered sales coaching tool, which delivers a unique mix of best practices and contextually relevant advice that generic GPTs can’t match. Context & Nuance Matter in Sales In sales, success often comes down to the smallest details—the nuance of a conversation, the subtle differences that make or break a deal. Shadow is designed to handle this complexity, delivering contextually accurate insights tailored to specific sales scenarios. Generic AI tools lack this depth, leaving you with broad, often irrelevant answers. Shadow’s AI-powered sales enablement gives you the edge you need by providing the right information at the right time. Technical Excellence: Tokenization & Indexing Shadow excels in areas critical to delivering high-quality sales insights: tokenization and indexing. These processes ensure that Shadow understands the context and nuance of every interaction. Here’s how: Intelligent Tokenization for Contextual Understanding: By breaking down language into tokens, Shadow doesn’t just read—it comprehends. This allows it to provide contextually relevant and nuanced insights based on curated sales content, offering a more sophisticated experience compared to general AI models. Speed and Accuracy with Advanced Indexing: Speed is important, but accuracy is crucial. Shadow’s advanced indexing ensures quick access to relevant data while maintaining high precision. This means your sales team gets fast, accurate advice without the guesswork. Conclusion: Shadow vs. ChatGPT While ChatGPT might be tempting as a quick fix, it’s simply not built for the specific challenges of sales. Shadow is a specialized AI-powered sales readiness software that delivers more relevant, secure, and tailored insights designed to enhance seller productivity and drive revenue growth. With its deep domain knowledge, advanced tokenization, and indexing capabilities, Shadow offers a level of performance that generic AI tools just can’t match. Want to see the difference for yourself? Visit our website to learn how Shadow can transform your sales process and give your team the AI-powered sales coaching tool they need to win.

That's a good one so let's unpack it! More frequently these days, people and products that offer improvements are taken as personal affronts. Challenges to your expertise, implying that you're deficient in some way. Our counsel here is to encourage you to think probabilistically. "Can an AI-powered sales enablement tool, maybe like Shadow improve my chances? Help me be even better than I am?" Cognitive Overload - More experienced sellers suffer from this more frequently than others. It's because you (or your team) have accumulated knowledge and then have been overwhelmed with even more, and confusion prevails. Not to be too dramatic, but plane crashes generally happen due to a confluence of three factors (i) Poor (but not terrible) weather (ii) a minor technical issue (iii) crew fatigue (or cognitive overload.) Shadow is here to help keep you on top of your game "more" of the time. Remember...only the mediocre can be at their best all the time! New Ideas - Sellers should avail themselves to contemporary thinking that includes ideas like story telling, and the behavioral insights that have emerged from the domains of psychology and neuroscience. Shadow combines these type of ideas using a unique recipe, and you can specify the recipe that's used based either on what you prefer - or more importantly what you think your audience will respond to. Otherwise you're just another hammer, and then everything looks like a nail. Situational Fluency - As you become more comfortable with Shadow you'll be sharing information that allows Shadow to base their recommendation on increasing context. This means you're better able to consider the unique characteristics of each situation you find yourself in. Using the same old, same old won't get it done anymore, using an AI sales coaching tool will surely help! Scheduling Nightmare - No matter what & how much you know, modern sellers race from one call to the next, dealing with prospects and accounts at different stages. This is stressful and confusing. Shadow is built to help you think - to cut through, clarify and capture the essence that makes you more effective.

Value in this sense is about context. An AI-powered sales enablement tool like Shadow still uses the large and natural language models pioneered by Open AI, but its pointed at a specific content type (built by us) and tuned (managed by us) to behave in a certain way. Interacting with Shadow is a conversation. Think of it in terms of starting "high" and drilling into the subject with Shadow: You'll need to ask Shadow questions and explore different aspects of Shadow's responses, so you need to "ask the right questions." 1. Ask yourself the question: “what do I want to get out of this exchange with my AI sales coaching tool? Think about it as if you were going into a meeting with your Sales Manager, where you’re looking for their opinion, input and advice. Or you’re having lunch with your mentor, a more general wide ranging conversation about selling. You might be looking for broad advice and opinion or you might have specific questions. You might be looking for a specific outcome, for example a meeting plan, or call guide, or an account plan. 2. As we said, start high: Start at the highest level of the conversation, introduce it as you would in a conversation with your boss or your mentor or a colleague. Give them some context. An AI-powered sales coaching tool is designed to simulate human-like conversation and provide information and assistance. The more context you provide, the more valuable the responses. This is true in human to human conversations AND a.i. conversations. For example, you might use a description as to the general “stage” that a prospect is in as you engage with them. We have used this framework for some insights on how to drive optimal engagements with Shadow based on "sales stages that you are in." See the "Getting the most from Shadow" section of the FAQ's for more details.

There is. I've looked at a lot and say that I have still not seen one that does what Shadow does. Most sales "co-pilots" are still focused on helping sellers create emails and sales leaders forecast "better." Some of the other the other AI-powered sales enablement tools solutions suffer from the same old problem - they're over engineered and confusing. Shadow is built with one major thought in mind - simplification. The "solutions" I've seen are anything but simple - again they present screens with multiple tabs & lousy navigation. They make huge leaps of logic as to what sellers can say and how they can act with prospects who do not like to be told that they do not know what's going on in their industries and businesses. This becomes another reason for sellers to throw their arms up in the air and once again...wing it. Shadow cuts through, clarifies and captures the very essence of sales preparation & readiness.

All types - Strategic advice Tactical advice Call guides Meeting agendas Talk tracks Questions to ask/points to make Account plans Power point copy/talk tracks Alternatively, just ask the question and Shadow will answer and start a dialogue with you.

Companies like Salesforce have been offering AI type functionality in different guises for a while. They will certainly broaden this out into AI-powered sales readiness software . It is bound to come with (significant) additional cost and will focus on "their" data (i.e. the data housed in Sales Cloud, for example) so it will be constrained by whatever data exists in the your CRM today. This will have some value - it's part of the solution, but not all of it. Shadow can use your CRM data (with your permission) as another data source, that adds more context. Shadow is built with the foundational insights provided by combined best practice and modern selling ideas. We can add your company perspective and the important considerations that exist in your target market. This enables you to achieve fluency in the language that links your solutions' uniques to the relevant challenges of your prospect and their industry. For example - it's not just that you can conceive & create great customer experiences, it's how you connect those to help a Property & Casualty Insurance Carrier that's figuring out the challenges presented to the business by an ageing population and the consequences of global climate change. It's this recipe of AI-powered sales readiness software that gets you prepared better, faster and cleaner and enables you to present an early POV that drives the prospect's preference for you.

Maybe and maybe not. Sales training, coaching & method companies have delivered & engaged in the same way for years - that's part of the problem. They are unlikely to fundamentally change a model that has proven very lucrative for them. Some will "dress it up" and deliver over Zoom for example, but that's still basically the same, except cheaper and guess what? It's even less effective! Lipstick on the pig, so to speak. Incumbent sales training companies are unlikely to meaningfully innovate around AI sales coaching tools, but they'll keep you hanging on. AI sales coaching tools like Shadow reduce the need for this training - Shadow gives you the answers you need quickly and accurately so you're not having to spend time you don't have reading through sales manuals (in digital or folder form). You can be better prepared in less time for that next meeting or call.

Interacting with any AI-powered sales coaching tool, like Shadow, is a conversation. Think of it in terms of starting "high" and drilling into the subject with Shadow: You'll need to ask Shadow questions and explore different aspects of Shadow's responses, so you need to "ask the right questions" - (bit like sales - right?). 1. Ask yourself the question: “what do I want to get out of this exchange with my Shadow mentor?" Think about it as if you were going into a meeting with your Sales Manager, where you’re looking for their opinion, input, advice. Or you’re having lunch with your mentor, a more general wide ranging conversation about selling. You might be looking for broad advice and opinion or you might have specific questions, about a specific situation. You might be looking for a particular outcome, for example a meeting plan, or call guide, or an account plan. 2. As we said, start high: Start at the highest level of the conversation, introduce it as you would in a conversation with your boss or your mentor or a colleague. Give them some context. AI-powered sales readiness software, and GenAI based solutions are designed to simulate human-like conversation. The more context you provide, the more valuable the responses. This is true in human to human conversations AND a.i. conversations. For example, you might use a description as to the general “stage” that a prospect is in as you engage with them. We have used this framework for some insights on how to drive optimal engagements with Shadow based on "sales stages that you are in." See Parts 2 -5.

"Pre-Demand phase of demand" "Shadow, I'm dealing with a company in the "pre-demand" phase of demand. At this initial stage, potential buyers are largely unaware of their problems, or opportunities & your offerings and might not even recognize that they have a challenge or requirement in their operations. They haven't yet recognized the value or relevance of the solutions you provide. Buyer state - largely unaware of their problems, or opportunities. Buyer activities – None. Seller Activities - Initial, informal, exploratory conversations - creating demand." [BTW - Shadow knows what the characteristics of the different demand phases are, but it's worth mentioning it, because Shadow will "remember" it when you return to this conversation, or thread, to up date it.] Preparing with Shadow - Questions to get you started: Consider Your Strategy [Question for Shadow] What are different strategies I should be considering when approaching a company in this phase of demand? Understand Their Industry [Question for Shadow] How do you recommend I go about better understanding a target company’s industry? Know Your Value Proposition [Question for Shadow] Advise me on how best to relate this (X-Y) value proposition for an audience in the “pre-demand” phase of demand? Educate and Inform [Question for Shadow] What are best methods and ideas I can use to educate and inform a prospect in the pre demand phase of demand? Develop Thought-Provoking Questions [Question for Shadow] Give me some suggestions as to good questions I can ask to both qualify the prospect and demonstrate expertise to a prospect in this pre demand phase? Offer a Fresh Perspective [Question for Shadow] Give me your recommendations as to how to best offer a fresh perspective on this prospects business and industry without sounding provoking a bad reaction? Build Credibility and Trust [Question for Shadow] Suggest some ideas and advice as to how to best go about building credibility and trust with early stage prospects? Prepare to Educate [Question for Shadow] What's the best way to educate early stage prospects such that I can demonstrate expertise in their industry and start to create preference in their minds? Follow-Up Strategically [Question for Shadow] Offer me some balanced advice on how to plant seeds of interest and nurture them, and then follow up such that I remain engaged without becoming a nuisance? Shadow Savvy: Planning your first meeting and overall approach with a company in the pre-demand phase involves a strategic and conscientious mindset. You're navigating uncharted territory with them, helping them to uncover unmet needs, challenges and opportunities they were previously unaware of.

"Interest phase" of demand As we said in Part 1 and 2 of this series of FAQ's - interacting with an AI-powered sales coaching tool like Shadow is a conversation. Think of it in terms of starting "high" and drilling into the subject with Shadow. You'll need to ask Shadow questions and explore different aspects of Shadow's responses, so you need to "ask the right questions." In Parts 1 and 2 we set up this set of sharing some questions that you can ask Shadow to get you going. We divided those up by the different phases of demand. The previous Q&A on this was using the example of a seller who is dealing with a company in the "Pre-Demand" phase. In this one we explore the example with a company in the "Interest" phase of demand. "Shadow, I'm dealing with a company in the "interest" phase of demand. Here, potential clients have become conscious of a certain issue, inefficiency, or opportunity within their organization and have started considering, researching and exploring potential remedies. They might have come across your offerings or solutions but are still in the preliminary stages of understanding them. Buyer state - Becoming aware of problems & opportunities. Buyer activities – Thinking about it, Informal Research - talking among themselves & trusted partners. Seller Activities - Initial, informal, exploratory conversations - creating demand, first introductory meeting. [BTW - Shadow knows what the characteristics of the different demand phases are, but it's worth mentioning it, because Shadow will "remember" it when you return to this conversation, or thread, to up date it.] Preparing with Shadow - Questions to get you started: Qualify Your Prospect – is the business winnable for anyone including us? [Question for Shadow] How do I best weigh our capabilities against the prospect's needs? Build Relationships and Trust [Question for Shadow] Trust is at the core of any sale, particularly in the early stages – how do I start to build this? Be Candid with Your Prospects [Question for Shadow] How do I ask the tough questions without coming over as brash or pushy. Seek to understand before being understood. [Question for Shadow] Advise how I best learn about the prospect’s specific pain points and then tailor my approach accordingly? Develop a Strategy [Question for Shadow] How do I best map out my approach, “shape the battlefield” & anticipate the competition? Watch Out for No-Decision Outcome [Question for Shadow] How do I stimulate action, show how our solutions align with their strategic goals and present a sense of urgency. Determine Suitability and Profit Potential [Question for Shadow] How do I quickly assess whether this will be a profitable customer for us? Shadow Savvy - Approaching prospects in the "interest" phase of demand requires a thoughtful blend of strategy and subtlety. In this phase, your prospect is aware of a problem, or opportunity, and is seeking solutions but hasn't committed to any path yet. Approaching and qualifying prospects who are in the interest phase of demand involves thoughtful consideration of both your own position and the prospects' situations. In summary, the strategy at this stage is to understand and influence. Work on identifying if this opportunity is a good fit and establish rapport and trust that could eventually lead to a seasoned relationship where your solutions are not just considered, but are sought after.

Pain Phase Here the prospect has clearly identified and acknowledged a challenge or gap in their organization. They are beginning to understand the implications and consequences of this problem and are actively discussing and contemplating ways to alleviate it. They are probably having “informal” conversations with peers and maybe advisors like accounting firms, their lawyers, and existing suppliers. Buyer state - Exploring possibilities, beginning to evaluate options. Buyer activities – Initial list of possible vendors, engaging with possible vendors. Seller Activities – Introductory meetings, Discovery Mtgs - Deeper Dives. Preparing with Shadow - Questions to get you started: Qualify the Prospect [Question for Shadow] How can I assess winnability here? How do I best decide if this opportunity aligns with our strengths? Build a Positive and Realistic Assessment [Question for Shadow] How do I maintain a positive attitude, but be realistic at the same time? Understanding Political Landscape [Question for Shadow] Give me some advice on how to start to navigate the political landscape and gauge the political sponsorship behind the project within the prospect company? Financial Considerations [Question for Shadow] How do I subtly identify whether there is budget allocated for the solution we’re offering without being too blunt or crass? Building Relationships and Trust [Question for Shadow] How do go about build rapport and relationships with key stakeholders? Influence the sequence [Question for Shadow] Is it important for me to influence the order in which the prospect assesses the various solution alternatives and if so how do I do this? Understand the Decision-Making Process [Question for Shadow] How do I gain insight into how the prospect's organization makes decisions and who the powerful influencers are? Selling to Power [Question for Shadow] How do I identify the 'power players' in the prospect company and engage with them to garner support? Shadow savvy - Having a prospect in the "pain" phase of demand is a critical stage for any sales pursuit, as they are acutely aware of their problems and are looking for solutions. This presents a unique opportunity for you, but it requires a strategic approach to ensure that your solution is considered as the most viable one for them. Remember, each sale and each prospect will demand a nuanced approach, so while considering these points, also adapt them according to the specific circumstances and information you have about your prospect."

Need Phase The problem, challenge, or perceived opportunity has escalated from a mere acknowledgment to a pressing concern. The buyer recognizes the urgency of finding a solution and is starting to actively look for options that can address their specific needs. They might even have criteria in place to evaluate potential solutions. They have conducted internal conversations and meetings, discussed likely scenarios, formulated potential review teams, and interested stakeholders. Probably had discussion around financial implications and budget. When approaching a prospect in the "need" phase of demand, your strategy should revolve around understanding those needs in depth. This isn't the time for generic sales pitches—your prospect is already aware of their problem and is actively seeking a solution. Buyer state - Evaluating options & comparing. Buyer activities – Defined needs, times, budgets – comparing solutions. Seller Activities –Deeper Dives discovery meetings. Preparing with Shadow - Questions to get you started: Investigate and Understand Deeply [Question for Shadow] Tell me some probing questions I can ask at this stage, maybe around the “need-payoff?” Align Capabilities with Needs [Question for Shadow] Suggest some ideas to help me connect our capabilities with the prospect’s needs? Bring Value and Insight [Question for Shadow] Give me some suggestions on how I position their own needs back to them? Focus on Developing Explicit Needs [Question for Shadow] Suggest some ideas on how I can get them to express their explicit needs, but where I can retain subtlety? Qualify the Opportunity [Question for Shadow] Getting involved at this stage might be thought of as a little late by my leadership. Give me some ideas on how I can qualify this prospect fast, either in or out? Consultative Selling [Question for Shadow] Advise me on how to best take a consultative selling approach specifically around the questions that I ask how I qualify the prospect and the actions I asked them to take? Understand the Customer's Buying Process [Question for Shadow] How do I establish what the customers buying process is and how do I figure out if there is an unofficial process? How can I engage my own team to help me do this better? Deploy the Right Content [Question for Shadow] Equip your prospect with the right content that speaks to their needs, like case studies, whitepapers, or ROI analyses that align with where they are in the buying process. Create Urgency Responsibly [Question for Shadow] Expand on the idea of showcasing the risks of inaction or no decision on the part of the prospect? Stakeholder Engagement [Question for Shadow] How do I best assess the prioritization or importance of the stakeholders in terms of how I tailor my communications with each of them? Timely Follow-up and Guidance [Question for Shadow] Ensure your follow-up is timely and you're guiding them to the next steps. Let them feel supported in every phase of their decision-making process. Remember, the goal is not only to answer the explicit question the prospect has but to guide them to discover even deeper needs that your solution can fulfill.