Why AI’s Real Power Lives in Pre-Sales and Not Prospecting

Most AI in sales content is stuck at the top of funnel: prompts, prospecting, and research.

This episode is different.

Jake Dunlap sits down with David Maloof, Founder and Managing Partner of Pre-Sales Advisory Group and longtime pre-sales leader across high-growth SaaS and enterprise orgs, to unpack a truth most teams miss:

AI’s real power shows up in pre-sales, where discovery, storytelling, and demos decide whether you win or lose.

David breaks down how the best SEs and revenue teams are using AI to:

• show up to discovery with a point of view
• move from cookie-cutter questions to validation-style discovery
• create stronger, faster, more tailored demos using transcripts and structured feedback
• build a tighter AE and SE operating rhythm because AI gives teams back time
• use frameworks like MEDDIC and MEDPIC with better pattern recognition, without outsourcing human judgment

They also tackle what modern buyers expect now that they can research everything themselves, and why the demo jockey era is dead.

Key takeaways

• AI-assisted discovery starts before the call, not during it
• If you are not putting in at least as much effort as the buyer did to meet you, you are already behind
• Top SEs in 2026 and beyond will be defined by curiosity and consistency, not perfect tooling
• AI is not replacing great sellers or SEs, it is replacing the ones who will not adapt

Learn more about Skaled: https://www.skaled.com

Jake's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakedunlap/

David's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dmaloof/

Check out Journey AI: http://meetjourney.ai/

AI Certification for Reps: https://bit.ly/ai-sales-certification...

AI Certification for Managers: ​​https://bit.ly/ai-sales-certification...

Want Jake’s AI Playbook? Go to one of Jake’s LinkedIn posts and comment or DM the word “prompt”

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