As AI changes the face of sales, this startup taps 'dopamine hits' to stay deeply human

AI is emboldening hungry startups to push the boundaries of what it means to establish "relationships" with ICPs. Theoretically (and technically), it's possible to understand the needs of prospects by consuming raw data from a CRM or combing through their online digital footprint. But truly understanding and communicating trust at every stage of the sales cycle is still an art that cannot be replicated by LLMs.

Gartner predicts that 80% of sales interactions will be digital by 2026, leaving teams in need of new structures to work within and win buyers. "Digital sales rooms" are increasingly becoming the common ground where sales teams manage their sales cycles.

trumpet, a digital sales room and customer onboarding startup for leading revenue teams, is delivering these results through unparalleled data visibility and buyer connection. We spoke with trumpet's Co-Founder Nick Telson-Sillett to explore how his company is creating game-changing features for teams within its platform.

Aha moments: Sales can't be reduced to pure KPIs and simple firmographic metrics that refresh every quarter. Instead, Telson-Sillett says trumpet takes a broader view, focusing on "aha moments" for sales teams.

"A rep gets a dopamine hit when we tell them, via our integration with Slack teams and their CRMs, that their pods are being viewed. Not only that, but they can see exactly which types of content are being accessed."

trumpet joins legacy players like Seismic and Highspot that have long integrated and bundled digital sales rooms in their broader suite of sales enablement products. But trumpet hopes that specializing in fine-tuned control of seamless communication at each stage of the funnel will be a huge differentiator. Within trumpet's pods, sales reps can create content, share videos and decks with prospects, and manage all prospect communication in one place. Pods serve as the all-in-one home base for managing prospective customer relationships.

Adding context to why this matters, Telson-Sillett explains, "Previously, sales representatives only knew if their email was opened – yes or no. Now they're getting rich 'buyer engagement data' on what content prospects are viewing, how long they're engaging with it, who's looking at it, and what role that person holds. That dopamine hit, received almost immediately after sending out your first pod and seeing it opened, is a huge aha moment for us and our reps."

Next-level engagement: The aha moments extend beyond data insights. Telson-Sillett describes another source of dopamine hits for sales reps that can't be reproduced by even the most clever AI bots: active buyer collaboration.

"Within each pod, we have a full collaboration suite because we're looking to move people away from email chains. A buyer can leave a voice note, a video note, a comment, an annotation – anything they want," Telson-Sillett explains.

The level of active communication and collaboration sales reps are getting from their buyers makes all the difference for teams wanting to move the needle. "It's an 'aha moment' when a rep gets that engagement from a buyer; they're playing ball essentially," Telson-Sillett adds. "When they leave you a video note, voice note, or comment, it shows they're engaged and can be considered a warm prospect to move toward a closed won opportunity."

Motivation: trumpet creates wins for the sales teams that set out to win. It’s a matter of understanding what really motivates them, serving their needs in ways other digital sales rooms cannot. Speaking about how trumpet champions thousands of sales teams, Telson-Sillett concludes, "These two moments – data notifications and buyer collaboration, are such powerful moments that get our customers hooked onto the product pretty much from day one."