The GTMnow Podcast How AI Killed the Discovery Call | Sam Senior, Founder & CEO of TestBox
AI isn't just changing how we sell. It's changing how buyers make decisions before they ever talk to you.
Sam, Founder and CEO of TestBox, joins Sophie on GTMnow to break down exactly what's happening to the B2B software buying process right now, and what go-to-market leaders need to do about it immediately.
If you're a founder, CRO, or AE wondering why your pipeline feels different, this conversation will give you a clear framework for what's happening and what to do next.
What we cover:
- Why 70-80% of purchase decisions are already made before the first call (and it's accelerating)
- The shift from discovery calls to validation calls, and how to prepare
- CEO (AI-version of SEO): how LLMs are shaping what buyers believe about your product
- The "day one shortlist" shrinking from 3-4 vendors to 1-2 vendors
- Agent-to-agent procurement: Sam's timeline for when AI agents fully take over buying
- Why the mid-funnel is actually getting longer, not shorter
- The "Fake Nothing, Prove Everything" campaign that went viral post-Series A
- How TestBox runs 15 AI experiments per week across the entire company
- Using Google Vertex video analysis to read prospect body language on sales calls
- How to build an AI-first culture without burning out your team
- Books: The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership, No Ego, Courageous Marketing, Good to Great
Timestamps:
0:00 - Cold open
1:09 - What TestBox does
2:43 - How buying has changed
5:48 - What founders/CROs should do now
7:05 - GEO: AI version of SEO
9:02 - Why mid-funnel is expanding
21:17 - Agent-to-agent procurement
26:02 - All procurement by agents in 3-5 years
29:09 - How vendors differentiate beyond product
33:30 - The croissant campaign breakdown
45:50 - 15 AI experiments per week
47:10 - Analyzing prospects via video AI
48:29 - Building AI culture in your team
52:39 - Book recommendations
Guest: Sam Senior, Founder and CEO TestBox
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuelsenior/
TestBox: https://www.testbox.com
Host: Sophie Buonassisi, SVP Marketing at GTMnow
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophiebuonassisi/
Newsletter: https://thegtmnewsletter.substack.com
Visit us on: https://gtmnow.com
Follow us on LinkedIn: / gtmnow
Follow us on X (Twitter): https://x.com/GTMnow_
Follow us on YouTube: / @gtm_now
Follow us on TikTok: / gtmnow_
Follow us on Instagram: / gtmnow_
The GTMnow Podcast
The GTMnow Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.
Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.
The GTMnow Podcast
The GTMnow Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.
Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.