Every conference has some session about AI. And every reception at every conference has someone asking about what you’re doing with AI. So, imagine being at a conference that is all about AI and where everyone is talking AI 24x7x3. This is what will happen next week at DSG’s Applied AI conference in Chicago.

If you are attending get ready to hear from many AI companies about how they can help you automate X, Y, and Z process and that they can improve your productivity to help you optimize the performance and/or re-task people.

For most, AI is “business process optimization.”

This is important as it is one of the lowest levels of the ladder on the AI journey.

First, you start with tactical, one-off, initiatives to get comfortable with the concept. Some even call this “playing / testing” the concept.

Simultaneously, or perhaps slightly before, personal journeys using AI are undertaken. Think of how you use ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, or Co-Pilot for yourself.

Then it gets to productivity improvement when you begin to link various tools or processes into workflows to gain more significant benefits. Some companies are offering these solutions; some companies are developing them in-house (or with consultants) and this can include using Claude Code.

Few are doing much with using AI tools to generate revenue. Generating revenue can span from lead generation to research to consummating transactions. Why are few doing it? Because it is hard and it requires having a relationship with the customer / prospect.

When you are at Applied AI, look up Mark (Nudge) McGready from IDEA and ask him about Data Whispers. They’ve figured out a way to provide a virtual sales coaching assistant for your outside sales team that is system agnostic and personalized to the salesperson and the account. Further, it’s more than extracting data because it closes the last mile and gets them what they need, when they need it, for whom they need, in a format that is easy, and the process is iterative.

While Data Whisperers is an advanced sales, profit, and operational analytics tool, it is also being trained to share information.

Given how it can help accelerate your sales and is deployable today to help you with the second half of the year, I asked Mark to share. And, if you are attending Applied AI, look him up. If you are not, reach out and ask for a demo.

Adding a Nudge to Your Sales Coaching

New disruptive technologies move fast. We can only absorb so much change at a time, so this cycle can take years or even decades. With AI it feels like we’re going so fast we want the ride to stop.

As a result, most folks are getting tired of the endless opinion pieces and thought projections about AI, and it’s understandable. It’s over hyped, over sold, and feels like software reps are fast-talking, hoping that you’re not paying attention to the details or asking important questions. It can bring a state of euphoria, and many companies have been caught up in the wave, only to find big investments that don’t really pay out with AI systems that don’t get used.

It was with this caution that IDEA looked into the role AI could have with data analytics from the Data Whispers system (and information from the IDEA Connector can be added.) AI needs to be grounded, to be substantive and to sell not on the promise of replacing people but simply making folks more productive by making their job easier.  We looked at who could impact revenue the most from real time access to intelligent data analysis, particularly salespeople preparing to engage with customers.

They need to know what the customer has purchased, where their areas of opportunity are, what products and services they should speak about, and how best to position the discussion. That knowledge has always been built upon years of experience, and diligence in doing research, pulling reports, scorecards, and other tools. Most companies have invested heavily to provide the kind of data they feel their salespeople need. All with varying levels of adoption and success. Delivering the data isn’t the answer if it’s laborious to access it.

Nudging the HVACR Market

Further, HVACR sales is a relationship business built on trust, technical know-how, and timing. A contractor calling in for a rooftop unit replacement needs answers fast – what equipment is available, what’s compatible with their existing system, what rebates or utility incentive programs apply. A mechanical contractor bidding a new construction project needs to know lead times, which manufacturers your branch stocks, and what your company has sold them in the past. That knowledge has always been built upon years of experience and diligence in pulling reports, checking inventory, and reviewing account history. Most distributors have invested heavily to provide the kind of data they feel their salespeople need – all with varying levels of adoption and success. Delivering the data isn’t the answer if it’s laborious to access it.

Sales folks work hard, always trying to balance improving service to their customer base while calling on more accounts, there’s never enough hours in the day.

That’s why with this in mind we’re announcing Nudge, the Data Whisperer. Nudge is an AI chatbot, loaded with the sales history of your customers, analyzing their transactions to reveal hidden opportunities to strengthen the account. And we’ve trained it on the products and services your customers buy. It can tell you how products work, what their features and benefits are, how to ask the customer sales related discovery questions. It can even research companies for you, looking up news articles, corporate reports, and it utilizes systems like LinkedIn to identify key role players. (And being honest, Nudge’s first language is electrical. The system is waiting for its first HVAC wholesaler and then he’ll be trained.)

Getting Nudged

It’s not doing anything an individual person couldn’t do themselves, but that’s kind of the point. Rather than spending time going to all these sources one at a time, Nudge delivers it all in one place. And it’ll deliver it conversationally:

“Hey Nudge, I’m going to see this customer. What should I talk to them about?”

“This contractor purchased over $150,000 from you last year, primarily in residential equipment and refrigerants. However, they haven’t purchased any indoor air quality products or smart thermostats – categories where contractors like them have seen strong attach rates. You should ask about their customers’ interest in IAQ upgrades and whether they’re quoting any new construction projects that would benefit from zoning or controls packages. You also have two outstanding equipment quotes with this customer you should follow up on. Finally, there’s a manufacturer rebate program running through the end of the quarter on heat pumps – a great time to revisit that conversation.”

That looks simple, but let’s break it down. It has sales reporting, wallet share gap analysis, peer comparison, product intelligence, sales prompts, quotations, and marketing communications all delivered in 100 words. With no time required to look this up – just ask and get an answer. The 60 second sales coach.

It feels like science fiction, but that’s the power of these new AI data gathering tools. Like all technology revolutions, this will be obvious and commonplace in just a few years. Unlike some of the others, this can have an immediate impact from day 1. And since it’s an IDEA offering, it’s ERP and CRM neutral, and trained specifically for the HVACR industry. Our team has combined decades of experience selling and leading in distribution and manufacturing – understanding how distributors, contractors, and manufacturers work together. That gives us the insights to build something we ourselves would have wanted. A marked change from outsider software companies building systems to serve as wide an audience as possible. Data Whispers and Nudge are built with that expertise and those real-life experiences in mind

If you’d like to learn more, or get a chance to test Nudge yourself, feel free to reach out. And you can click HERE to learn more.”

Mark McGready is the Director of Data Analytics at IDEA. He’s a data “geek” who understands sales and how to turn data into top and bottom-line dollars. He used to work for Schneider Electric and has worked with many distributors. He knows distribution.