AI Marketing & Sales Tools That Actually Worked in 2025 + 2026 Predictions - EP 132 🇬🇧 | Theresa Engl & Lars Thalmann (@Holycode)

Feedback, please 👋Startups test dozens of AI tools, but most teams end up overwhelmed and go back to square one. Stacked tools, no adoption, no real impact. One founder told me: “AI was supposed to make sales easier. It only added complexity.”Theresa Engl (VP Sales) and Lars Thalmann (GTM & Growth) have seen and tested a lot - and built a focused AI stack that actually works. After scaling to 150+ enterprise clients, they share what really moved the needle in 2025 and what’s coming in 2026.1. The Notetaker Advantage ReadAI isn’t just a call recorder. They use it in technical implementation meetings. Developers miss buying signals — ReadAI doesn’t. Sales gets alerts automatically.2. Why Mass Outreach Died Lars: “Copy-paste outreach was still a thing in 2024. Completely dead now.” The shift: AI-written, personalised outreach that’s actually pleasant to receive. Less volume, more relevance.3. AmpleMarket’s Untapped Power Not just cold outreach. Three overlooked use cases: – Re-engage old SQLs when timing flips – Track existing customers for upsell signals – Signal-based workflows triggered by buying intent4. Content Upcycling > AI Content Flooding Bad marketing = spamming LinkedIn with AI-generated fluff. Smart marketing = create one piece of real content, then upcycle it across formats using tools like Eddy + LLMs.5. Their Lean AI Stack ReadAI → notes + BANT sync AmpleMarket → outbound + follow-up Mailchimp → human content, AI-assisted formatting SIFT/Leadfeeder → visitor intel Zapier → workflow visibility Key: every tool has multiple use cases; no tool-collecting.6. 2026: AI Agents Arrive Lars: “Startups will build their own AI agents sooner than they think.” I shared my investment in Sillage — full-cycle agents: research → outreach → expansion.7. AI Cold Calls? Already Here. Theresa judged the Swiss Sales Championship: one contestant used AI for the cold call — and many didn’t notice at first. For complex sales? “Not there yet.”8. Personalisation at Scale for Key Accounts With 150+ clients, personalisation sounds impossible. They disagree: AI will power tailored newsletters and account-specific insights based on past project data.About Theresa Engl & Lars ThalmannTheresa Engl is VP of Sales & Business Development with deep expertise in consultative B2B sales and AI-powered sales automation. She's a judge at the Swiss Sales Championship and specialises in helping teams shift from manual outreach to intelligent workflows. Theresa is a strong advocate for BANT qualification and value-first selling.Lars Thalmann is a Go-to-Market and Growth specialist, advisory board member at Beyondbot AI, and expert in outbound engine optimisation. He helps early-stage and scale-up startups build signal-based sales automation that actually converts. Lars focuses on sustainable growth strategies that replace mass outreach with AI-personalised engagement.Support the show- - -Folge Björn W. Schäfer auf Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/bjoernwschaefer Hier kannst Du seinen GTM-Bestseller Funky Flywheels 🕺💃 bestellenDeutsch: https://amzn.to/3Sgi8qkEnglisch: https://amzn.to/4g2Ly4914 Tage kostenlos. Teste jetzt Björn's neue Software: funkybont.com