Tastemaker’s Note
The floor the salesman worked on is dead because the consumer moved online and never came back. What's replacing it is experiential retail, service tenants, and mixed-use conversions and is quietly becoming one of the more interesting plays in commercial real estate right now. Bitcoin is up nearly 10% this issue, gold is pulling back as rate pressure eases, and oil is finally cooling after two months of geopolitical noise. Watches slipped -0.2% in September, but the 1-year picture at +8.7% tells the more honest story — the secondary market for Rolex, Patek Philippe, and Audemars Piguet doesn't care who's on the floor. It never needed a salesman in the first place.

The traditional sales funnel was built around a fairly simple premise: get the prospect in front of a salesperson, give the salesperson enough information to persuade them, and move them toward a purchase.

The internet disrupted that model and today, AI is compressing it.

In March, Gartner reported that:
→ 67% of B2B buyers prefer a buying experience without a sales representative.
→ 45% said they had used AI during a recent purchase.
→ 73% of buyers avoid suppliers who send irrelevant outreach.

According to G2's 2026 research, 51% of B2B software buyers now start their research with an AI chatbot more often than Google and 71% use AI chatbots somewhere in their software research process.

Think about what that means for a second.

The buyer can ask the machine:

What should I buy?
Who are the best companies?
How much should this cost?
What are the alternatives?
What questions should I ask?
Compare these three vendors.

And receive an answer before a salesperson ever gets their name.

For companies, this is incredibly attractive. AI can handle enormous amounts of research, qualification, customer service and outreach without requiring another person for every interaction.

Microsoft’s elimination of 4,800 roles in July 2026 explicitly described the restructuring as a reallocation of people, investment and energy toward its changing priorities.

Amazon says its AI shopping assistant generated nearly $12 billion in incremental sales last year. Walmart's Sparky can now help customers discover, compare and purchase products, including through ChatGPT.

In automotive, companies such as Rivian have gone in the opposite direction from the traditional dealership model, arguing that owning the direct customer relationship is important enough to accept potentially lost sales. Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe has said the company would "forego sales" rather than give up that direct relationship.

The common thread is control of the relationship.

→ The retailer wants to own the AI shopping experience.
→ The automaker wants to own the customer relationship.
→ The software company wants AI to handle the repetitive work while its people focus on higher-value interactions.

And the buyer wants something surprisingly contradictory: Less selling and more confidence in the products.

For me, that’s the most interesting part of all…

→ Gartner found that while 67% of B2B buyers prefer a rep-free experience, 69% still turn to sales representatives to validate information generated by AI.
→ Gartner's research describes the evolving salesperson less as a persuader and more as a verifier, someone who helps reduce uncertainty and gives the buyer confidence at critical moments.

And that indeed, is a very different job than the salesperson we’re used to.

AI is exceptionally good at the things that made traditional sales exhausting: answering the same questions, qualifying leads, sending follow-ups, comparing products, scheduling conversations and moving information from one place to another.

The question is, what do we do with the human capacity that remains?

Because the greatest salespeople are more than just about the features, benefits and cost of the products. Their value was tied to knowing you.

From understanding your needs, they would know what you like before you have a chance to articulate it.

For me, the people I value most commercially are not necessarily the ones with the biggest Rolodex or the most aggressive sales strategy.

They are the everyday connectors who remember small details.

→ The people who remember that someone mentioned wanting to enter a particular market six months ago.
→ The person who hears about an opportunity and immediately thinks of you.
→ The person who makes an introduction without needing a commission attached to it.

They are selling all the time, but they rarely feel like salespeople.

They are the curators of trust and I suspect that is where human selling is headed.

A $70K salary might look straightforward on paper. But once you factor in employer taxes, statutory benefits, payroll, and country-specific employment costs, that number can skyrocket.

And those costs can vary significantly depending on where your employee is based. So before you build your hiring budget, check out Oyster's Global Hiring Cost Calculator.

The calculator can help you see the full picture by letting you compare employment costs across 120 countries and estimate what a hire could really cost your business. And unlike that new hire, it’s actually 100% free.

Run the numbers

Perhaps, selling should never feel like selling. It should feel like trust…

Like taking this bite of crabmeat and caviar because someone who’s taste you admire told you it was worth it, without needing the pitch.

P.S. Like my style (and taste)? Work with me.