Paul Carolan, VP of EMEA Sales at GoTo: “There is a growing opportunity for AI to boost sales efficiency”

In this interview with Paul Carolan, VP of EMEA Sales at GoTo, we cover far more than AI. For instance, you’ll discover that Paul emphasises integration as much as flash new technology. However, there’s no hiding from AI’s growing role in sales and marketing.

“The biggest benefit of AI in the sales process to date is the ability to analyse vast amounts of data to help shape the way businesses sell,” he told us.

“AI can look at all of the historic calls, emails and conversations to assess what language has worked, and what hasn’t so that salespeople can replicate the successful trends in the future. It should be every company’s goal or golden standard to automate as much of the data pulling as possible.”

But AI alone isn’t going to solve everyone’s problems. Paul tells us about a pipeline tool for salespeople that brings everything together into a “virtual space for coordinating deals”. And is full of praise for a UK startup that he compares to Salesforce.

Our huge thanks to Paul for sharing his time and his experience, including excellent advice for anyone considering a career in this sector. Something he knows well, having spent over 25 years in the IT industry. Ignore his words at your peril!

Related reading: Five CRM solutions for medium-sized businesses

Can you give an example of a complex problem in sales that you – or your company – have been involved in tackling with technology?  

Managing deals is an intricate process with many moving parts that can easily slip out of sync. For salespeople, this creates huge pressure to keep a constant watch over their pipeline, as well as more granular activity on the customer side — including monitoring which prospects are actively engaged and determining when (and what) the next interaction should be to move them through the funnel.  

One of the best solutions I’ve found to tackle these challenges is Mindtickle’s “Digital Sales Room”. As the name suggests, this offering provides a virtual space for coordinating deals, and it does so in two key ways. Firstly, the platform allows sales teams to house and share all essential information in one place so that it’s instantly accessible to potential buyers – including quotes, product PDFs and videos. Secondly, it serves as a direct collaboration portal where sellers can engage with prospects, set mutual milestones for trading progress, and measure activity.  

GoTo is rooted in solving problems for its customers and finding new ways to simplify and automate work. When we find a tool that does the same for us internally, in an area as impactful as our sales team, the appreciation does not go unnoticed.

In your view, how has the role of CRM software evolved over the past decade or so? What major breakthroughs stand out for you?  

Recent developments have been more about subtle changes than splashy innovations. From a functionality perspective, most CRM systems primarily provide a single-window view of customers that encompasses both individual-level information and details of varied multi-channel interactions – which is extremely useful for sales teams and service agents alike, but far from new.  

Many vendors, however, have built on this value by steadily expanding their integrations. Over the past decade, more advanced players have added connectors that allow teams to both better organise and do more with customer data. For example, plugging in prospecting tools allows for friction-free sales workflow, with salespeople able to find, qualify, and convert leads before smoothly transferring profiles and transaction information into their CRM. On the analytics side, integrations with tools that allow for in-depth customer data assessment and smart modelling have also made it possible to steer smarter sales and marketing efforts. 

As an example, GoTo has integrated Salesforce into both GoTo Connect and LogMeIn Rescue, enabling the unified platforms to work together under one pane of glass. If an existing customer or lead calls in for product assistance, a representative can assist them via the GoTo Connect Contact Center, which will have all their information in front of them – courtesy of Salesforce. If the customer needs additional technical assistance, they can easily move over to Rescue on the same call so the agent can go into their computer to provide the support they need. All files and logs will then go back into the CRM package.

Related reading: SugarCRM’s new generative AI features make it easier to spot opportunities and create next steps

What is one sales tool you or your team can’t live without? And why is it so important? 

In short, the immediate answer is 6sense. Explaining why it’s so essential means looking at what it does as an efficient account-based marketing (ABM) platform and data activation hub. The solution harnesses artificial intelligence (AI) to organise diverse customer information into a comprehensive dataset that can then be used to extract vital insights. In general terms, this means we can quickly surface relevant data that allows our sales experts to forge stronger connections by delivering consistently personalised communications for every account.  

At a more refined level, the platform can issue automated notifications of actions that signal clear intent — such as downloads of product brochures — with data used to display a clear ‘likelihood to buy’ score for each prospect in Salesforce. It then prioritises the intent, which is important so that the sales team can determine who to target first based on how a lead is progressing through the website to the pricing or purchasing stage. This ability not only saves our team from spending time wading through data in search of who they should be targeting but also improves experience quality from the customer side by allowing us to pinpoint the ideal moment to reach out and help buyers acquire the solution they need.  

What are some examples of AI being used in sales that stand out to you?  

There is a growing opportunity for AI and generative models to boost sales efficiency and performance, as illustrated by McKinsey’s infamous forecast that gen AI will drive over $4 trillion in global productivity gains — with sales and marketing due to account for 75% of those gains. While we’re still in the relatively early days of adoption and experimentation right now, there are some promising emerging use cases.  

For instance, intelligent chat interfaces powered by large language models are giving sales teams real-time access to robust customer handling support. In response to straightforward queries, such as how to overcome a specific customer objection, tools can draw on various data sources — including internal knowledge stores, training materials, and data about what has and hasn’t worked in past conversations — and quickly share relevant guidance that salespeople can use to effectively address hurdles. 

The biggest benefit of AI in the sales process to date is the ability to analyse vast amounts of data to help shape the way businesses sell. AI can look at all of the historic calls, emails and conversations to assess what language has worked, and what hasn’t so that salespeople can replicate the successful trends in the future. It should be every company’s goal or golden standard to automate as much of the data pulling as possible.

Related reading: Barbara Schulz, VP of International Customer Experience at GoTo: “The customer services space must avoid implementing AI for AI’s sake”

Can you name a startup in the sales tech space that has caught your attention (and why)? 

One player that springs to mind is IT service management platform, HaloITSM. The company isn’t a fresh market entrant but has undergone an impressive growth journey not dissimilar to major players such as Salesforce. I’ve been fascinated to watch their early years and I’m now excited to be part of it following the new integration with GoTo.  

Starting out young, hungry, and unknown, HaloITSM has employed an aggressive approach to expanding beyond its UK roots and taking ground from established enterprise organisations that have stagnated. The platform has persistently concentrated on leveraging sophisticated technology to simplify convoluted processes, with its suite of AI tools enabling support teams to streamline service delivery on multiple fronts — including easy user request creation and ticket tracking — while staying in line with service agreements and industry best practices.  

Coupled with these innovative tools, they have a creative and attention-grabbing marketing strategy with their Formula 1 sponsorship and even made a memorable presence at the last Service Desk & IT Support Show (SITS) by bringing two race cars to their event booths – both decked out in their branding. 

The firm’s ambitious strategy has seen it move up from the bottom of the market to achieve solid mid-market success, with a global presence now spanning offices in the UK, US, and Australia, in addition to customers across 40 regions.”  

What advice do you have for those wanting to start a career in sales? 

The number one essential is knowledge. To earn confidence and credibility, it’s critical to be a knowledge expert who deeply understands the dynamics of their chosen market, what the latest trends are, and how to align with them. Equally, securing customer trust depends on having just as much insight into their business, goals, and pain points. This is so you can identify the right solution and initiate conversations that lead to real value for them.  

All of the above is key to stand out from the competition, but there are other elements to keep in mind. An important element of that may involve cultivating and continually nurturing your exclusive network, both at in-person events and via digital channels such as LinkedIn. At a higher level, personal branding is paramount. You need to think carefully about the way you present yourself and the qualities you must amplify in order to be memorable for the right reasons.  

Finally, never underestimate the importance of planning. Having a plan for everything you do, whether it’s managing a sale, the direction of your career, or what you want your life to look like in five years is vital to maintaining focus and maximising the chances of hitting that objective.

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