Is sales really a job or just the outcome of doing your real work well?

On this episode of V5, Jarod Greene chops it up with Mark Niemiec, CRO at Salesloft, to unpack what sales is when you strip away the pipeline noise and pressure to close.

Mark believes a sale serves as proof that you helped a customer solve a priority business problem. He shares why discovery, creativity, and empathy matter more than pitch decks. He believes the best sellers operate like curious business thinkers. Mark also shares how an internal debate over using AI for sales research showed the tension between doing the hard work and moving faster. It eventually led to a new product launch, and it showcased that sellers who are earlier in their careers are quicker to embrace change.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. Why sales is the measurement, not the mission – Reps solve real problems or they don’t sell.
2. How AI became a POV-building engine – What started as an experiment turned into a product.
3. Where teams get stuck – Time wasted on research could be spent on creativity and strategy.

Things to listen for:

(00:00) Introduction

(00:35) Redefining what sales is

(01:15) Traits of great problem-solvers in sales

(02:11) Should AI be allowed in discovery?

(02:45) Building a POV engine with AI

(03:37) Why AI adoption varies by background

(04:48) Early-career reps are leading the shift