Introduction
Dr. Deepak Bhootra is a Sandler trainer, sales strategist, and bestselling author who helps B2B sellers and leaders build durable performance without burnout. In our conversation, he explains how emotional fluency changes discovery, why managers must coach the middle of the team, and how AI can accelerate results without replacing the human edge. He also shares a practical rebuild framework for anyone navigating layoffs or career setbacks, a topic many teams face in today’s market.
Main Insights and Highlights
- Emotional fluency is a competitive advantage
Top sellers master the context of each conversation. They regulate the room, ask better questions, and hold attention with curiosity. This ability to set context, stay curious, and manage the temperature of the meeting is the human edge that closes deals. AI can assist, but it is not in the room making judgment calls. Emotional fluency remains with the seller at the moment of truth. - Judgment beats templates
Frameworks and tools matter, but real deals hinge on situational judgment. AI can help you prepare and can automate mechanics, but the call still comes down to what you sense and decide in the moment. That is why curiosity and context setting remain core skills for professionals who want consistent wins. - AI will not replace sellers, it will raise the bar for them
Expect AI in the first screen and early interviews. Smart systems already probe deeper, faster, and more accurately than traditional phone screens. Recruiters and sales orgs will run high volume AI conversations overnight, then bring humans into higher leverage moments. The result is not fewer humans. It is higher expectations for humans who use AI well. You are less likely to lose your job to AI than to another salesperson who uses AI better. - Coaching must shift, especially for the middle of the team
Many organizations still default to carrot and stick, a legacy of earlier decades that no longer fits today’s talent market. Tenures are shorter, expectations are different, and remote work has changed norms. Coaching has to evolve from interrogation to development, with intentional human touch in an age where digital interactions dominate. Managers who upgrade their coaching create the biggest lift by moving the middle fifty percent. - The 57 percent problem and what it signals
A striking data point surfaced in our discussion. Fifty seven percent will leave enterprise sales. The lesson is not to flip a coin on hiring. It is to rethink how we develop people once reality hits. Great hiring remains important, but consistent performance comes from modern coaching, clearer expectations, and stronger systems that support humans, not only quotas. - Lead generation is shifting to the seller
Marketing often drives awareness while sellers shoulder more pipeline creation. That reality makes judgment and process even more important. Before you automate messages with AI, prove your current motion works. Then use AI to scale what already converts. The order matters. Tools amplify fundamentals, they do not replace them. - A simple career rebuild framework for layoffs
Dr. Bhootra shares a clear, humane process he teaches after a layoff. First, separate identity from role. Feel the shock, label the emotion, then close the page and move forward. Second, regulate your state with practical steps like a short walk, tea, cold water, and quiet time. Third, reframe your story and take action by calling people, rebuilding your network, and creating momentum. This is not theory. It is the playbook that got him from job loss to a new role in weeks, and later to a stronger network that made future transitions easier. - Belly to belly still matters
A personal story from his grandfather’s shop captures the timeless side of selling. Even as retail and B2B have changed, trust, flexibility, and human relationship remain central. Technology may do the screening and the scoring. Humans still carry the responsibility to connect, decide, and deliver outcomes for customers.
Conclusion
Sales that last require two commitments. First, invest in human capabilities that AI cannot replace, like emotional fluency, curiosity, and real time judgment. Second, modernize coaching to move the middle, not only celebrate the top or churn the bottom. If you adopt that mindset, AI becomes a force multiplier rather than a threat. And if you are working through a setback, use the rebuild framework to regain momentum. The combination of human skill, smart coaching, and thoughtful use of AI is how teams win more and stress less.
Watch the full interview here, https://youtu.be/Qk0u-clJGYc
Connect With Us
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• Explore more episodes and resources, https://www.L10NFiresideChat.com
Connect with Dr. Deepak Bhootra
• LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepakbhootra/
• Email, deepak@bhootra.com
• Email, deepak.bhootra@sandler.com
• Community for B2B reps, https://community.jabulani.sandler.com/
If you like to book a recording with me, click the booking link here
Robin Ayoub 
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