My Sales Team Arrives at the Finish Line… Only to Find the Race is Over

Dear Growth Guru,

I lead a sales team for a mid-sized specialist engineering firm. We have the best technical specs in the market. Historically, our engineers win deals through face-to-face expertise.

However, lately, we are losing out on tenders before we even know they are live.

We are being told the “selection process is closed” before our first coffee. Is my team losing their touch, or has the market simply moved on without us?

Sinking in Staffs

Dear Sinking,

You aren’t losing your touch. However, you are losing the data war.

In the old world of manufacturing, the “Contact” was the start of the journey. In 2026, the contact is often the final formality. Your potential buyers are now using AI-driven discovery to vet you, your competitors, and your technical reliability months in advance.

Specifically, they are building a “virtual shortlist” without ever speaking to a human. If you aren’t visible in their AI search strings, you don’t exist. As a result, by the time your team picks up the phone, the “race” has indeed already been run.

Notably, the line between your technical service and your sales cycle has completely collapsed. If your engineers and sales reps aren’t aligned on the “Context” of the buyer, they are essentially walking into a room with their eyes closed.

So, how do you stop the sinking?

Ultimately, you need to move from “Quicksand” to “Quicksilver.” You need a map that shows where your AI maturity actually sits compared to the rest of the sector. You need to understand how to inject your expertise into the buyer’s journey before the first meeting.

Therefore, if you are heading to the NEC next month, I have a specific recommendation. On Monday 20 April, there is a session at the Seminar Theatre that was designed for exactly your situation. Julie Holmes is delivering a masterclass titled “Quicksilver or Quicksand” as part of the Manufacturing Revenue Growth Summit.

In fact, it’s the only 90 minutes at MACH that focuses specifically on these five AI shifts. It will give you the “AI Maturity Map” you need to pull your team out of the sand and back into the lead.

Don’t let the race end without you. I’ll see you in the front row.