Sales teams pay for flights, hotels, and conference passes, then fail to capture the deal-winning conversations that happen in person.
Most sales AI is built for scheduled, stationary conversations. But that leaves the dinners, booths, and customer sites where deals move forward with no record.
David Zhu, CEO and Co-Founder of Reevo, tells CX Today how sales AI can capture value from important in person meetings. He also explains how reps and AI should divide the work in the sales cycle.
Why Do In-Person Sales Meetings Go Blind?
Zhu says most sales tools were designed around scheduled calls on a screen. That works until the seller leaves the desk.
The result is that negotiation details live only in the rep's head. As David explains:
"A pricing discount conversation that happened over dinner - to move a deal to close - lives in their heads instead of in the system."
Reevo's answer is a mobile app. With permission, the rep can now record the conversation or scan a business card. By the time they are back in the car, Zhu says, the summary is written, the CRM is current, and the follow-up is drafted.
What Does Missing Those Meetings Cost Sales Teams?
Zhu believes the cost shows up in ROI. He says the old rule, where more output needs more headcount, is breaking in the age of AI, and that companies funding in-person selling are leaving value on the table:
"There's a lot of ROI that's missed when companies are putting more money into in-person selling, because ultimately people buy from people."
His point is about speed. Buyer pushback and promised concessions move a deal, and they fade fast.
Capturing them the same day, or the same hour, means faster follow-ups and fewer dropped commitments, he says. Business cards from conferences, which once sat on a desk for weeks, can become contacts and opportunities that day.
How Can Reps Record Meetings Without Losing Buyer Trust?
Zhu is firm that consent comes first. He says reps should verbally ask before recording, sharing his view that hidden recording bots are a breach of trust - but prevalent nevertheless.
Instead of hiding a recording, he advises sales managers to set up these guidelines for their teams: