How to Use AI to Build Stronger Customer Relationships and Smarter Sales: Expert Insights by Andrew Fritts
In the latest episode of the Sticky Note Marketing Show, host Mary Czarnecki sits down with Andrew Fritts, CEO of Augment, to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping sales, marketing, and customer relationships.
Their conversation dives deep into how modern businesses can move beyond outdated sales tactics and start building stronger, more meaningful connections with customers—using both technology and human insight.
Below are some of the biggest takeaways from the episode.
“Fit beats pitch.”
1. The Future of Sales Is Understanding People, Not Sending More Emails
With AI tools making it easier than ever to generate emails, campaigns, and content, many businesses have fallen into the trap of focusing on volume instead of relevance.
As Andrew explains, the real opportunity with AI isn’t sending 10,000 messages instead of 10. It’s understanding the human behind the decision.
Modern buyers expect personalization that goes deeper than just inserting a name into an email. Businesses now have the ability to understand:
How customers prefer to consume information
What challenges they’re facing internally
Who else is involved in the decision-making process
What success actually looks like for them
When companies focus on these insights, communication becomes more meaningful—and far more effective.
2. “Fit Beats Pitch” in Today’s Sales Environment
One of the standout ideas Andrew shares is a simple but powerful concept:
Fit beats pitch.
Instead of trying to impress prospects with a perfect presentation, successful businesses focus on determining whether both sides are truly a good fit.
Why this matters:
Long sales cycles make misalignment expensive
Customers are more informed than ever before
Trust now matters more than persuasion
The best sales professionals aren’t just great presenters. They’re careful observers of their customers—paying attention to language, priorities, internal dynamics, and potential friction points early in the process.
Finding those friction points sooner actually leads to stronger, more durable partnerships.
3. Sales Has Become a Team Sport
One of the biggest shifts happening today is the complexity of decision-making.
Research shows that most of the buying process happens without a salesperson in the room. That means the real drivers of deals are often internal champions inside the organization.
Andrew emphasizes that modern sales success depends on empowering those champions with:
Clear messaging
Useful insights
Easy-to-share information
Content tailored to different stakeholders
In other words, businesses need to help their supporters sell internally.
Because the reality is this:
Everyone is selling something—ideas, initiatives, strategies, or investments.
4. AI Should Support Relationships, Not Replace Them
While AI is changing how work gets done, Andrew is clear about one thing: technology should enhance human relationships, not replace them.
AI can help businesses:
Analyze conversations
Personalize communication
Organize customer intelligence
Recommend next actions
But the core of successful business relationships remains the same:
Trust
Consistency
Transparency
Showing up and delivering
The companies that win in the AI era will be the ones that use technology to serve people better, not automate authenticity away.
5. A New Skillset Is Emerging for the Next Generation
For professionals entering the workforce—or business owners adapting to change—Andrew believes AI literacy is quickly becoming essential.
That doesn’t mean everyone needs to become a developer.
Instead, successful professionals will learn how to:
Use AI as a thinking partner
Turn insights into action
Communicate more clearly
Work faster without losing personalization
Those who embrace these tools thoughtfully will have a significant advantage.
