---
title: An AI sales tool promises 30% more productivity. Ask who measured it
author: Giacomo Balli
published: 2026-10-15
url: https://BigBalli.com/blog/an-ai-sales-tool-promises-30-more-productivity-ask-who-measured-it
tags: AI, Startups, Engineering, Product, Leadership
---

# An AI sales tool promises 30% more productivity. Ask who measured it

*By Giacomo Balli* | *Published: October 15, 2026*

"The AI sales tool will make your team 30% more productive." Ask who measured that, and how.

A survey of software founders this year put a number on the gap. Asked how much AI had improved their sales team's productivity, the typical answer was at least 25%. Asked what they had actually measured, it was 10%.

These are people who build software for a living, judging their own teams. The vendor in front of you is quoting a number too, and you cannot tell which kind it is.

Felt productivity is real to the person feeling it. A rep who writes emails in a third of the time feels faster. Whether the business sells more is a separate question, and it is the one you are paying for.

Before the contract, ask for three things. The metric that should move: orders, qualified leads, margin, billed hours. Its value today, written down. And a date in the contract when you review it, with the option to cancel if it has not moved.

A vendor cannot promise your margin, and a fair one will say so. What they can agree to is being measured, on a date, against a number you both wrote down.

[Discuss on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7516881900053909504)

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**Tags:** AI, Startups, Engineering, Product, Leadership

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