Beyond Mech-AE: How to Become Irreplaceable in the AI Era

The first two editions were about using AI to sell faster and smarter. But speed isn’t enough.

AI’s evolving fast — I find it hard to keep on top of everything. Last week I posted on LinkedIn how to use GPT to set up weekly alerts that are delivered straight to you in GPT. See how to set it up here. I have a weekly summary sent to me with all the updates and new releases in the world of AI.

This final edition is about staying ahead by becoming the rep no one wants to lose — the one with irreplaceable thinking, not just workflows.

Recap: What We’ve Covered So Far

Edition 1 – The Mech-AE Reality Check
Are you already obsolete?
→ Self-assess your workflow
→ Diagnose time-waste and manual effort
→ Start using GPT like a deal analyst

Link to Edition 1

Edition 2 – The Mech-AE Playbook
How top AEs sell bigger, faster, and smarter.
→AI Discovery + MEDDIC analysis
→Clone & Scale top deals
→Signal-based reactivation
→Pre-forecast AI honesty checks

Link to Edition 2

Edition 3 – How to Become Irreplaceable

The data backs it up…

The AI wage gap is real.
According to PwC’s 2025 Global AI Jobs Barometer, workers with AI skills are now earning a 56% wage premium over their peers.

The message is clear:
AI isn’t just changing how we sell — it’s changing who stays in the job.

Edition 3 is all about what the top 16% are doing to make themselves irreplaceable:

• Building internal influence

• Becoming strategic advisors

• Leveraging AI to up-skill faster than anyone else

Here’s how to do it.

Section 1: Build Your Internal ‘AI Brand’

When I first joined Salesforce, everyone used to talk about ‘your personal brand’ and how important it was. For me, being authentic is priority #1, and unfortunately when ‘personal brand’ is a driver for progression, you come across a lot of people acting with no authenticity. When you’re a no b*llshit kind of person like me, you quickly become allergic to surface-level posturing.

But here’s what I’ve learned:

Internal brand isn’t about self-promotion — it’s about trust and insight.

It’s the compounding reputation you build when people know:

• You prep better than anyone else

• You ask the questions no one else will

• You actually move things forward

In the AI era, that trust compounds faster — or disappears quicker.

Because when everyone has access to the same tools, your competitive edge becomes how you think, how you show up, and how you lead.

And that’s your real internal AI brand.

AI will automate research.
AI will summarise notes.
But AI won’t replace your voice in the room.

What the top 16% do differently:

1. They become known for something internally.
   
   Whether it’s your Gemini prep quality, your board-ready decks powered by AI, or your ability to get deals unstuck using GPT. The goal is to become known for some AI workflow or tool. You become the first person the company thinks of as it relates to X.

2. They build an AI POV — and share it consistently.
   
   This could be in team Slack channels, internal sales calls, or even short Looms breaking down a use case or a workflow. They take action and learn every week. They subscribe to experts, try to build workflows, test prompts and have a strong POV on how things are done today and why they NEED to be improved with AI. They realise how efficient they could become as a team if they made some small changes, and consistently bring it up.

3. They become the AI co-pilot in cross-functional gaps.
   
   The top 16% don’t just think about their number – they think across the business. Especially in startups, this mindset is gold.

   Hard deal with unclear ICP? They use tools like Octave, GPT + Clay to refine segment and share it with marketing.
   Onboarding friction? They ask their AI community for best practices and warm intros to people who’ve solved it before.
   They don’t just raise problems — they build AI-powered drafts, mockups, and momentum.

   Their name comes up because they bring leverage, not just opinions.

Section 2: Become the Strategic AI Voice in Your Deals

According to a 2024 survey by Vena Solutions and OpenView, over 85% of SaaS companies now include AI-powered features in their product roadmap — a massive jump from just 18% in 2020.

What does this mean?

Almost every sales team is now having AI conversations. But most are surface level and product focused.

They pitch features.
They name-drop our new OpenAI integration.
They link to one slide in the demo deck.

That’s not strategic.

What the top 16% do differently:

They don’t just sell the AI feature.
They become the AI industry expert in the deal.

• They walk into every call with a macro view of AI adoption in the buyer’s industry.

• They explain the “state of AI” across similar customers — and where the gaps are.

• They talk about use cases, rollout best practices, and the hidden cost of delay.

• They share examples from other teams doing it well (or badly).

In short, they position themselves as an AI-native advisor — not just a rep.

When your prospect is building their internal business case, or has a question about how to apply AI in their team, you become the person they reach out to.

Prompt:

Use This Prompt Before Your Next Call

Act as an AI-native strategic seller and advisor.

I’m selling to [persona] at [company], who is exploring [brief product or use case].  

Give me: 
- The current state of AI adoption in their industry 
- 2 examples of how similar companies are using AI for business outcomes 
- 1 strategic insight I can bring to frame this call as an advisory session 

Be concise, data-backed, and position this for a strategic, board-level buyer.

This prompt helps you walk into every deal with a macro POV — not just a product demo.

When you show up with context, credibility, and clarity, you instantly separate yourself from the pack.

Become that person, and your win rate doesn’t just improve — your reputation does too.

Section 3: Use AI to Upskill – Without Waiting for Enablement

Let’s be honest — most reps are waiting. Back at Salesforce, I would wait until the training was absolutely mandatory to do or I got an email from my RVP to complete it ASAP.

Reps are:
Waiting for a course.
Waiting for enablement.
Waiting for someone to train them on AI.

But the top 16%?

They train themselves.

And the gap is widening fast.

Why this matters:

• 📈 PWC’s 2025 Global AI Jobs Barometer shows a 56% wage premium for roles requiring AI skills

• 🧠 McKinsey found that AI-literate teams are 2x faster at launching new go-to-market plays

• 🕳️ Meanwhile, your competitors are already using N8N, testing out MCP workflows, strategising with GPT-4o and Gemini Advanced to outlearn you, outwork you, and out-execute you

What the top 16% do differently:

1. They are Proactive with Learning

Forget waiting for company-approved training. Mech-AEs set weekly goals like:

• “Master one new GPT workflow this week”

• “Automate one manual task I did yesterday”

• “Try a new AI prompt in a live deal”

They treat AI like a skill, not a tool.

2. They create a File of Winning Prompts

They screenshot great responses. Save their best prompts. Build libraries. Share them in Slack.
Their prompt file becomes a personal sales coach.

3. They contribute back to the team

Irreplaceable AEs aren’t lone wolves.
When they find a workflow that saves time or closes deals — they share it.
They perform and help others.

That’s how you go from average rep to irreplaceable.

You’ve made it through all 3 editions.

Here’s the truth:

AI won’t replace AEs completely.
But AEs who don’t adopt AI will get replaced — by those who do.

Final Ask

If this series helped you or your team — drop a comment, share a link, or just DM me with your take.

And if you want help building AI-powered systems for your sales org,
you know where to find me.

Let’s build.

– Stephen

www.cabot-insights.com