In this episode of The Sales Today Podcast, Fred Copestake is joined by communications and speech coach Susie Ashfield, author of Just F**king Say It and a third-time guest on the show.

This is an "emergency podcast" sparked by a moment on LinkedIn: Susie posted a video where she stumbled and left it in. No polishing. No AI. No pretending.

Because as AI-generated content gets smoother, faster, and more convincing, the thing that makes us stand out is increasingly simple:- being human.

Together, Fred and Susie explore what we risk losing when we outsource too much of our thinking, speaking, and creativity and how sales and communication can stay authentic in a world racing towards perfection.

In this episode, they explore:

Why Susie kept the mistake in her LinkedIn video and why it mattered
The "volcano project" problem: what happens when the parent (or AI) does the work
Where AI is genuinely useful (time-saving, editing, polishing) vs where it flattens originality
Why "give me 10 creative ideas" isn't actually creative
The difference between amplifying your thinking and outsourcing your thinking
Why micro-mistakes, humour, and real reactions build trust and relatability
The Pratfall Effect and why small imperfections can increase likability
Why AI scripts often sound "political" - and why humans respond more to "comedian energy"
How to make better videos without becoming artificial
Why quality beats quantity in sales outreach - and why AI-driven scale can backfire
A powerful story about effort, authenticity, and why "rubbish" sometimes wins

Key insights

AI can make your content look perfect.

But perfection isn't what creates connection.

The future belongs to people who can think, speak, and show up with enough courage to be real - including the pauses, the stumbles, the humour, and the moments that don't land perfectly.

Because that's where trust lives.

Practical takeaways for salespeople and creators

Use AI for the practical work (drafting, editing, formatting, speeding up execution)
Keep the creative work human (insight, point of view, story, judgement, humour)
Don't fear mistakes - small imperfections can increase engagement and relatability
Ditch the "social script" of long intros and credibility lists: lead with the audience's problem
Prioritise quality connections over mass automated outreach

About Susie Ashfield

Susie Ashfield is a communications and speech coach and the author of Just F**king Say It.

She helps people speak with confidence and impact without sounding scripted, robotic, or artificial.

The book is also available as an audiobook, read by Susie herself (of course).

Get in touch with Susie

· Search Susie Ashfield online to find her work and the book: https://amzn.eu/d/aIZJK6N

· LinkedIn: message Susie Ashfield directly - she replies - https://www.linkedin.com/in/susannahashfield/

Connect with Fred: https://linktr.ee/fredcopestake

Free resources

Collaborative Selling Scorecard Check how your sales approach fits today's environment

https://collaborativeselling.scoreapp.com/

Watch Fred's FREE YouTube Course: Sales Mastery for Engineers: https://bit.ly/Sales-Mastery-For-Engineers

How to avoid AI killing your communication skills