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Conversation
Highlights
Welcome to another episode of Category Visionaries — the show that explores GTM stories from tech’s most innovative B2B founders. In today’s episode, we’re speaking with Barb Hyman, CEO & Founder of Sapia AI, a recruiting technology platform that’s raised over $21 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
- Revolutionizing Hiring: Sapia AI leverages natural language processing (NLP) to create an engaging, efficient, and bias-free hiring process, replacing traditional resumes with AI-driven candidate assessments.
- Impact of AI Adoption: The rise of AI, particularly after November 2022, has significantly accelerated interest in Sapia’s technology, although the company has been pioneering AI-driven hiring since 2018.
- Navigating Category Creation: Sapia AI is a new category called “Smart Interviewer,” but the challenge has been in positioning it within existing HR tech categories. The focus is now on customer storytelling to convey its unique value.
- Empathy in Enterprise Sales: Barb emphasizes the importance of “enterprise empathy” when selling AI into HR, recognizing the significant change management required and celebrating success only when the customer does.
- Candidate Experience as a Marketing Tool: The virality of Sapia AI’s candidate experience has led to organic growth, with candidates often referring the product to key decision-makers within organizations.
- Global Expansion Strategy: Sapia AI has strategically focused on the EMEA market due to its sophisticated approach to AI regulation and the high demand for inclusive, bias-free hiring processes.
Actionable
Takeaways
Embrace Enterprise Empathy:
When selling disruptive technology, especially AI, understand the buyer’s perspective and concerns. Celebrate successes only when your customers do, ensuring you’re aligned with their milestones.
Capitalize on Candidate Experience:
A stellar candidate experience can drive organic growth. Encourage candidates to share their positive experiences, turning them into advocates within their professional networks.
Focus on the Right ICP:
Be disciplined about targeting your ideal customer profile (ICP). Avoid wasting resources on prospects who may not have the leadership or readiness to embrace significant change.
Leverage Dark Social:
Utilize non-traditional marketing channels like dark social, where customer referrals and word-of-mouth drive new business, rather than relying solely on paid or large-scale marketing events.
Anchor on Pain Before Demos:
In sales, ensure you deeply understand the customer's pain points before jumping into product demos. This approach leads to more meaningful conversations and higher conversion rates.
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