‍

About Guest

Eric Quanstrom is the Vice President of Go-To-Market Engineering at Apollo.io, an AI-powered sales intelligence and engagement platform that helps businesses build pipeline and grow revenue. He leads initiatives that help customers optimize GTM strategies, improve sales efficiency, and leverage data and AI to create better revenue outcomes. Eric brings more than a decade of experience in technology, marketing, and growth, previously serving as CMO at Cience. His expertise spans demand generation, sales development, and building scalable go-to-market systems.

In this episode…

Sales teams have more AI, data, and automation than ever, but getting a buyer’s attention still comes down to relevance. So how can teams use these tools to work smarter without losing the human side of sales?

GTM expert Eric Quanstrom believes the answer starts with relevance, better buyer signals, and keeping humans involved in AI-assisted selling. Rather than chasing larger lead lists, teams should focus on fewer, higher-quality prospects, use intent and timing signals to prioritize outreach, and apply AI to create messaging that reflects each buyer’s needs and goals. Eric also emphasizes reducing friction across the sales tech stack so reps can spend more time having meaningful conversations. Used thoughtfully, AI can improve sales efficiency while making outreach more personal, timely, and useful.

In this episode of the Revenue Engine Podcast, Alex Gluz talks with Eric Quanstrom, VP of Go-To-Market Engineering at Apollo.io, about sales efficiency in the AI era. Eric covers buyer relevance, AI-assisted personalization, and smarter lead prioritization. He also explores sales automation, customer acquisition costs, and the future of human-led selling.

A glimpse of what you will learn

• [1:11] Eric Quanstrom’s career journey and path into GTM leadership
• [4:21] How Eric approaches building more effective GTM strategies and improving sales efficiency
• [8:32] Why relevance has become the key factor in creating meaningful sales conversations
• [10:31] The role of buyer signals, data, and personalization in modern sales
• [14:52] How Eric views the balance between AI, automation, and human creativity in sales
• [24:05] Eric’s perspective on reducing customer acquisition costs and helping sales teams work smarter
• [33:24] What Eric sees ahead for AI-powered sales, Apollo’s future, and the evolution of GTM technology

Resources Mentioned in this episode

• Alex Gluz on LinkedIn
• T.A. Monroe Digital Agency
• Eric Quanstrom on LinkedIn
• Apollo.io
• Matt Curl on LinkedIn
• Pocus
• Claude
• ChatGPT
• Gemini
• Perplexity
• OpenAI
• Anthropic
• Replit
• Lovable
• Slack
• Codex
• HubSpot
• Salesforce

Quotable Moments

• “The warmer you can make any outreach, the more effective and engaging you're going to be.”
• “The big … hurdle that must be cleared in all go-to-market is relevance.”
• “What I would best want to do is I would want to start to think about almost like a Venn diagram.”
• “The more I can put any of my kind of … sales conversations into the personalization of that individual, the more relevance I'm bringing forward.”
• “The ability for us to … carve out that interest and now move them into a sales cycle is the whole battle.”

Action Steps

1. Focus on relevance before increasing outreach volume: Understanding what matters to your ideal buyers helps create conversations that stand out instead of adding to the noise of generic messaging.
2. Identify and act on meaningful buyer signals: Tracking triggers like job changes, funding announcements, and intent signals helps sales teams reach prospects at the right moment with a stronger reason to engage.
3. Use AI with human judgment in the sales process: Combining AI-driven insights with human creativity allows teams to build personalized messaging that feels authentic and valuable to each buyer.
4. Prioritize fewer, better leads: Concentrating efforts on prospects with stronger alignment, needs, and buying signals improves sales efficiency and creates more productive conversations.
5. Create conditions for buyers to discover value themselves: Guiding prospects toward their own conclusions builds trust and helps sales conversations become more natural and impactful.

Sponsor for this episode

This episode is brought to you by T.A. Monroe Digital. At T.A. Monroe, we build world class revenue engines for B2B SaaS companies. What that means is we do everything behind the scenes to generate you tons of qualified leads, opportunities and customers.

1. We build highly effective marketing systems and scale their profitably through our demand generation strategies.
2. We think scientifically on how to scale your demand and revenue.
3. We bring decades of experience.

Email us at alex@tamonroe.com or visit www.tamonroe.com today to schedule a strategy session or learn more about our mission.

‍
Powered by Rise25 Podcast Production Company

‍