Talking to your CRM, field realities and finding Product-Market fit in AI with Nicolas Christiaen

Key takeaways:

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1. Lead with the problem, not the tech

For Nicolas, it wasn’t about hiding the AI — just not making it the headline. Buyers weren’t chasing innovation for its own sake; they simply wanted to stop wasting hours on CRM admin. The outcome mattered more than the tech powering it.

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2. Voice fits where typing fails

For field sales, laptops and keyboards are friction. Voice-first interactions like debriefing from the car felt natural, not like admin. It wasn’t just a tech shift. It actually fit the way reps work.

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3. Great products come from walking the field

Instead of building for a persona on paper, Nicolas and his team talked to sales reps in the wild. They noticed what didn’t work, what never got filled in, and where frustration stacked up. It wasn’t about finding a niche, it was about understanding the real context people work in. That’s where product insight lives.

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4. Early product iteration through conversations

The first version was simple: voice notes over WhatsApp. But Nicolas and his team didn’t ship to the masses. They handed it to a few “white-glove” clients who knew things might break. These early users didn’t just give feedback, they revealed friction you’d never see on a product roadmap. That’s how the team shaped something that fit real days, not ideal ones.

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5. AI should automate the admin, not the relationship

No matter how smart your system is, deals still close between people. AI’s role is to clear the clutter so reps can focus on what humans do best: building trust, asking questions, and moving the conversation forward.