In this episode of the Value Coffee Talk podcast, hosts Thomas Pisello and veteran value leader Shane Finlay dive into the evolving landscape of value engineering and consulting. They discuss the shift from large value teams and the “business case factory” approach to a more streamlined, software-enabled capability, and the role of AI in transforming value consultants into not just orchestrators and enablers, but composers.

Tune in to explore how AI is rapidly reshaping value-based growth programs, and the evolving role of AI-powered value consultants, sellers, success reps and sales engineers.

Takeaways

• Value teams are shifting from the “business case factory” (Player) to software-enabled Composers and lifecycle Orchestrators, with AI multiplying impact across GTM.
• Smaller teams + smarter tools: Equip sellers, SEs, and CS with guided discovery, ROI, and value storytelling — not just pre-sale business cases.
• AI as a force multiplier: Private LLMs + value playbooks + past cases = faster, tailored briefs, cleaner CRM hygiene, and real-time discovery prompts.
• Human-in-the-loop stays essential: AI drafts; value pros validate KPIs, benchmarks, and executive narratives to maintain trust and accuracy.
• Adoption is a program, not a launch: Drive usage via simple, monthly “one new use case” enablement (lunch-and-learns), track usage, and reinforce wins.

Sound Bites

• “We’re moving from factory to symphony — AI doesn’t replace value pros; it amplifies them.”
• “Enable the field, not just the deal: value must show up in every touch — discovery, demo, onboarding, renewal.”
• “AI is the co-pilot; the value consultant is the pilot — keep the human in the loop to make the case credible.”