Why Most Companies Fail at AI Adoption (and How to Fix It)
TL;DR
Most GTM teams are drowning in noise and pilot purgatory when it comes to AI. In our latest episode of the FutureCraft podcast, we talk with Lennard Kooy, CEO of Lleverage, about how to actually implement AI that works. He shares why starting over was the smartest move he ever made, how agentic automation is saving companies €35K a month, and why if you’re not moving fast on AI,
you’re already behind.
“Nobody Cares About AI. They Just Want to Sell More Wood.”
This is the gut-punch truth Lennard Kooy delivers early in our conversation—and it changes the game.
“Tech people think AI is the point. Business people think solving their problem is the point.”— Lennard Kooy, CEO of Leverage
If your AI pitch leads with features and not outcomes, you’ve already lost your audience. The key to adoption? Speak human, solve real pain, and show outcomes faster than your CRM can load.
Assist Before You Replace: The AI Adoption Mindset Shift
Kooy outlines a tactical GTM adoption strategy that works: assist before you replace.
Instead of ripping out processes and flipping a switch, successful teams:
Deploy AI agents next to existing roles
Let humans validate the output
Slowly shift ownership to the agent over time
It builds trust, unlocks insights, and doesn’t trigger panic.
“If you're trying to replace 20 people with an agent overnight, you're going to fail. Start by making one person twice as productive.”— Lennard Kooy
This is especially crucial in functions like:
Candidate screening
Sales development (BDR)
Lead scoring
Meeting prep and prospect research
The Cold Outreach Agent That Replaced a Recruiter
In one example, Leverage automated their entire screening process:
AI scans resumes and filters ~70% out
Qualified candidates call a phone number and interview with an AI
The system scores and pushes results to Slack
Humans only meet the final 5%
Result? One AI replaced an internal recruiter—and saved €35K/month.
“You're not replacing people. You're removing the part of the job nobody likes.”— Lennard Kooy
Want to Build Your Own AI Agent? Start Small. Start Visual.
The episode includes a live “Gladiator Round” where Kooy builds a cold outreach agent live. But his guidance is universal:
Start with workflows that are:
Visually traceable (you can see where it breaks)
Low-stakes but repetitive (e.g., lead list building)
Easy to validate (you already know the right output)
Don’t try to automate the whole funnel. Build a Lego brick first.
The Most Underrated AI Tech Right Now?
Claude Projects + MCP.
“MCP is going to change who can build integrated workflows. You don’t need APIs, just natural language.”— Lennard Kooy
If you’re in go-to-market or RevOps and not paying attention to Model-Centric Protocols, you’re going to get outpaced by non-technical operators with better prompts.
What's Next for AI and GTM?
Lennard makes a bold prediction:
“In five years, 90% of what GTM professionals do will be strategy, creativity, or human interaction. Everything else will be agentic.”
That means:
BDRs will spend more time on messaging and vertical discovery
RevOps will never log into Salesforce again
The highest-performing marketers will be those who can think and communicate, not click and format
Final Word: You're Moving Too Slow
Lennard doesn’t sugarcoat it:
“Most SaaS companies are going too slow. They won't survive the next wave.”
You can’t afford to treat AI like a Q4 initiative. You need to be shipping agentic workflows now.
How to Get Started Today
Audit your repetitive workflows – Where are people clicking copy/paste 50 times a week?
Pick one task – Cold outreach, meeting prep, lead scoring
Use a visual tool like Leverage or n8n to build a 3-5 node workflow
Co-pilot with your team – Let humans assist and iterate before going full auto
Replace “pilot” thinking with “production” urgency – You’re not experimenting. You’re falling behind
Listen to the Full Episode
🎧 FutureCraft Podcast S2E9: Lennard Kooy on
Real AI Adoption in GTM
▶️ Watch it on YouTube
📲 Stream on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts
Ready to Go Agentic?
If you want help mapping your first GTM agent or transforming your BDR team into a leverage multiplier, connect with Erin Mills or Ken Roden on LinkedIn. We build and deploy this stuff in the wild.
