Phoebe: Amplifying Sales Management Capabilities with AI

Phoebe Lee, CEO of SMLSCO, originally studied chemical engineering. During an internship in her junior year, she entered the industrial products sales field and became the top salesperson in her first year.

Nine years later, she began leading a company and exploring how to use AI to transform her personal sales experience into organizational capabilities. She believes, “AI can amplify management capabilities, but business judgment, customer relationships, and leadership responsibilities still need to be handled by people."

From a Chemical Engineering Major to a Sales Role

“During my junior year, I realized that the work environment in my original major wasn’t a good fit for me, and I also recognized that my English skills, communication style, and personality were better suited to international sales."

After entering the industrial metals industry, Phoebe became the top salesperson in her first year. But after three years on the job, her strong sales performance no longer provided her with a new direction. She began to wonder, “If I’m no longer solely responsible for my individual performance, how far can I go?"

While the company was preparing to launch a new business, a trip to Wenzhou made her realize that this opportunity was even greater than she had initially understood.

“I decided to get directly involved and take on significant personal financial risk to help build the new company."

After transitioning from a sales representative to a manager, her focus expanded beyond just orders to include team development, system building, replicating best practices, and the growth of sales representatives.

In sales management, Phoebe discovered: “Business owners focus on results, transparency, and talent pipelines; managers need process controls and early warnings; while front-line sales representatives hope to improve efficiency, receive effective feedback, and reduce meaningless form-filling tasks."

Traditional CRM and ERP systems can record vast amounts of information but may not necessarily support decision-making. Sales activities may still lack consistency, managers still need to manually monitor processes, and best practices remain difficult to replicate.

“In my view, AI offers new possibilities for establishing a unified working mechanism that aligns the goals of all three parties."

Moving Data from Recording to Utilization

“There is a fundamental difference between recording information and actually using it."

Traditional CRMs can display the time of the last customer follow-up, while an AI Agent can combine existing information to flag customers requiring priority attention. Monthly reports present results that have already occurred, whereas an AI Agent can help managers analyze the underlying causes in real time.

“This requires clear processes and actionable data. Before adopting AI, companies must first clarify what to record, how work is executed, and what decisions the data should support."

Management Capabilities Still Start with People

“AI can enhance sales management, but human judgment and relationships remain indispensable."

Systems can organize knowledge, identify patterns, and offer recommendations, but they cannot replace a sales representative’s business judgment or the trust they build with clients.

“Managers must first use AI themselves to understand its capabilities and limitations before integrating it into real-world work. Organizations should also support employees who proactively explore AI, cultivating their AI literacy, judgment, and risk awareness."

As a manager without a technical background, Phoebe also feels frustrated when she sees error messages.

“I’ll copy the error message and ask the AI about it, then learn and make adjustments step by step. I’m also willing to share my learning process openly, which helps bridge the gap between managers and employees."

From sales intern to CEO, Phoebe has never stopped learning. For SMLSCO, AI is a tool for consolidating experience and enhancing management capabilities, but the real drivers of change are still the people who are willing to make judgments and take action.