John Fees, Co-founder & Managing Partner, GradGuard
| Episode Type | Expert Insight Interview |
| Guest | John Fees, Co-founder & Managing Partner, GradGuard |
| Guest Website | gradguard.com |
| Listen | View on Sales POP! Podcast Page |
Key Takeaways
- John Fees, Co-founder of GradGuard, argues AI accelerates work but operates only at human direction, so judgment and critical thinking still decide outcomes.
- John Fees says the best salespeople beat AI by asking the human question that leads to a sale — AI excels at answers, not at asking questions.
- GradGuard’s “three A’s” — Ask, Authentic, Authority — give sales teams a framework for staying credible amid AI-generated “slop.”
- John Fees advises students to read real books, study the “why,” and treat AI as a second brain rather than a replacement for thinking.
Episode Overview
What does AI and the future of sales really look like? John Fees, Co-founder & Managing Partner of GradGuard, says AI accelerates the work but moves only at human direction, so sharper thinking wins. Fees explains why asking the right question, authenticity, and authority stay irreplaceable, and why buyers now arrive better prepared than ever before.
Key Insights
Will AI replace salespeople?
John Fees says AI won’t replace skilled salespeople, because selling depends on asking the human question that leads to a sale. AI generates strong answers, Fees notes, but struggles to frame the question that surfaces a real need. At GradGuard, that means asking whether a family could afford an extra semester — the question no chatbot thinks to ask.
What are the three A’s of using AI in sales?
John Fees built GradGuard’s AI approach around three A’s: Ask, Authentic, and Authority. Fees leads every task with a carefully framed question, checks whether the output feels authentic rather than generic “slop,” and insists on authority through social proof — reviews, endorsements, case studies, and testimonials. Those three filters keep his 70-person team credible while competitors flood the market with automated sameness.
How do AI-prepared buyers change a sales conversation?
John Fees warns that buyers now arrive better prepared than ever, armed with AI research. Fees used ChatGPT and Perplexity to build a car-buying playbook better than anything he could assemble alone, and says sellers should expect the same from prospects. The catch: that research may be only partly accurate, so salespeople must confirm what a buyer thinks they already know.
Is a college degree still worth the cost in 2026?
John Fees says a degree can still be worth it, but families must rigorously ask what they want from college first. Fees, who paid roughly $1,000 a year at Arizona State, argues society wrongly treats every degree as equal in value. He urges matching the financial investment to the outcome, and questions credentials that don’t clearly lead to a career.
What skills should students build to thrive alongside AI?
John Fees advises students to lean into liberal-arts habits: read real books, take Socratic classes, and understand the “why” behind their work. Fees treats AI as a second brain that refines ideas, not a replacement for thinking, and reminds engineers to do the math themselves. As he puts it, you want the bridge where AI double-checked the human’s work.
In His Own Words
“AI is accelerating what we’re doing, but they only work at our direction at the moment.” — John Fees, Co-founder & Managing Partner, GradGuard
“Every salesperson has to have some authority, whether it be social proof, Google reviews, other customers’ endorsements, case studies, testimonials.” — John Fees, Co-founder & Managing Partner, GradGuard
“You wanna drive across the bridge where the AI has double checked your work.” — John Fees, Co-founder & Managing Partner, GradGuard
“These are big problems, and I think big problems are great opportunities.” — John Fees, Co-founder & Managing Partner, GradGuard
AI and the Future of Work: Key Statistics from GradGuard’s John Fees
| Statistic | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 500,000 | Students and families protected by GradGuard today | John Fees, Sales POP! interview, 2026 |
| Only U.S. company | GradGuard is the only company in the country that refunds tuition when a student must withdraw | John Fees, Sales POP! interview, 2026 |
| 70 employees | Size of the GradGuard team applying the “three A’s” framework | John Fees, Sales POP! interview, 2026 |
| 3 of top 10 | Jobs for college grads that require sales skills | CEO of a college recruiting platform (Stanford), cited by John Fees, Sales POP! interview, 2026 |
| 22,000 | Roles Oracle laid off last year despite record profits | John Fees, Sales POP! interview, 2026 |
| 7,000 | Roles Meta laid off, cited in Fees’s concern about profit-driven cuts | John Fees, Sales POP! interview, 2026 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Resources
- GradGuard
- Sales POP! Podcast: salespop.net/media/podcast/
- Coevera: coevera.com
Our Host
John is the Amazon bestselling author of Winning the Battle for Sales: Lessons on Closing Every Deal from the World’s Greatest Military Victories and Social Upheaval: How to Win at Social Selling. A globally acknowledged Sales & Marketing thought leader, speaker, and strategist, he has conducted over 1500 video interviews of thought leaders for Sales POP! online sales magazine & YouTube Channel and for audio podcast channels where Sales POP! is rated in the top 2% of most popular shows out of 3,320,580 podcasts globally, ranked by Listen Score. He is CSMO at Coevera. In his spare time, John is an avid Martial Artist.
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