Why Human Connection Still Wins in an AI-Driven GTM World with Katrin Gurvich

AI can speed up the work, but it still cannot replace the human connection that moves trust forward.

In this episode, John sits down with Katrin Gurvich, a GTM Strategy & Operations leader at Navan, to talk about networking, referrals, AI, hiring, and what modern sales teams need to protect as the go-to-market world gets more automated. Katrin shares how she built connection as a skill, why referrals have lost meaning when they become a checkmark, and why AI-assisted work still requires real ownership from the person using it.

If you are in sales, RevOps, enablement, leadership, or any GTM role where AI is changing the way work gets done, this conversation gives you a practical way to think about human touch, buyer trust, personal brand, and how reps should use the time AI gives back.

Want to build a team AI can support but never replace? Visit www.jbarrows.com and learn how you can Make It Happen.

What You'll Learn

• Why networking is a skill you can build through repetition
• Why referrals only matter when real trust sits behind them
• How AI use reveals ownership, curiosity, and judgment
• Why human connection still matters in modern GTM execution
• How onsites, events, and personal touches can change sales conversations
• Why reps need to use AI-given time to get sharper, not just faster

Katrin Gurvich is a GTM Strategy & Operations leader at Navan, where she partners across sales and revenue teams to translate high-level strategy into day-to-day execution. Her work spans diagnosing business health, improving pipeline visibility, and helping revenue leaders separate real signal from vanity metrics like quota attainment.

Before Navan, Katrin held roles in sales planning and analytics at Dropbox, management consulting at HealthScape Advisors, and corporate and institutional banking at PNC, giving her a cross-functional view of how strategy, data, and operations intersect. She holds degrees from the University of Michigan and Case Western Reserve University, where she studied economics, psychology, and world literature.

Visit and learn more about Navan:

Website: https://navan.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/navan/?viewAsMember=true

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GetNavan

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getnavan/

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@navan?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@GetNavan

Connect with Katrin Gurvich:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katrin-gurvich-559142130/

John Barrows is a sales trainer, speaker, and founder of JB Sales with over 25 years of experience in the industry. He has made hundreds of cold calls a week, led startups to acquisition, and trained high-performing teams at companies like Salesforce, LinkedIn, Amazon, and Okta. Through JB Sales, John focuses on practical sales execution—helping reps fill pipeline, close deals, and build trust with buyers in today’s AI-driven sales environment.

Connect with John Barrows:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnmbarrows

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