Artificial intelligence or AI has been making waves for years. And though some industries and departments have embraced it, there are still many that have not.
While some sales teams have decided to harness the power of AI, others are still unclear on the benefits of making such a move. It’s an undeniable fact that closing deals rely on human interaction. The idea of passing on such an important role to a machine seems counterproductive.
Unfortunately, viewing AI as a replacement for salespeople is a mistake. It is not intended to replace but to empower sales teams to do their job more efficiently and successfully. Below are several of the ways that AI can fulfill this role.
Accurate and Fast Data Analysis
One of the biggest benefits of using AI in sales is its ability to analyze large sets of data in a fraction of the time it would take salespeople. This fact alone saves a sales department a great deal of time, but it doesn’t stop there. This analysis allows AI to provide sales teams with all of the following benefits, as well.
Pin Down Your Ideal Customer Profile
Businesses around the globe know how important it is to identify their ideal customer. Having an accurate ideal customer profile allows sales teams to use targeted messages and sales pitches as well as ensure they are selling to quality leads.
Unfortunately, pinning down an ideal customer profile can sometimes seem like a guessing game. It often has to be adapted over and over again, resulting in lost sales in the process.
Artificial intelligence can move through the process quickly. A comprehensive analysis of customer data can help sales teams swiftly and accurately pin down the ICP.
Improve Productivity
Your sales team needs to be able to focus on important tasks in order to achieve their sales goals. This can be a challenge, though, as there are so many tasks to be managed. By implementing AI, you can help free up your team’s time so they can do what they do best – close deals.
AI allows mundane tasks such as scheduling meetings and filling in CRM software to be automated. And once the ideal customer profile has been identified, AI can analyze current and potential clients to find matches. It can find the leads that are most likely to close and line up targets. When your team gets to work, they already know which direction to move toward.
Guidance Through the Buying Process
What if your salespeople had an assistant that could guide them through the entire sales pitch and buying journey? How many more deals do you think they could close if they could engage every single lead with customized messaging and specific recommendations?
AI can be that assistant. Thanks to the analysis that AI completes, it is able to provide sales recommendations that are specific to each individual lead. It can give targeted guidance that eliminates the guesswork of tasks such as pricing deals and knowing which upsells and cross-sells to recommend. This guidance can improve pitches and help your sales team from the point of first contact until the deal is closed.
Personalized Experience
AI is an incredible tool for personalization for all current and potential customers. It can be utilized to customize a website visitor’s time on your page, which can help them better understand how your company and solution suit their needs.
For example, if you provide a software solution, chances are that you work to sell it to multiple industries. However, if an executive at a financial firm visits your website, they don’t want to read how your software can help a marketing firm. If they have to dig for information relevant to their firm, they might move on to another company. AI can ensure that only relevant content on your site is shown to the individual visitor.
It can also ensure that all written communication, such as email, is personalized to the individual. This can improve customer retention and customer acquisition, easing your sales team’s journey.
Accurate Forecasting
Artificial intelligence is also a great tool for forecasting. It analyzes data from previous quarters to provide predictions of your sales team’s performance for the upcoming quarter. This allows team leaders to pinpoint strengths and weaknesses and take steps to address challenges.
Continuous Improvement
Another benefit for sales teams is that AI is not stagnant. It is constantly learning and evolving. This means that its predictions, recommendations, and personalization will improve, which means salespeople can continuously improve their sales processes.
Final Thoughts
Implementing AI in your sales process is like turning your sales team into a group of superhumans. It provides them with clarified data, insight, recommendations, and guidance that they might not otherwise receive. It is one of the most effective ways to help them aim at and hit the right target instead of shooting in the dark.
