Artificial intelligence is becoming a key feature of customer service, on its way to rivaling the human kind. Image credit: iStock, Chief Outsiders
By Dan Lackner
In 2019, an UNCrushed survey of sales professionals found no less than two-thirds of salespeople close to burnout. That number dates from before the pandemic, so one can easily imagine that it has doubtful it has gone down since.
Work overload leads to stress and subpar work. Luckily, solutions exist.
A lot of the day-to-day work of sales professionals can be done more efficiently when artificial intelligence (AI) technology is introduced to supplement some of their work in five areas. These include:
- Writing emails and compelling subject lines
- Writing proposals
- Composing social media posts
- Analyzing prospects' websites
- Predictive analytics
It is important to note that while AI technology is powerful, it could be better.
Salespeople will still have to review and edit the results produced by AI tools to ensure that they are professional and appropriate.
AI will not replace salespeople’s jobs, but will make them more efficient.
Let us take a look at the five areas where AI can be of help.
Dan Lackner
Writing emails and compelling subject lines
Email is one of the essential communication tools for salespeople. However, crafting personalized, engaging and effective emails can be time-consuming.
AI tools can assist salespeople in writing emails tailored to the prospect's specific needs. It can also help them develop compelling subject lines that will increase the chances of the email being opened.
Using AI tools, salespeople can save time and increase their email response rate.
Writing proposals
Writing proposals can be tedious and time-consuming, especially when each proposal needs to be tailored to the prospect's specific needs.
Salespeople can use AI tools to gather information about the prospect's goals and pain points and compose a proposal that addresses their unique needs. This helps demonstrate how the offered product or service can help the prospect achieve their objectives.
Using AI tools, salespeople can save time and increase their proposal response rate.
Composing social media posts
Social media is a powerful tool for salespeople to connect with prospects and customers. However, crafting engaging, informative and relevant posts can be challenging.
Salespeople can use AI tools to compose social media posts tailored to a specific audience. This can increase brand awareness, generate leads and improve customer engagement.
Using AI tools, salespeople can save time and increase their social media engagement rate.
Analyzing prospect's website
In today's digital age, a prospect's website can be a valuable source of information about their business and target market.
AI tools can analyze a prospect's website and gather information about their needs and pain points. This can help salespeople to tailor their approach accordingly.
By using AI tools, salespeople can gain insight into the prospect's needs and increase the chances of closing a deal.
Predictive analytics
Salespeople can use AI tools to analyze customer data and predict their behavior. This can help salespeople identify patterns and trends and make more informed decisions about approaching and engaging with customers.
For example, a sales team at a software-as-a-service company used AI tools to analyze customer data and predict which customers were at risk of canceling their subscriptions.
By identifying these at-risk customers and proactively addressing their concerns, the sales team reduced churn by 25 percent.
Using AI tools, salespeople can anticipate customer needs and increase the chances of closing a deal or saving an existing customer.
Maximizing benefits
It is worth noting that even though AI tools are powerful, they are not perfect, and it is essential for salespeople to review and edit the results produced by the AI tools.
For example, I heard of a salesperson using an AI tool to write emails. Unfortunately, the AI tool suggested that the salesperson include "I am your robot overlord" in the email, which would have made the salesperson look silly in front of the prospect.
So always be sure to review the results produced by the AI tools.
With the right approach, AI tools can be a powerful asset for any sales team.
AI TOOLS ARE here to stay and can be a valuable asset to sales professionals.
From writing emails and compelling subject lines to writing proposals and composing social media posts to analyzing prospects' websites and making predictions about customer behavior, AI tools can help to streamline processes and improve sales performance.
It is worth exploring for any sales professional looking to stay ahead of the curve and gain a competitive advantage.
Dan Lackner is Newport, RI-based chief strategy officer with Chief Outsiders, the nation’s leading firm offering fractional CMO services with Fortune 500 experience. Reach him at dlackner@chiefoutsiders.com.