Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation have become important tools for B2B sales professionals in recent years. In fact, the majority of B2B sales professionals say that AI/automation is important to their role and has impacted how they plan to sell. As the digital age continues to evolve, sales reps are seeing the benefits of leveraging new technology to improve their performance and efficiency. In this article, we will explore just how impactful AI and automation have become for B2B sales and what the future may hold.
The importance of AI/automation in B2B sales
In today’s business world, companies are searching for innovative tools to help streamline their sales processes and increase revenue. AI and automation have emerged as key solutions to achieving these goals. Sales representatives who use AI/automation in their role say that they most often use tools that offer data-driven insights. This allows the representatives to pinpoint trends and identify opportunities to refine their sales strategies.
At the same time, the second most significant sales goal during 2022 is to make the sales process more efficient. This is where automation steps in. By automating routine tasks, sales reps can save time and focus on more high-level tasks, such as building customer relationships or closing deals.
Automation of manual tasks
Our State of AI survey found that AI tools that automate manual tasks such as data entry, note-taking, and scheduling, are the second most used tool. By automating these processes, sales reps can reduce the time required for administrative tasks, freeing up more time for them to focus on building relationships and closing deals. With more time at their disposal, sales reps can prioritize their work and deliver better results.
Furthermore, automation has been found to offer significant benefits for sales processes. Sales representatives have reported that AI tools are helpful in various sales processes, and that automation helps them meet their sales goals. By automating routine tasks, sales representatives have more time to focus on high-value activities and can more effectively manage their pipeline.
Generative AI tools
Generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, which aid in writing sales content or outreach messages for potential customers, are the third most popular use case for sales representatives. These tools assist reps in saving time by producing automated content that is customized for each recipient. This relieves sales reps of the burden of writing every prospecting email or follow-up message manually. Rather, they can utilize AI to create top-quality content that is specific to each recipient’s individual needs.
It’s most useful for repurposing messages and adapting them to a different audience. This is particularly helpful for sales representatives who deal with many different clients and need to personalize their messages to suit each one. In fact, 69% of reps say it helps them personalize the customer experience, which is a key goal for most sales organizations.
AI/automation will have a role in future sales
Most salespeople believe that AI/automation will be involved in most aspects of sales—the software they use will have built-in AI, chatbots will answer their questions, and AI tools will assist them with their day-to-day tasks. As technology continues to evolve, it’s likely that we’ll see more AI-powered tools emerging in the sales space.
Perhaps most interestingly, 53% of B2B salespeople specifically mentioned that AI/automation will be advanced enough to reach out to prospects independently. This is an exciting development that could help sales teams save time and improve their win rates. By delegating some tasks to AI, reps can focus on high-level tasks while still closing deals.
In conclusion, AI and automation have become essential tools for B2B sales representatives. From automating repetitive tasks to generating personalized messages, these technologies are changing the way sales reps work. In the future, we will likely see even more AI applications in sales, with smart software and chatbots taking over some tasks. The goal will always be to make sales reps more efficient and effective, and AI will undoubtedly play a significant role in achieving this result.