My sales career started in the mid-80s when I joined a photocopier dealer in West Byfleet called Woodside Office Equipment. This was the decade that Canon launched a global drive to oust Xerox as the gorilla in the market. Woodside was owned by an ex Xerox Sales Director and my new colleagues and I were all immersed in the Xerox Sales Methodology. This training stood me in good stead for the rest of my career and one of the key things I learnt was that sales is a numbers game - the more opportunities you put in the top of the funnel, the more deals you’re likely to close. It’s not quite that simple of course, but certainly increased effort usually delivers increased results.
Today, that thesis still applies in my view - I don’t know a highly successful, lazy, salesperson, and I doubt you do either?
However, with all the technology available to us as salespeople today, the maxim “work smarter not harder” still holds true. The super successful salesperson today works hard, but also uses all the technology available to work smarter and increase productivity.
With the launch of ChatGPT over a year ago, AI took the world by storm, and every salesperson or leader worth their salt should be looking at how AI can help them sell bigger deals, quicker and more often.
In the next in our series of articles, we’ll look at how sales can use AI in various ways, such as leveraging AI-powered analytics for proposal generation, proofreading, competitive analysis and utilising AI-driven personalisation to tailor product recommendations based on customer behaviour. AI can streamline processes, enhance customer interactions, and provide valuable data for more effective sales strategies.
One thing to remind you of right at the outset though, is that publicly available AI tools, such as ChatGPT3, are open source and so anything you put in, or responses you get back, could well end up in the public domain. The way around this is to use an application that has a commercial AI engine incorporated which will ensure confidentiality.
Here are some specific examples of how a software salesperson can use AI:
Automated Proposal Generation:
A growing number of sales teams use AI-powered tools to automate the initial draft of proposals. These tools can analyse data, understand requirements, and generate tailored content, saving time for sales professionals. There are many RFP response apps available and Responsive, Autogenai, Panddoc and AutoRFP are just 4 examples. Be sure to carry out due diligence on the level of Confidentiality afforded your IP.
Sales call-planning and problem solving
There is a new breed of AI applications that considerably increase sales effectiveness, shortening sales cycles and increasing win rates. Some of these combine sales best practices with contemporary thinking around behavioural economics & human decision making. One example is Shadow Seller (https://www.shadowsellerai.com/), which takes your situation & advises on sales strategy and tactics, generates meeting guides, meeting agendas and call notes. Shadow can recommend what questions to ask and what points to make. All of these features help both experienced and junior sales people to be more effective.
Lead Generation
There are fantastic tools available that provide hyper-personalised lead generation, such as Smart Sniper (https://www.salesaccelerationconsulting.com/general-8-2) to keep that funnel topped up and Buyer Caddy (https://buyercaddy.com/) that can help you build lists of target companies that use a particular product or solution.
Content Recommendations:
Your business can leverage AI to suggest relevant content based on the specific needs of the prospect. This might include case studies, testimonials, and other materials that strengthen the proposal.
Grammar and Style Checking:
Proof reading is another use that will drive efficiency. Employing AI-driven proofreading tools can help to ensure proposals are free of grammatical errors and adhere to a consistent writing style, presenting a polished and professional image that represents your company’s brand. Always be aware of AI “hallucinations” though - spurious text inserted by the AI tool - and the final read should always be completed by the sales team.
Competitive Analysis:
Successful salespeople always focus on their Unique Selling Points (USPs) and AI is a great tool for competitive analysis; extracting insights on competitors and integrating this information into the proposal to showcase your unique selling points and differentiators.
Customisation Based on Client Data:
Your business should look at integrating AI with your CRM and ERP systems to analyse client data and personalise proposals accordingly. This might involve tailoring pricing models, highlighting features most relevant to the client, and addressing specific pain points.
Predictive Analytics for Proposal Success:
AI algorithms can be used to analyse historical proposal data and identify patterns related to successful proposals. This information can guide sales teams in optimising future proposals for higher conversion rates.
Visualisations and Infographics:
“A picture paints a thousand words”. AI is not just about text but graphics too. Leveraging AI tools to create visually appealing infographics and visualisations will enhance the presentation of data and complex information within the proposal.
Proposal Tracking and Analytics:
Use AI-powered analytics to track the engagement with proposals, providing insights into which sections are most viewed and how much time clients spend on different parts. This information can guide follow-up conversations.
These are just a few examples of how AI can help sales work smarter as well as harder. When I started out, working smarter meant walking around offices on a Business Park literally knocking on doors and asking questions about their office equipment - my, how times have changed!
If you’d like to know more about how AI can help your business grow sales, please contact me.
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