How Sales Teams Can Adopt and Use AI for Smarter Selling

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the sales landscape.

As a result, AI-powered tools are automating many tedious and time-consuming tasks that sales reps have traditionally performed, which can free them up to focus on more strategic and value-added tasks and responsibilities.

HubSpot and G2 have come together to provide customers with a comprehensive overview of how AI can be used to improve the sales process. The report, Smarter Selling with AI in 2023, is full of valuable insights, tips and tricks, and best practices surrounding how AI can give sales reps more time to dedicate towards high-value, human-centric tasks like connecting with customers and closing deals.

Interested in a sneak peek of what you’ll find in the report? Check out the summary below!

Benefits to sales reps using AI

The main reason sales and marketing professionals don’t yet use AI, or any automation is because they don’t want to become overly reliant on them. But, with proper guardrails and processes, these tools can be a game-changer. Some of the benefits are:

• Enhanced productivity. AI-powered tools can automate tasks such as lead creation, qualification, and outreach. This frees sales reps to spend more time on high-value activities such as building relationships with prospects and closing deals.
• Improved accuracy. AI can help sales reps make more informed decisions by providing them with insights into customer behavior and market trends.
• Personalized engagement. AI can assist sales reps in personalizing their outreach to prospects by understanding their needs and interests.
• Better customer experience: AI can help sales reps provide a better customer experience by automating tasks and providing customers with more self-service options.

How to use AI to develop new sales models

The report also discusses how AI develops new sales products, such as conversational AI and account-based marketing (ABM). Conversational AI allows sales reps to have more natural and engaging conversations with prospects through chatbots and other AI-powered tools. ABM uses AI to identify and target the most important accounts for a business and then deliver personalized messaging to those accounts.

Some key elements to remember when using AI during various sales models:

• AI is automating many tedious and time-consuming tasks that sales reps have traditionally performed, giving them time to focus on more strategic and value-added activities. For instance, reps can use AI-based tools to take notes on sales calls or to summarize key takeaways. 
• AI provides sales reps with insights into customer behavior and market trends, helping them make more informed decisions and personalize their outreach to prospects. These tools can help write messages to prospects, like emails, social media messages, and call scripts, while translating messages for prospect outreach into other languages.
• AI is enabling new sales models, such as conversational AI and account-based marketing, which can help sales reps to be more productive, accurate, and personalized in their outreach.

At its core, AI is having a positive impact on the sales profession by helping sales reps to be more successful and provide a better customer experience.

Top five sales use cases for AI tools and chatbots

How can your team put AI tools to the test? Consider these five use cases.

1. Lead creation and qualification: These tools can help sales reps find and qualify leads more quickly and efficiently than traditional methods. For example, AI can be used to analyze customer data to identify potential prospects or to develop chatbots that can qualify leads through real-time conversations.
2. Sales outreach and engagement: AI-powered software can help sales reps personalize their outreach and engagement with prospects. For example, AI can be used to generate personalized email messages or to develop chatbots that can have more natural and engaging conversations with prospects.
3. Customer relationship management (CRM): CRM tools powered by AI can help sales reps to manage their relationships with customers better. For example, AI can be used to analyze customer data to identify potential opportunities or to develop chatbots that can provide customer support.
4. Prospect insights: AI tools can be used to drive conversations and help understand the unique needs of prospects. Specific AI tools provide reps with insights into prospects' preferences to better tailor sales messaging and conversations, which can resonate with prospects, reduce friction, and help them stand out against the competition.
5. Sales coaching: Thanks to AI and machine learning, software can capture and analyze sales conversations, better coach reps, share best practices, and help with the next steps and action items. Sales coaching features can assist reps in overcoming objections in real time to maximize time with prospects.

Sales teams and AI: the new power couple

AI is a powerful tool that has the potential to transform the sales profession. By automating tasks, providing insights, and personalizing engagement, AI can help sales reps to be more successful, productive, and accurate and provide a better customer experience with personalized outreach. As this technology continues to develop and mature, it’s likely to have an even more significant impact on how sales are conducted.

Explore the many types of artificial intelligence software available on G2!