The introduction of AI into the sales process is the game changer organizations seek to create efficiencies and boost revenue generation. At this point, AI in sales is a necessity.
This is especially true for prospecting. A crucial stage in the sales cycle, prospecting can be time-consuming and labor-intensive, with a lot riding on the task’s success. And for more than 40 percent of sales representatives, it is the toughest part of the sales process.
Companies like Microsoft know how AI can elevate their sales practices. Here are ways that sales teams can integrate AI into their prospecting endeavors.
Putting AI To Work
AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Copilot can help outline the ideal customer profile (ICP) or buyer persona based on criteria such as company size, industry, location, pain points, and products and services. Refinement of existing ICP is also possible with AI performing deeper analysis, highlighting common attributes across successful deals, and segmenting target lists. AI can also qualify prospects by analyzing customer data points, detecting patterns, and pinpointing those likely to engage and convert. Moreover, AI-powered revenue intelligence platforms like Gong can analyze sales calls and other customer interactions and extract key information for more accurate, data-driven insights into target prospects.
Getting Personal
With prospects identified, sales teams can now leverage AI to design an outreach strategy. Personalization is key in engaging prospects and closing deals, and more than 70 percent of sales professionals note that using AI tools helps them achieve this.
By analyzing available information about prospects, AI can craft customized outreach campaigns that resonate more with the recipients. Email and phone calls remain the top communication channels, and with AI tools, sales teams can come up with messages and scripts that are concise, compelling, and relevant. For example, ChatGPT can aid in writing sales pitch emails and generating email headlines. The generative AI tool can also repurpose existing prospecting content. The key is infusing prompts with information that will resonate with target prospects. Inputs should be clear and specific to generate personalized messages. Sales teams can use insights from customer interactions analyzed by conversation intelligence platforms like Chorus. Messages can also match the communication preferences of prospects by using personality insights from AI tools like Crystal.
Automation At Its Finest
With most prospecting tasks done manually by sales teams, AI can perform these activities with greater speed, efficiency, and accuracy. For instance, AI tools like Seventh Sense can optimize email delivery frequency to ensure messages are read and likely to be responded to. Meanwhile, AI-powered enablement platforms like Seismic can manage a library of content that sales teams can access readily whenever they need it. Then there are tools like Clay that replace the manual research done by sales teams and enrich data quality. Moreover, most AI tools can be integrated with CRM systems for seamless operations.
Andy Springer, Chief Client Officer of sales training company Rain Group, wrote that “success for sales organizations today takes more than having the right sellers with the right skills. Success at scale means using smart, modern methods to gain an advantage with a notoriously challenging activity.” And using AI in prospecting, that’s a winning move.
