For sales leaders, there are not many things more important than their reps’ ability to drive revenue by ushering prospects over the finish line. But, how much time do reps actually spend closing business? There are two main issues taking reps away from the activities that really matter.
Manual prospecting tasks
The reality is that most sales pros spend more hours than they realize on repetitive, manual prospecting tasks. What’s worse is that they’re really, really good at them, knowing exactly what to say on every cold call, email, or LinkedIn message. Eventually their long list of prospects turns into a few deals. So, they rinse and repeat, forgetting about all the wasted time spent on redundant tasks that went nowhere.
It’s part of the gig, right?
Wrong: Prospecting should not be a badge of honor. Closing should be.
Too much automation
Today, sales leaders have automated many tasks that used to be manual. Just like there used to be “an app for that,” there now seems to be a browser add-on or third-party subscription for everything. But each of these automations have added back manual tasks to every step of the sales cycle, creating a sales obstacle course before the first cold outreach even happens.
Think about this: Is using an email lookup tool really that different than thumbing through the Yellow Pages?
The solution: Digital labor, powered by AI
How can sales leaders help their reps spend less time prospecting and more time closing deals? The answer lies in seamlessly implementing artificial intelligence tools that account for everything reps do, not just one thing.
According to Forbes, “Organizations who report[ed] faster growth in revenue over the past three years were also more likely to be further ahead when it comes to AI maturity.” The report’s authors state that these organizations see AI as a long-term strategic priority for innovation, with 76% citing AI as “fundamental to the success of their organization’s strategy.” Moreover, “64% believe that their organization’s growth is dependent on large scale AI adoption.”
Here’s what the experts say:
- Sales teams that have adopted AI have increased leads and appointments by about 50%, according to McKinsey research in the Harvard Business Review
- When compared to a top-performing, human SDR, custom AI increased efficiency by 500% (Saile 2020 Digital Labor study)
- Sales leaders expect their AI adoption to grow faster than any other technology, according to Salesforce
Reimagine AI for you
Does AI adoption sound like something your sales team is already leveraging? Your reps may just be living in an obstacle course of data providers, marketing automation, email look-up tools, and third-party subscriptions. While a piecemeal sales stack solves small problems, it also masks some of the extra work that it creates. There’s no doubt that your reps are working harder than ever.
Companies that are successfully leveraging AI are able to automate their entire prospecting lifecycle so that sellers can focus on the revenue that really matters. In sales, time is valuable, and everyday spent on redundant prospecting tasks pushes your team further away from the finish line. Don’t give up many opportunities by having them do hundreds of manual tasks to find one deal; help them find many deals by leveraging AI to replace the repeatable tasks that take away their valuable closing time.
To increase your team’s prospecting power with a seamless AI solution, sign up for a one-on-one demo here.
Nick Smith is the President, CEO, and Founder of Saile Inc., the maker of patent-pending Sailebots. Today, he invites you to embark on the journey that is sales prospecting and learn how it’s being reimagined.
