AI: What 60% of Sales Leaders Agree On

From the many ways AI can help sales performance, here is, according to Gartner research, what the majority of Sales leaders agree on:

Pulling actionable insights from AI engines is a major challenge (source Gartner)

To earn the right to have deeper conversations, you need to have:

1. Fast, accurate and easy to digest Situational knowledge of your prospect
2. Insights that will change their perspective on their situation and challenges

Without these two, your sales conversation will be flat and boring to your customer.

Don’t believe me, look at the research

I am glad that Gartner surveyed specifically on this sales challenge, because gaining situational knowledge and actionable insights is underestimated and underrated. Sales organisations invest in the latest CRM technology to enhance sales efficiency and productivity. But when it comes down to picking up the phone and having an engaging conversation with prospects, many fail and wish they were better equipped.

Why do sales leaders not pay enough attention to this?

• They are focused on the wrong KPIS, eg, justifying their CRM investment.
• Their advice to salespeople is to use LinkedIn, Google and Chatgpt and expect that this is sufficient.
• They ask for more calls, not more quality calls.

What do buyers say?

Effective discovery calls should focus on the buyer, their specific problems, and the desired outcomes they aim to achieve. However, there is a disconnect between what buyers want and what they are getting from salespeople in these early interactions (Sales Growth).

Lack of Preparation: A staggering 82% of B2B decision-makers feel that sales reps are unprepared for meetings, leading to unproductive interactions.

Early Engagement: A significant majority (71%) of buyers prefer to hear from sellers early in the buying process, allowing for guidance and relationship-building from the outset (saleslion)

Thorough Preparation: Buyers expect sales reps to be well-prepared, having researched the buyer’s company and needs. On average, buyers invest 86 hours in selecting a B2B partner and expect a similar level of commitment from salespeople (Hubspotblog)

Where sellers focus in discovery calls

Unfortunately, many salespeople still rely on general company information (such as Google and LinkedIn) to build a connection with their prospects, as well as on general industry insights. They have good intentions, but buyers want more. And they don’t want you to waste their time.

AI insights platforms

Sales leaders, switch your focus to AI Insight Platforms. They do quadruple the work that Google and Chatgpt can do. These tools, easily integrated into any CRM, provide your seller with information, insights, case studies and success stories that Google and Chatgpt, well…just cannot.

Take Action

• Give me a like if you also experience this as a major challenge
• Contact me if you want to know your options as a sales organisation

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Are you leading a sales organisation?

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