Traditional sales techniques can be improved with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). According to a recent article in Forbes (“Why Sales Reps Spend So Little Time Selling by Ken Krogue, Forbes), conventional reps spend 35% of their time selling and 65% on everything else.
The traditional sales process
The traditional sales process for distributors involves juggling many tasks and coordinating lots of customer information. As a past VP of Sales, I remember my frustration with seeing outside sales reps in their offices until mid-morning. Why were they not out engaging with customers? The representatives shared that they were working to develop the best plan of attack. They were working on whom to call, what to suggest to existing customers, and which accounts needed the most attention. The actual selling time was being lost. Monthly prospecting target results were weak. Also, I received call reports listing a day of six to eight prospective calls, with, maybe at best, two qualified leads. The success with productive calls to existing accounts was not much better.
To improve the situation, I invested significant time training representatives on preparing for customer visits. I instructed them to review old call reports and actively gather data from business intelligence, other departments, and various online sources. I also encouraged them to analyze sales history and examine credit spreadsheets.
AI to the rescue
All this effort and research on the part of reps, while important, is incredibly time-consuming, and results are often incomplete. AI can change this scenario by automating tasks and streamlining the traditional sales process. Machine learning is constantly analyzing the data behind sales transactions. It enables reps to see priorities faster. AI automates repetitive and tedious tasks like sorting through endless data, and allows reps to focus on what they do best — selling.
Improving the process
As you can see, AI doesn’t replace sales reps, it assists them. Finally, it automates numerous tasks in the traditional sales process, enhancing the accuracy and efficiency of sales strategies.
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