The first insights from the Sales Efficiency Report 2024
AI and automation in B2B Sales
Do you sometimes feel like you're drowning in a sea of AI tools? Overwhelmed by the abundance of AI tools for sales and marketing? Three years ago, AI in marketing and sales was still a hot topic. Today, the headlines scream “AI is taking our jobs”, “Sales employees are no longer necessary” - but the reality? Can AI really revolutionise the way we work, from content creation to lead research and scoring?
Learn how you can use AI and automation to close more deals and increase the efficiency of your sales funnel - with our Sales Efficiency Report, we aim to find the growth drivers that make this possible.
- See where you stand. This is the basis for finding the easily achievable goals.
- Discover which AI and automation use cases are thriving in B2B.
- Benchmark yourself and see where you stand and get tool and book recommendations.
In a recent webinar, we explored the latest insights and trends around AI and automation in B2B sales. It was not only informative, but also packed with practical tips and anecdotes that show how technology is revolutionizing sales.
The expert panel: powerhouses and visionaries
We were lucky enough to welcome some real heavyweights to our virtual panel. Manuel, the kickboxing sales pro, has managed to turn the SalesPlaybook into a seven-figure revenue machine. With stints at Tesla and Accenture and 1000 push-ups in a row, he is a prime example of discipline and innovation in sales.
Florian, the brains behind big chess competitions and the operations mastermind of SalesPlaybook, also has impressive credentials from SICTIC Investors Club, bringing a wealth of operational experience and strategic thinking.
And then there's Valentin, my business partner in crime when it comes to product development. With an inimitable ability to build efficient and high-quality software products, he has scaled companies like Startups.ch or Trekksoft to over 100 employees.
The status quo: AI in sales
Our webinar began with a stocktaking: where do we stand today with AI in sales? Three years ago, AI in sales was still a distant dream; today it is a reality. But can it really revolutionise sales work? Can we replace human sales staff with machines? Our research, which will be published this summer, looks for the best use cases and the most effective strategies.
A key topic was the comparison between inbound and outbound strategies. Traditional approaches such as cold calling and networking versus modern methods such as SEO, organic content and LinkedIn. The results of our survey of 148 participants show a mixed picture: While some swear by traditional tactics, others rely equally on inbound and outbound.
AI templates: CRM enrichment and follow-up automation
One highlight of the webinar was the presentation of our AI templates, specifically for CRM enrichment and follow-up automation. These tools make it possible to validate and enrich data from various sources, from contact forms to calendar events and social media interactions. With platforms like Clay, Apollo and Lusha, we can seamlessly integrate this data into CRM systems like HubSpot to create a complete and up-to-date customer profile.
Follow-up automation, on the other hand, uses AI to generate personalized messages based on recent interactions. Whether after a webinar, a survey or a face-to-face meeting, AI helps to create relevant and timely follow-ups that accelerate the sales process and strengthen customer loyalty.
Practical tips and pros
One particularly useful tip was the use of Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG). This technology allows specific information to be retrieved from company documents and websites and incorporated into communications. This significantly improves the relevance and accuracy of the content generated.
Our experts also emphasized the importance of clearly defining basic sales processes and target groups before starting automation. A solid understanding of ideal customer profiles and buyer personas is essential to create the right messages and offers.
Conclusion: AI and automation as a game changer
The webinar has shown that AI and automation in B2B sales are not just buzzwords, but can be real game changers. With the right tools and strategies, companies can optimize their sales processes, increase efficiency and ultimately increase their sales.
Finally, we encouraged the participants to put the knowledge they had gained into practice and to continue to actively ask questions and exchange ideas. Because only through continuous learning and adaptation can we exploit the full potential of AI and automation in sales.
- Combining outbound and inbound: Outbound is not dead, but very competitive. The key lies in combining outbound with trust-building inbound measures.
- Clearly defined Ideal Customer Profiles (ICP) and Buyer Persona are crucial for the success of automation efforts.
- Quality over quantity: AI can scale sales processes, but without an understanding of the right content and the right approach, it will not add any value.
- Identify bottlenecks and only then automate: Start with the areas that represent the biggest bottlenecks in the buyer journey and automate these first.
- Use various touchpoints: More touchpoints such as webinars, summits and social media increase the success rate and build trust.
- Validate information: The success of AI-driven processes depends heavily on the quality and validation of the information fed in.
- Focus on qualified pipeline: The focus should be on growing a qualified pipeline, not just on the number of leads and meetings generated.
- Long-term customer loyalty: Sales success is not only measured in numbers, but also in the quality and long-term loyalty of the customers acquired.
- Human intelligence and creativity: Despite the use of AI, human intelligence and creativity are crucial for the development of effective sales strategies.
